Yahoo Finance Top 5 Things to Know in The Market on Wednesday
Investing.com - Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Wednesday, August 22:
1. Markets Await Release of Fed Minutes
Investors are awaiting the publication of minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting at 2:00PM ET, for further clues into the outlook for monetary policy.
The U.S. central bank held interest rates unchanged as was widely expected following its meeting on August 1 and gave an upbeat assessment of the world's biggest economy, staying on course to gradually lift interest rates.
The Fed has signaled to markets it will hike interest rates two more times this year, in September and December.
Against this backdrop, the U.S. central bank is shrinking its balance sheet by allowing maturing securities to roll off its balance sheet without replacing them.
Besides the Fed, the July report on existing home sales will be released at 10AM ET, followed by the Energy Information Administration's weekly report on oil stockpiles at 10:30AM ET.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, was down about 0.1% at around the 95.05-level.
It fell to a two-week low of 94.96 on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “not thrilled” with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell for raising rates.
The president's latest criticism of the Fed comes shortly ahead of Powell's speech at the central bank's annual Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday.
In the bond market, Treasury prices inched up, pushing yields a tad lower across the curve. The benchmark 10-year yield dipped to around 2.825% while the 2-year yield slipped to 2.60%.
2. U.S., China Resume Trade Talks
U.S. and Chinese officials are set to resume contentious trade talks under the cloud of a prediction by President Trump that there would be no real progress.
A nine-member delegation from Beijing, led by Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, will hold meetings with U.S. officials led by the Treasury undersecretary, David Malpass, in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday.
The two days of meetings are the first formal U.S.-China trade talks since U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross met Chinese economic adviser Liu He in Beijing in June.
The discussions among mid-level officials could set a framework for further negotiations as each country prepares to hit the other with new tariffs on Thursday in a deepening dispute over China's economic policies.
China has said it hopes for quiet, steady talks to get "a good result on the basis of equality, parity and trust." But Trump said earlier this week that he did not "anticipate much".
Washington and Beijing have been locked in escalating rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs since the start of the year, with $34 billion in goods targeted by each country and another $16 billion slated to go into effect this week. Trump has threatened further tariffs on exports worth as much as $500 billion, as he tries to reduce a trade deficit and protect intellectual property rights.
3. Investors Monitor Trump Legal Drama
Developments in U.S. politics also took center stage.
Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty on eight counts related to tax fraud, excessive campaign contributions, making false statements to a financial institution, and unlawful corporate contributions at a court hearing in New York.
Two of the counts that Cohen pleaded guilty to appear to relate to Trump directly. Cohen admitted to making payments to two women at the direction of an unidentified candidate for political office who appears to be the president.
He could face more than five years in prison.
At the same time, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty of eight criminal counts brought against him by special counsel Robert Mueller, including five counts of tax fraud. He was also found guilty of two counts of bank fraud and one count of failing to file foreign bank account reports.
Still, there were no immediate calls for Trump's impeachment and Republican lawmakers did not join the chorus of criticism from Democratic ranks.
4. U.S. Stock Futures Point to Lower Open
On Wall Street, U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open, ahead of two days of trade talks between the U.S. and China and as investors digested the latest legal fallout surrounding President Donald Trump.
The blue-chip Dow futures were down 55 points, or around 0.2%, at 5:25AM ET, the S&P 500 futures shed 6 points, or around 0.2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a decline of 11 points, or roughly 0.2%.
Today marks the 3,453rd day since the last 20% decline in the major U.S. stock indices, officially making this the longest bull market run on record.
Wall Street ended higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 hitting an all-time high. The Russell 2000, which is made up of small cap stocks, also reached a record high.
Elsewhere, in Europe, most of the continent's major bourses slipped in and out of positive territory in cautious trade, with the different sectors moving in opposite directions.
Earlier, Asian markets turned in a mixed performance. Chinese stocks fell after two days of 1%-plus gains, while Japan's Nikkei ended up 0.6%.
5. Target Reports Earnings
The second quarter earnings season has all but wound down, however results today are expected from a few retailers, including Target (NYSE:TGT), Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW) and L Brands (NYSE:LB).
Target’s results will be closely watched with Wall Street looking for same-store sales that rose 3.9% during the second quarter. Over the last year, shares of Target are up more than 45%.
Other notable companies reporting results today include Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS), Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI), and Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM).
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