Tags: financial markets | federal reserve rate hike

Stocks Stumble, Yields Rise as Fed Steps Up Inflation Fight

Stocks Stumble, Yields Rise as Fed Steps Up Inflation Fight
(AP)

Wednesday, 21 September 2022 02:25 PM EDT

Stocks sank and bond yields snapped higher after the Federal Reserve made its third big interest rate hike in a row and sharply increased its outlook for how high it expects to raise rates in coming months. Major indexes dropped into the red and Treasury yields pushed further into multiyear highs.

The S&P 500 went from a gain of 0.7% to a loss of 0.5%. The Dow and Nasdaq were also lower. The Fed is raising rates to fight the worst inflation in 40 years. The worry is that the Fed may cause a recession by slowing the economy too much.

The yield on the 2-year Treasury, which tends to follow expectations for Fed action, rose to 4.01% from 3.97% late Tuesday. It is trading at its highest level since 2007. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, rose to 3.57% from 3.56% from late Tuesday.

The Fed has been raising rates aggressively to try and tame high prices on everything from food to clothing. It is expected to raise its key short-term rate by three-quarters of a point for the third time. That would lift its benchmark rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range of 3% to 3.25%, the highest level in 14 years, and up from zero at the start of the year.

The Fed's goal is to slow economic growth and cool inflation, but Wall Street is worried that it could hit the brakes too hard on an already slowing economy and cause a recession. Those concerns have been reinforced by reports showing that inflation remains stubbornly high and statements from Fed officials they will keep raising rates until they are sure inflation is coming under control.

Central banks worldwide are also dealing with inflation. The Bank of Japan began a two-day monetary policy meeting Wednesday, although analysts expect the central bank to stick to its easy monetary policy. Rate decisions from Norway, Switzerland and the Bank of England are next. Sweden surprised economists this week with a full-point hike.

Global tensions remain high as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine have announced plans to start voting this week to become part of Russia. The war has killed thousands of people, driven up food prices worldwide and caused energy costs to soar.

Gasoline prices, which helped fuel inflation for months, have been generally falling. But, the average price for a gallon of gas went up for the first time in more than three months, rising to to $3.681 from $3.674, according to motor club AAA.

Several companies gained ground after giving investors encouraging financial updates. Cheerios maker General Mills rose 6.6% after raising its profit forecast for the year. CoverGirl owner Coty rose 5.8% following a solid revenue growth update and Walmart rose 2.8% after saying it will hire 40,000 U.S. workers for the holidays, a majority of them seasonal workers.

Cruise line operators slipped as Hurricane Fiona continued to batter the Caribbean. Carnival fell 3.2%.

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


StreetTalk
Stocks sank and bond yields snapped higher after the Federal Reserve made its third big interest rate hike in a row and sharply increased its outlook for how high it expects to raise rates in coming months.
financial markets, federal reserve rate hike
502
2022-25-21
Wednesday, 21 September 2022 02:25 PM
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