Warsh's Speech Ignites Bond Market, Stocks Hold Steady
The US stock market held steady on Friday, but the bond market reacted strongly to Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's speech at an annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 89 points, or 0.2%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time.
Warsh emphasized that short-term interest rates are the predominant tool for the Fed to control inflation and keep the job market strong. However, he also stated that 'I would be hard pressed to describe broad financial conditions as restrictive,' implying that short-term interest rates may not be high enough to tame down the economy and inflation.
The yield on the two-year Treasury jumped to 4.30% from 4.22% just before the speech, indicating a nearly 46% probability of the Fed hiking its federal funds rate as soon as next month, up from the 35% probability seen a day earlier. Traders are betting that the Fed will take action to control inflation.
On Wall Street, Gap's stock surged 13.9% after the retailer reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. In contrast, Marvell Technology fell 7% despite beating analyst expectations, with its CEO citing strong business related to artificial-intelligence technology as a positive factor.