Fed's minutes send stock market down
Their failure to rule out a hike in interest rates and a gasoline price rise made investors nervous.
NEW YORK - Wall Street stumbled yesterday, pulling the Dow Jones industrial average down nearly 90 points after release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting indicating that the central bank was not ruling out an interest-rate hike to curb inflation.
The minutes, coupled with a jump in gasoline prices, heightened investor worries about inflation, and drove an already sagging stock market even lower. Investors are growing increasingly anxious that rates may rise, which could limit corporate profits and consumer spending, and further weaken the housing market by making mortgages more expensive.
Wall Street had been hoping instead that the central bank might lower rates because of the slowing economy; the Fed's recent statements accompanying its rate decisions have indicated that it was closely watching the economy's direction and leaving open the possibility of a rate cut.
But the minutes released yesterday showed that the Fed was remaining steadfast in its vigilance against inflation. The Fed's Open Market Committee said at its March 20-21 meeting: "All members agreed the statement should indicate that the committee's predominant policy concern remains the risk that inflation will fail to moderate as expected."
Although many investors are still counting on an eventual rate cut, the Fed's tough stance on inflation has made the possibility seem more distant, said Georges Yared, founder and chief investment strategist for Yared Investment Research.
"It's not bad news, but it's not great," Yared said. "The Fed is doing the right thing here, stepping back and putting the brakes on, but not pushing any panic buttons."
The Dow fell 89.23, or 0.71 percent, to 12,484.62 after dropping 118 points earlier in the session. Yesterday's sell-off shaved off six sessions' worth of gains, and was the first retreat after eight days of advances, the blue chip index's longest winning streak since 2003.
Broader stock indicators also declined. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slid 9.52, or 0.66 percent, to 1,438.87, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 18.30, or 0.74 percent, to 2,459.31.
Bonds fell after the Fed minutes were released. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 4.74 percent from 4.72 percent late Tuesday. The dollar was higher against the euro and the yen, while gold prices were unchanged.
The dollar was helped by comments from Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, who said after a speech at New York University that China was unlikely to sell off U.S. assets.
Since recent data have suggested slow economic growth and a stable job market, Wall Street's recession jitters have eased and inflation has re-emerged as a big concern. Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker said yesterday at a speech in Charlotte, N.C., that the rate of inflation, which has registered 2.3 percent over the last 12 months, remained "uncomfortably high" - a phrase contained in the Fed's minutes.
And with energy costs heading upward, investors' hopes for a rate cut by the middle of the year have dwindled. Wall Street is preparing for next week's flood of earnings data, which it anticipates will show that corporate growth in the first quarter was slower than last year.
Alcoa Inc., the first of the 30 Dow components to report results from the most recent quarter, beat expectations. The aluminum maker rose 18 cents to $35.08 after reporting late Tuesday that its first-quarter profit rose 9 percent.