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Wall Street gives back more than 1% on weak manufacturing data
01-Oct-19 16:25 ET
Dow -343.79 at 26573.04, Nasdaq -90.65 at 7908.69, S&P -36.49 at 2940.29

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[BRIEFING.COM] The stock market gave back more than 1% on Tuesday, as weak manufacturing data for September revived growth concerns that forced investors to reconsider valuations. Today's 1.2% decline in the S&P 500 sent it below its 50-day moving average (2948) on a closing basis.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (-1.3%) and Nasdaq Composite (-1.1%) posted comparable losses, while the Russell 2000 (-2.0%) underperformed its large-cap peers.

The session did begin on a higher note, as investors brushed aside another set of weak manufacturing PMIs out of Japan and the eurozone. Investors expecting the U.S. to remain resilient in the face of global weakness were disappointed after the ISM Manufacturing Index for September declined to 47.8% (Briefing.com consensus 50.2%) from 49.1% in August for its worst reading since June 2009.

The S&P 500 took a precipitous fall soon after the report was released at 10:00 a.m. ET, then embarked on a steady retreat throughout the rest of the day. All 11 S&P 500 sectors finished lower, with the cyclical industrials (-2.4%), materials (-2.3%), energy (-2.3%), and financials (-2.1%) sectors bearing the brunt of the damage.

Even the defensive-oriented, yet richly valued, consumer staples (-0.3%) and utilities (-0.3%) sectors finished lower. This was partly due to lingering doubts if the U.S. consumer would remain resilient, given the weakening employment conditions in the manufacturing sector.

Growth concerns were made apparent across other capital markets, too. Demand for Treasuries increased, pulling yields down from early highs; oil prices ($53.60/bbl, -0.52, -1.0%) erased gains and finished lower again; and gold futures ($1488.70/ozt, +15.40, +1.1%) increased in value.

The 2-yr yield declined six basis points to 1.56%, and the 10-yr yield declined three basis points to 1.64%. The 10-yr note yield hit 1.75% at its high after a weak 10-yr debt auction in Japan caused a sell-off in Japanese bonds that trickled over to sovereign debt in Europe and the U.S. The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.3% to 99.13.

Another big story today was Charles Schwab (SCHW 37.76, -4.07, -9.7%) announcing it will eliminate commissions for stocks, ETFs, and options listed on U.S. or Canadian exchanges. Shares of E*Trade (ETFC 36.51, -7.18, -16.4%) and TD Ameritrade (AMTD 34.64, -12.06, -25.8%), which derive more of their revenue from trading fees than Schwab, plunged accordingly.

Reviewing Tuesday's economic data, which included the ISM Manufacturing Index for September and Construction Spending for August:

The ISM Manufacturing Index for September slumped to 47.8% (Briefing.com consensus 50.2%) from 49.1% in August. The dividing line between expansion and contraction is 50.0%. September marks the second straight month the index has been below 50% and it is the lowest reading since June 2009.
The key takeaway from the report is that the contraction is a byproduct of weakening business confidence that is stemming in part from the trade uncertainty.
Total construction spending increased 0.1% m/m in August (Briefing.com consensus +0.4%) following a downwardly revised unchanged reading (from +0.1%) for July.
The key takeaway from the report is that private construction spending remains weak (down 4.0% yr/yr), saddled by a downturn in residential spending that has stemmed in large part from a decline in new single-family construction (down 6.6% yr/yr).

Looking ahead, investors will receive the ADP Employment Change report for September and the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index on Wednesday.

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S&P 500 +17.3% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average +13.9% YTD
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