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Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday as investors assessed economic data while anticipating a Fed rate cut in June. The Nasdaq Composite, the Dow and the S&P 500 ended in negative territory.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) fell 0.6%, or 260.32 points, to close at 41,581.31. Twenty-two components of the 30-stock index ended in negative territory, while 8 ended in positive. The major loser of the Dow was NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) . The stock price of this computing infrastructure company fell 3.4%. NVIDIA currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 304.55 points, or 1.7%, to close at 17,504.12.
The S&P 500 lost 60.46 points, or 1.1%, to close at 5,614.66. Nine of the 11 broad sectors of the benchmark index closed in the red. The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY), the Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) and the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 1.8%, 1.5% and 1.4%, respectively.
The fear gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) increased 5.8% to 21.70. A total of 13.40 billion shares were traded on Tuesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 16.40 billion. The S&P 500 posted four new 52-week highs and four new lows. The Nasdaq Composite recorded 32 new highs and 142 new lows.
Housing Starts Rise but Economic Risks Loom
According to the Commerce Department, housing starts increased 11.2% from one month to the next in February, with single-family starts rising 11.4%. However, building permits decreased by 1.2% in February to an annual rate of 1.45 million, which could be an indication of a future decline in construction activity.
However, certain factors may limit home building, such as increasing construction costs, which the National Association of Home Builders attributes to tariffs that raise the cost of building a home by $9,200, and persistent labor shortages due to an immigration crackdown. However, inflation is still a problem, with import prices rising 0.4%, including Chinese imports, which rose 0.5%. The Fed is believed to keep interest rates between 4.25% and 4.50%, but market participants expect them to lower rates in June.
U.S. Capacity Utilization Increases in February
Capacity Utilization for February came in at 78.2, per a report by the Federal Reserve. The number for January was revised down to 77.7 from the previously reported 77.8.
U.S. Industrial Production Rebounds in February
Per a report by the Federal Reserve, Industrial Production for February came in at an increase of 0.7%. The number for January was revised to a decrease of 0.3% from the previously reported 0.5%.
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Stock Market News For Mar 19, 2025
Market News
Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday as investors assessed economic data while anticipating a Fed rate cut in June. The Nasdaq Composite, the Dow and the S&P 500 ended in negative territory.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) fell 0.6%, or 260.32 points, to close at 41,581.31. Twenty-two components of the 30-stock index ended in negative territory, while 8 ended in positive. The major loser of the Dow was NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) . The stock price of this computing infrastructure company fell 3.4%. NVIDIA currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 304.55 points, or 1.7%, to close at 17,504.12.
The S&P 500 lost 60.46 points, or 1.1%, to close at 5,614.66. Nine of the 11 broad sectors of the benchmark index closed in the red. The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY), the Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) and the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 1.8%, 1.5% and 1.4%, respectively.
The fear gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) increased 5.8% to 21.70. A total of 13.40 billion shares were traded on Tuesday, lower than the last 20-session average of 16.40 billion. The S&P 500 posted four new 52-week highs and four new lows. The Nasdaq Composite recorded 32 new highs and 142 new lows.
Housing Starts Rise but Economic Risks Loom
According to the Commerce Department, housing starts increased 11.2% from one month to the next in February, with single-family starts rising 11.4%. However, building permits decreased by 1.2% in February to an annual rate of 1.45 million, which could be an indication of a future decline in construction activity.
However, certain factors may limit home building, such as increasing construction costs, which the National Association of Home Builders attributes to tariffs that raise the cost of building a home by $9,200, and persistent labor shortages due to an immigration crackdown. However, inflation is still a problem, with import prices rising 0.4%, including Chinese imports, which rose 0.5%. The Fed is believed to keep interest rates between 4.25% and 4.50%, but market participants expect them to lower rates in June.
U.S. Capacity Utilization Increases in February
Capacity Utilization for February came in at 78.2, per a report by the Federal Reserve. The number for January was revised down to 77.7 from the previously reported 77.8.
U.S. Industrial Production Rebounds in February
Per a report by the Federal Reserve, Industrial Production for February came in at an increase of 0.7%. The number for January was revised to a decrease of 0.3% from the previously reported 0.5%.