Wall St on track for worst week in a month as oil falls

NEW YORK, Dec 14 — All three major indexes fell more than 1 per cent on Friday and were on track for their worst weekly performance in a month as growing oversupply concerns dragged down crude oil prices to their 7-year lows.

The International Energy Agency said it sees the oil glut worsening in 2016 as demand slows and OPEC shows no signs of slowing production.

The steep drop in oil prices adds to investor uncertainty as the US Federal Reserve prepares to raise interest rates for the first time since June 2006 at its meeting next week.

Adding to the somber mood, China’s yuan fell to its lowest in 4-1/2 years on concerns about the country’s slowing economy and expectations of a US rate hike.

Global shares were lower amid concerns that weakness in the Chinese currency could weigh on the global economy and on companies with strong export ties to China.

“About 10 per cent of the S&P 500 is energy and commodity related, and it is a barometer for global economy. When you see such a plunge, it worries investors,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.

“Until the oil market finds a support level, the market will remain unsettled.”

At 10:46am, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 220.45 points, or 1.25 per cent, at 17,354.3, the S&P 500 was down 24.79 points, or 1.21 per cent, at 2,027.44 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 63.86 points, or 1.27 per cent, at 4,981.31.

Nine of the 10 major S&P 500 sectors were lower, with the energy index’s 2.06 per cent fall leading the decliners.

The index has lost about 10 per cent since the beginning of the month.

The materials index was also down 1.62 per cent, weighed down by DuPont and Dow.

DuPont shares were down 4.4 per cent at US$71.27 (RM309.10), after the company agreed to merge with Dow Chemical in a deal valuing the combined entity at US$130 billion. Dow was down 3.2 per cent at US$53.15.

Investors are also awaiting the outcome of the Fed meeting on Dec. 15-16.

Fed fund futures place an 85 per cent chance of a rate hike. A recent Reuters poll also showed that all but one of 18 brokerages that deal directly with the central bank expect a rate increase.

“If the Fed does not move next week, it is basically saying that the recovery is not strong enough, said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas.

“It will definitely be a negative factor for the market.”

Jetblue Airways was down 4.5 per cent at US$24.28 after the airline operator said it expected flight sales as measured against capacity to fall in the fourth quarter from a year earlier.

Yahoo was down 3.4 per cent at US$33.43. Alibaba, in which Yahoo has a 15 per cent stake, was down 4 per cent at US$80.88.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 2,384 to 562. On the Nasdaq, 2,070 issues fell and 534 advanced.

The S&P 500 index showed 1 new 52-week high and 34 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 8 new highs and 108 new lows. — Reuters