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Update: US Equity Indexes Fall as September Fed Rate Increase Odds Surge Following Strong Jobs Report

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(Updates with index/price moves, economist comments and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)

US equity indexes fell as market expectations of an interest rate increase as early as this month jumped after the economy added almost triple the jobs expected in August.

The Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2% to 26,540.1, the S&P 500 retreated 0.3% to 7,726.2, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.5% to 53,421.3 after midday Friday. All sectors except industrials and technology fell. Consumer discretionary, communication services and healthcare led decliners.

Total nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday, compared with a 55,000 increase projected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. July's tally was revised to show a gain of 21,000 from a 23,000 fall, while June's increase was adjusted upward by 11,000.

"This is the strongest pace of job expansion in five months, punctuated by also being three times greater than expected and the positive upward revisions to prior months," said Thomas Feltmate, senior economist at TD Economics. "On balance, we like the breadth and depth of this jobs report. Markets have taken note too."

The probability of the Fed raising its target rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.0% in September jumped to 60% after midday from 49% a day ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The remaining likelihood is that policy will remain on hold.

President Donald Trump called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, saying the US economy is a stronger credit than it was previously. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said job growth exceeded estimates and argued that a "strong country means a lower interest rate." Trump urged the Fed to adopt the world's "lowest rate," warning he could halt trade with countries with which the US maintains trade deficits.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the two-year up three basis points to 4.36%. The 10-year yield was unchanged at 4.77%.

Gold futures dropped 1.4% to $4,478.2, and silver futures declined 1.5% to $66.65.

In company news, Lululemon Athletica (LULU) reported softer-than-planned fiscal Q2 results and lowered its fiscal 2026 guidance again, prompting a cautious stance on the stock, as the delayed start of incoming CEO Heidi O'Neill leaves the company a "rudderless ship" and risks further competitive disintermediation amid deteriorating macro conditions, Oppenheimer said Friday. Shares sank 18%, the worst performer on the S&P 500.

Apple's (AAPL) initial production of its long-awaited foldable iPhone is limited to a few hundred units per day, mainly because of stringent quality-control requirements, Nikkei Asia reported Friday, citing unnamed sources. Shares dropped 2.3%, the Dow's worst performer.

US Vice President JD Vance said the US will investigate the strike on an Iranian wedding party in Kuhestak, Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported. The US has changed Tehran's calculations, Iran's first vice president said while warning its response to US attacks will be "asymmetrical" and "multi-layered," according to the news report.

The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract declined 0.8% to $90.61 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent slipped 0.1% to $95.41 per barrel.

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Update: US Equity Indexes Jump as Sliding Odds for Fed Policy Tightening in September Push Treasury Yields Lower

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose in a broad-based rally as falling odds of the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates later this month pushed government bond yields lower.The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.4% to 26,584.06, the S&P 500 climbed 1.1% to 7,747.71, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.2% to 53,686.11 on Thursday. All sectors rose except energy, materials and consumer staples. Communication services, consumer discretionary and financials topped the gainers.Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would be "inclined to support" holding rates steady at the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting in September if the August inflation print shows progress toward the central bank's 2% goal."Yields retreated in reaction to Waller's latest comments," Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel, said in a note. "The relatively quick and notable reaction in the market to the latest Fed commentary suggests investors were already skeptical of the Fed's intentions to move forward with firmer policy as early as later this month."The probability of the Fed raising its target rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.0% in September slumped to 50% after midday Thursday from 63% a day ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The remaining likelihood is that policy will remain on hold.Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 2.4 basis points to 4.77% and the two-year lower by 4.6 basis points to 4.34%.Gold futures surged 2.4% to $4,518.3, and silver futures soared 3.2% to $67.53.In company news, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) and PwC expanded their strategic alliance to help enterprises deploy artificial intelligence tools across critical business operations, PwC said Thursday. Palantir shares jumped 7.7%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.Nvidia (NVDA) has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 billion, Chief Executive Jensen Huang said in a blog post.Snowflake (SNOW) shares soared 17% as the cloud-based data platform lifted its full-year product revenue outlook. Snowflake could see faster revenue growth as business use of AI increases demand for data products, and strong usage and backlog trends combined with wider AI adoption could push growth above current expectations, UBS said in a note.In geopolitical news, the US and Iran have intensified tit-for-tat military strikes in recent days, remaining locked between ceasefire and all-out war as the White House struggles to end the six-month conflict, Bloomberg reported. Iran said it attacked bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates "in response to America's crimes against the Iranian people," Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported.In economic news, initial jobless claims rose sequentially to 206,000 during the week ended Aug. 29 from an upwardly revised 204,000, compared with expectations for an increase to 205,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The four-week moving average rose by 1,500 to 207,250.The Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to 55.4 in August from 54.1 in July, compared with expectations for no change in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The index now sits at its highest since February, before Operation Epic Fury and the run-up in energy prices from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Jefferies note.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$NVDA$PLTR$SNOW
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Update: US Equity Indexes Rise as Plunging Fed Policy Tightening Odds Send Treasury Yields Lower

(Updates with index/price moves and company news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose in a broad-based rally as a fall in market expectations for an interest-rate increase this month pushed government bond yields lower.The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.3% to 26,555.7, the S&P 500 climbed 1% to 7,740.9, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.2% to 53,675.5 ahead of Thursday's close. All sectors except energy and materials rose. Communication services, consumer discretionary and financials topped the gainers.Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would be "inclined to support" holding rates steady at the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting in September if the August inflation print shows progress toward the central bank's 2% goal."Yields retreated in reaction to Waller's latest comments," Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel, said in a note. "The relatively quick and notable reaction in the market to the latest Fed commentary suggests investors were already skeptical of the Fed's intentions to move forward with firmer policy as early as later this month."The probability of the Fed raising its target rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.0% in September slumped to 50% after midday Thursday from 63% a day ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The remaining likelihood is that policy will remain on hold.Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 2.6 basis points to 4.77% and the two-year lower by five basis points to 4.34% in the final leg of trading.In company news, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) and PwC expanded their strategic alliance to help enterprises deploy artificial intelligence tools across critical business operations, PwC said Thursday. Palantir shares jumped 8.1%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.Nvidia (NVDA) has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 billion, Chief Executive Jensen Huang said in a blog post.Snowflake (SNOW) shares soared 18% as the cloud-based data platform lifted its full-year product revenue outlook. Snowflake could see faster revenue growth as business use of AI increases demand for data products, and strong usage and backlog trends combined with wider AI adoption could push growth above current expectations, UBS said in a note.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$NVDA$PLTR$SNOW
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Rise, Treasury Yields Slump Amid Plunging Bets of September Fed Policy Tightening

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes rose as government bond yields slumped amid a fall in market expectations of an interest rate increase as early as this month.The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.3% to 26,555.7, the S&P 500 climbed 1% to 7,740.9, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.2% to 53,675.5. All sectors except materials rose. Communication services, consumer discretionary and financials topped the gainers.Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he would be "inclined to support" holding rates steady at the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting in September if the August inflation print shows progress toward the central bank's 2% goal.The probability of the Fed raising its target rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.0% in September slumped to 50% after midday Thursday from 63% a day ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The remaining likelihood is that policy will remain on hold.Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down four basis points to 4.75% and the two-year lower by five basis points to 4.34%.Gold futures surged 2.7% to $4,534.7, and silver futures soared 3.4% to $67.67.The US and Iran have intensified tit-for-tat military strikes in recent days, remaining locked between ceasefire and all-out war as the White House struggles to end the six-month conflict, Bloomberg reported. Iran said it attacked bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates "in response to America's crimes against the Iranian people," Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract added 0.7% to $91.62 per barrel, and global benchmark North Sea Brent climbed 0.1% to $95.73 per barrel.In economic news, initial jobless claims rose sequentially to 206,000 during the week ended Aug. 29 from an upwardly revised 204,000, compared with expectations for an increase to 205,000 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. The four-week moving average rose by 1,500 to 207,250.The Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to 55.4 in August from 54.1 in July, compared with expectations for no change in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The index now sits at its highest since February, before Operation Epic Fury and the run-up in energy prices from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Jefferies note.The ISM reading is in line with the New York Fed and Dallas Fed's services prints that indicated expansion. The other regional Fed measures indicated contraction.The S&P Global US services index was revised downward to 56.5 in August from the 56.8 flash reading, as expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The August print remains above July's 54.6.In company news, Nvidia (NVDA) has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.93 billion, Chief Executive Jensen Huang said in a blog post.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$NVDA