Market Watch: Aug. 26, 2022
Big Picture
Investors Eagerly Await Fed Chair’s Comments on Future Path of Rate Hikes
All three U.S. stock indexes declined on Monday as investors anxiously await a Friday speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in which he is expected to reaffirm the central bank’s hawkish stance to combat inflation. The Dow dropped 643 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 90 and 323 points, respectively. Losses were milder on Bay Street, thanks to some modest strength in the energy and materials sectors. By Monday’s close, the TSX had dropped 136 points.
U.S. stocks wobbled in quiet trading Tuesday as investors continue to speculate as to the severity of impending rate increases. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 were fairly flat, while the Dow surrendered 154 points. The TSX closed almost unchanged, adding 10 points, after a choppy session — although energy and materials stocks registered strong gains.


