Stock market today: Nasdaq dips, Dow and S&P 500 rise as markets weigh Kevin Warsh's remarks
US stocks were mixed on Wednesday as investors scrutinized comments from Federal Reserve Kevin Warsh for clues about future interest rate moves.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose about 0.6% on the heels of another record-high close, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) added 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dipped 0.2%.
Stocks bounced off session lows following Warsh’s remarks at the ECB forum in Portugal on Wednesday. Warsh didn’t provide Wall Street with forward guidance on Fed policy, but he did reaffirm his commitment to price stability, stating that “prices are too high.”
That, along with a fresh batch of economic data, set the stage for the June jobs report on Thursday, a day earlier than usual due to the Fourth of July holiday shutdown. Data from ADP on Wednesday showed private sector hiring slowed more than expected in June, as the private sector added 98,000 jobs, while data from the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas showed US employers announced just under 46,000 job cuts last month, down slightly from a year ago.
Meanwhile, peace talks in Qatar faltered on Wednesday as Iran said its delegates wouldn’t meet President Trump’s team, clouding hopes for progress toward a long-lasting deal and return to normalcy for oil flows. Oil prices reversed gains to drop about 1%, with Brent (BZ=F) crude futures falling below $72 a barrel and WTI crude oil (CL=F) below $69.