Fed Rate Hike Sends Mixed Signals Amid Ongoing Market Volatility

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75-4%, marking its first interest-rate hike since 2023.

This decision was met with mixed results in the market, as the S&P 500 slipped for the second straight week and the Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded its sharpest weekly decline since March.

The Nasdaq Composite managed a weekly gain due to a late-week technology rally, but markets remained under pressure as the 10-year Treasury yield approached 5% and oil prices remained elevated amid tensions in the Middle East.

Bullish stocks included Generac Holdings Inc. (GNRC), which saw its shares surge after announcing an $8 billion Amazon data center deal, and Salesforce Inc. (CRM), whose CEO Marc Benioff said the company could sell its stake in Anthropic for 'tens of billions'.

Bearish stocks included Netflix Inc. (NFLX), which fell after Wells Fargo downgraded it to Underweight from Equal Weight, citing weakening viewer engagement and concerns about its content slate.