NEW YORK: Wall Street wrapped up its worst week since Oct 2008, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 sliding more than 4 per cent on Friday as tough restrictions imposed by New York and California to try to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus fuelled worries about damage to the US economy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 913.21 points, or 4.55 per cent, to 19,173.98, the S&P 500 lost 104.47 points, or 4.34 per cent, to 2,304.92 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 271.06 points, or 3.79 per cent, to 6,879.52.
Friday’s drop left the Dow down 3 per cent from when President Trump took office in Jan 2017.
All three major indexes registered their biggest weekly declines since Oct 2008, although the Cboe Volatility index - Wall Street’s fear gauge - ended the day down at 66.04, in what some investors saw as a sign that selling may subside.
In early trade, the market briefly attempted to build on Thursday’s gains as global policymakers turned on the taps to prop up financial markets reeling from weeks of heavy selling that ended Wall Street’s record 11-year bull run.
Coronavirus fears have wiped off almost 32 per cent, or roughly US$9 trillion, from the value of the benchmark S&P index since its record closing high on Feb 19.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo early on Friday ordered all non-essential workers to stay home. It followed on the heels of California’s statewide “stay at home” order issued late on Thursday.
The moves by two of the most populous US states affects some 40 million people. Also, federal authorities this week moved to close the borders with Canada and Mexico, with more than 12,000 coronavirus cases having been confirmed in the United States as of Friday.
“The equity markets are still trying to get a handle on how bad the economy is going to be, and I think news of entire states being closed probably qualifies as incrementally negative,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Robert W. Baird in Milwaukee.
It affects “a lot of economic activity and a lot of businesses,” Delwiche said.
Investors are now counting on further stimulus over the next few days, as the US Senate mulls a US$1 trillion package that would include direct financial help for Americans.
“The bottom line here is the market is clearly actively anticipating the fiscal stimulus plan. It’s almost like we’re going to continue to be in these volatile swings until we get a little more clarity on how large that plan is,” said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL Financial in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A Reuters poll of economists suggested the global economy was already in recession, while analysts at US stock market index operator S&P Global said volatility across geographies and asset classes was at record highs.
“Quadruple witching” added to choppy trading on Friday, with investors unwinding positions in futures and options contracts before their expiration.
AT&T Inc tumbled 8.7 per cent as the wireless carrier said the outbreak might have a material impact on financial results and canceled a US$4 billion share repurchase agreement.
The airlines sector rose 2.4 per cent after losing more than half its value since late February.
S&P 500 utilities fell 8.2 per cent on the day, leading sector declines.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.27-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.55-to-1 ratio favoured decliners.
The S&P 500 posted no new 52-week highs and 94 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 5 new highs and 257 new lows.
Volume on US exchanges was 18.56 billion shares, compared to the 15.5 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days. - Reuters