Market Report

Jumpy investors ditch stocks, rush over to bonds

The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles logo appears above a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Fiat Chrysler is proposing a merger with French carmaker Renault aimed at saving billions of dollars for both companies. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles logo appears above a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Fiat Chrysler is proposing a merger with French carmaker Renault aimed at saving billions of dollars for both companies. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

U.S. stocks fell broadly Tuesday as anxious investors shifted money into bonds, sending yields to their lowest level in nearly two years.

Rising bond prices, which pull yields lower, are typically a sign that traders feel jittery about long-term growth prospects and would rather put their money into safer holdings.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.26% Tuesday, the lowest level since September 2017. That put it below the 2.35% yield on the three-month Treasury bill.

When that kind of "inversion" in bond yields occurs, economists fear it may signal a recession within the coming year. It has happened multiple times so far this year.

The S&P 500 index fell 23.67 points, or 0.8%, to 2,802.39. The index had been up 0.5% earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 237.92 points, or 0.9%, to 25,347.77, after rising about 131 points earlier. The Nasdaq composite dropped 29.66 points, or 0.4%, to 7,607.35. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies gave up 10.09 points, or 0.7%, to 1,504.02.

Major stock indexes in Europe also declined.

Investors have been weighing a mix of encouraging and discouraging economic reports this year as they also keep an eye on unpredictable swings in the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China.

"If the bond market was saying that the economy is on OK footing then you wouldn't see yields fall like they are," said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. "In many respects, equities are waking up to what's happening in bonds."

U.S. stocks headed higher in the early going Tuesday as the market reopened after Monday's Memorial Day holiday. But indexes reversed course by midday and never recovered.

Trading has been choppy over the past several weeks as investors grapple with the possibility of a prolonged trade war between the U.S. and China. They escalated the dispute earlier this month by raising tariffs on each other.

The U.S. went even further and proposed a ban on technology sales to certain Chinese companies. That added even more volatility to technology stocks that are already sensitive to the ups and downs of trade negotiations.

The trade dispute has interrupted a market rally that saw the S&P 500 recoup the fourth quarter's sharp loss and hit a new high. The index is down 4.9% so far in May, though it's still up 11.8% for the year.

In a client note Tuesday, Morgan Stanley warned that the stock market faces a lot more volatility because of weak economic data and the trade war. It also cautioned that those factors are increasing the risk that the U.S. economy could slide into a recession.

"This isn't just about the U.S. and China," said Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at Nuveen. "It's about everybody sensing there is something to brace for."

The drop in yields accelerated last week, but it has been happening gradually since late last year, when the 10-year Treasury note's yield peaked at 3.2%.

The slide in bond yields held back gains for banks and other financial companies. Falling yields lead to lower interest rates on loans, which makes lending less profitable. Goldman Sachs Group slid 1.8%.

Health care, consumer staples and industrial stocks also took heavy losses. UnitedHealth Group dropped 2.3%, Procter & Gamble slid 2.1% and United Rentals closed 3% lower.

Communications services stocks bucked the broader market slide. Video-game publisher Activision Blizzard led the sector, climbing 2.9%.

Business on 05/29/2019

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