Job openings and private payrolls data is indicating a weakening labor market
It's been a sluggish September so far for Wall Street, and today is shaping up to be no different. Futures on the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are down nearly triple digits, while S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures indicate another lower open.
Tech is poised to be a pain point today, with large caps and semiconductors set to extend their corrective action. Losses were exacerbated this morning after the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) came in below estimates for July. Compounding the labor market malaise is private payrolls showing their slowest growth since 2021.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 972,259 call contracts and 705,511 put contracts exchanged on Wednesday. The single-session equity put/call ratio stayed at 0.73 and the 21-day moving average remained at 0.65.
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C3.ai Inc (NYSE:AI) stock is down 19% in electronic trading, after the
artificial intelligence (AI) company reported worse-than-expected subscription revenue for the fiscal first quarter. Revenue also fell short of analysts' expectations, prompting eight brokerages to issue price-target cuts, the steepest coming from Deutsche Bank to $19 from $22. AI has taken a 20% haircut year to date.
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Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp (NYSE:MODG) stock is up 4.1% before the open, after the announced it will split into two businesses. Callaway will return to active lifestyle brands, while Topgolf will focus on entertainment value. MODG is down 25% in 2024 heading into today.
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Shares of
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE) are 4.9% lower ahead of the open. Although the
tech giant reported an earnings and revenue beat for the fiscal third quarter, the gross margins derived from AI declined year over year. BofA Global Research responded by trimming its price target to $21 from $24. HPE is sporting a 10% gain in 2024.
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Asian Markets Unpack Wage Data in Japan
Markets in Asia were mostly lower Thursday, as investors unpacked Japan’s wage data. The country’s average monthly cash earnings saw a 3.6% year-over-year increase and real wages rose 0.4% in July, both of which were softer than their June readings but still offered support for the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to hike interest rates. Japan’s Nikkei led the region’s losses with a 1.1% dip, while South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.2%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.07%. China’s Shanghai Composite, meanwhile, bucked the sour sentiment with a 0.1% gain.
European bourses are also mostly lower this afternoon. The German Dax is the only one sporting a gain, last seen up 0.2% after the country’s factory orders showed a 2.9% month-on-month increase in July. Elsewhere, France’s CAC 40 is off 0.6%, while London’s FTSE 100 is down 0.1%.