Stocks staged a comeback from their lows on Wednesday as investors bought the dip in technology names.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 87 points, dragged down by a 3% loss in Dow Inc. The S&P 500 shed 0.15%. The technology-focused Nasdaq Composite rose about 0.1%., after dropping as much as 1.2% earlier in the session.
Stocks moved off session lows on news that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told a closed meeting of Republicans that he would offer a short-term debt ceiling extension later Wednesday. That would help relieve some pressure on Congress to avoid a U.S. default currently expected on Oct. 18.
After technology selling earlier in the day, investors bought into some key tech stocks like Microsoft, Amazon and Nvidia.
CNBC’s Jim Cramer said to buy the dip in beaten-up technology stocks earlier on Wednesday.
“High growth works. And when you have these dips you buy,” he said on “Squawk Box.”
Meanwhile, stocks tied to the economic reopening drifted lower. American Airlines and JetBlue led reopening plays lower, falling 4% each following a downgrade by Goldman Sachs. Goldman cited higher fuel prices and slower near-term demand.
Boeing and General Electric lost 1% and 1.2%, respectively. Cruise lines were also lower with Carnival Corp. dipping 2.6%.
October continued its volatility on Wednesday amid concerns about rising rates, higher inflation, the state of the reopening and the debt limit. At its low of the day, the Dow lost more than 450 points and the S&P 500 dropped nearly 1.3%.
So far in the three prior trading sessions of October, the Dow has gained 483 points, lost 324 points and on Tuesday, jumped 312 points.
“Well, October is sure living up to its reputation as the most volatile month of the year. We expect the October roller-coaster market to stick around for a bit longer,” said Ryan Detrick of LPL Financial.
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Recent increases in energy prices and interest rates are raising concerns about higher costs for consumers and companies. The 10-year Treasury yield was flat Wednesday around 1.52%, after topping 1.56% last week. Oil prices hit the highest since 2014 this week with WTI crude oil nearly topping $80 a barrel.
September’s ADP report showed that private companies hired at a faster clip than expected last month, despite worries about the delta variant. Private jobs rose by 568,000 for the month, better than the Dow Jones estimate from economists of 425,000.
Wednesday’s report initially sent bond yields higher, unnerving investors about rates and inflation and how soon the Federal Reserve will begin removing policy stimulus. The report could set the tone ahead of the closely followed nonfarm payrolls report on Friday from the Labor Department.
Tuesday marked a broad advance with nine out of 11 S&P 500 sectors closing positive. The Dow gained nearly 1%. The S&P 500 rose 1.05% and the Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.25%.
