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Wall Street Falls as Fed Minutes Signal Another Rate Hike

Wall Street Falls as Fed Minutes Signal Another Rate Hike. Source: Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wall Street ended lower on Wednesday, snapping a four-session winning streak as investors weighed rising Treasury yields, volatile oil prices and Federal Reserve minutes pointing to another potential interest rate hike this year.

The S&P 500 fell 0.3% to 7,798.14, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2% to 27,538.69. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.7% to 51,179.22. However, all three indexes recovered significantly from session lows after a strong U.S. Treasury auction eased pressure on bond markets.

Treasury yields initially surged amid concerns about oil-driven inflation, heavy corporate borrowing to finance artificial intelligence infrastructure and fiscal pressures in major economies. Sentiment improved after a $39 billion auction of 10-year Treasury notes attracted strong demand.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was last up 1.8 basis points at 5.286%, after climbing as much as 9.5 basis points earlier. The 30-year yield rose 2.5 basis points to 5.666%.

Despite the bond selloff, U.S. stocks have remained relatively resilient. The S&P 500 had reached a record high Tuesday and closed above 7,800 for the first time, supported by renewed enthusiasm around AI stocks and expectations for strong third-quarter corporate earnings.

Investors also assessed minutes from the Fed’s September meeting, when policymakers unanimously raised interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00%. The minutes showed most officials believed another rate increase would likely be appropriate before year-end as inflation remains above the central bank’s 2% target.

Oil prices were volatile amid geopolitical and supply concerns. Brent crude gained 0.7% to $100.93 a barrel after attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and escalating fighting in Yemen raised disruption fears. Gains eased after the International Energy Agency agreed to accelerate emergency oil releases, while France announced plans to release 10 million barrels of diesel.

Attention is now shifting toward the upcoming U.S. earnings season. Major banks including JPMorgan and Bank of America are scheduled to report next week, potentially providing the next major catalyst for Wall Street.

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