US stocks end lower on data, Fed statements and oil

New York stock markets closed lower on Tuesday (30). The positive opening soon gave way to a negative scenario, boosted by some indicators that reinforce bets on tightening monetary policy. Among the sectors, energy was the one that fell the most, on a day of strong oil decline.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.96% to 31,790.87 points, the S&P 500 was down 1.10% to 3,986.16 points, and the Nasdaq was down 1.12% to 11,883.14 points.

On the indicator agenda, the US consumer confidence index increased from 95.3 in July to 103.2 in August, according to the Conference Board, when analysts consulted by the Wall Street Journal predicted 97.4.

The Jolts report showed that job openings in the country rose to 11.239 million in July. The data apparently reinforced bets on interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve (Fed, the US central bank), which translated into worsening in the stock markets.

Among Fed leaders, John Williams, chairman of the New York district, said interest rates should continue higher this year and also in 2023, remaining at a high level to contain inflation.

Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, on the other hand, considered that there could be a lower interest rate hike in September than the previous one, but emphasized that this will depend on the indicators to come until the next BC meeting.

The sharp drop in oil also weighed on the stock markets. Among oil companies, ExxonMobil recorded a drop of 2.44% and Chevron, of 3.81%.

Among major stocks in other sectors, however, the tone was also generally negative. Apple was down 1.52%, Amazon was down 0.82% and Meta was down 1.26%. Alphabet dropped 0.44% and Boeing 1.94%.

Among banks, the signal was mixed, with JPMorgan down 0.09% and Citigroup down 0.59%, but Wells Fargo up 0.50% and Bank of America down 0.56%.