Stocks trade higher at the open as investors digest Fed’s 0.25% rate hike

March 23, 2023 at 9:41 a.m.

Yahoo Finance Live’s Brad Smith breaks down how stocks are trading following the opening bell on Thursday, a day after the Fed announced another interest rate hike.

Video Transcript

BRAD SMITH: The Dow Jones Industrial Average, you're seeing that higher right now. Oh, there we go. We'll populate this board for you. And we'll give you a four-day view just so you have a look at what the entirety of this week has held. Taking a look at the Dow out of the gate right now, we are higher by about 6/10 of a percent. The past four days, net higher by about 1.1%.

Also taking a brief gander at the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite. It is higher by about 1.3%, we'll call that, this morning. The past four days, net positive in the S&P 500. You're seeing that up as well--

JULIE HYMAN: [SNEEZING]

BRAD SMITH: --by about 9/10 of a percent-- Bless you.

JULIE HYMAN: Thank you

BRAD SMITH: --right now. And also taking a look at the 11 S&P 500 sectors. We've got largely green on the screen here today. Utilities had to mess things up. It's down by about 4/10 of a percent. Right now, the lone laggard here. And over the course of the week, let's just see how it's been performing, as well. We'll give you a four-day look at that. Yeah, it's not doing well over the course of this week either. It's down by about 4.4% just over the past four days.

But take a look at communications services. Oh yeah, past four days up by about 2.3%. Here today, adding on by about 1 and 1/2% there, leading the charge. Technology has also been an interesting sector to continue to keep an eye on. I highly urge giving that some more attention here on the day, as we will for a hot second. It's up by about 1.4% in the continued kind of bounce-back of some of the battered tech names and semiconductors.

Intertwined within that, a great conversation that you guys had with NVIDIA, of course, yesterday. And so just taking a brief look at the NASDAQ 100 tech-heavy average. And since I mentioned NVDA, there it is on your screen today. It's up by about 2.7%.

JULIE HYMAN: Yep, there it is. Thanks so much, Brad.