Consumer stocks were mixed late Wednesday afternoon with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.5% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) falling 1%.
In corporate news, FedEx's (FDX) fiscal Q4 earnings could fall short of Wall Street's expectations as margin pressures continue to outweigh "stable" sales trends, Morgan Stanley said in a note e-mailed Wednesday. FedEx shares were down 1%.
Healthcare stocks rose Wednesday afternoon with the NYSE Healthcare Index increasing 0.7% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) adding 1%.The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) advanced 1.7%.In corporate news, BioNTech (BNTX) cautioned that proposed healthcare reforms in Germany, due for a vote this summer, may put future investments in the country at risk, Bloomberg reported, citing Chief Commercial Officer Annemarie Hanekamp. BioNTech shares fell 1%.
(Updates prices.)Gold traded lower midafternoon on Wednesday as the dollar rose to a two-month high after oil prices rose following fresh hostilities between the United States and Iran, renewing worries energy inflation will force central banks to raise interest rates.Gold for July delivery was last seen down US$53.8 to US$4,466.10 per ounce.The drop comes as oil prices rose for a third day on fresh hostilities between Iran and the United States. The Wall Street Journal reported Iran launched attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain and the United States attacked Iran's military ground control stations on Qeshm Island and struck at an empty oil tanker attempting to run its blockade of Iranian ports and load oil at Iran's Kharg Island."Gold trades lower as the market continues to take its cues from oil, with the latest rise in crude prices weighing on bullion through its inflationary impact. Higher energy costs have underpinned bond yields and the dollar while reducing expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts," Saxo Bank noted.The dollar rose to the highest since April 7, with the ICE dollar index last seen up 0.31 points to 99.48. Treasury yields also rose, with the U.S. two-year note last seen up 4.0 basis points to 4.094%, while the 10-year note was paying 4.496%, up 5.0 points.