Dow futures decreases over 350 points as choppy October continues

October 7, 2021: -On Wednesday, U.S. stock futures pointed to a significant decline as October is volatile amid concerns about the increasing rates, higher inflation, the state of the reopening, and the debt limit.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 365 points or 1%. S&P 500 futures shed 1.3% and Nasdaq 100 futures has lost 1.5%.

In October’s three prior trading sessions, the Dow has gained 483 points, lost 324 points, and jumped 312 points on Tuesday. And now futures point to another significant decline.

“Well, October is living up to its reputation as the most volatile month of the year. We are expecting the October roller-coaster market to stick around for a bit longer,” said Ryan Detrick of LPL Financial.

American Airlines and JetBlue led to reopening plays lower, falling 3% each in premarket trading following a downgrade by Goldman Sachs. Goldman cited higher fuel prices and slower near-term demand.

Names that are linking to the global economic recovery declined. Shares of Boeing, General Electric, and Ford were all less in premarket trading.

Tech shares take hits, with Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft lower by more than 1%.

On Wednesday, Recent increases in energy prices and rates increase concerns about higher costs for consumers and companies. The 10-year Treasury yield was higher again to above 1.54%, after topping 1.56% in the previous week. Oil prices hit the highest since 2014 this week, with WTI crude oil almost topping $80 a barrel.

The ADP private payrolls report for September is set to be released Wednesday morning. On Friday, that will set the tone ahead of the closely followed nonfarm payrolls report from the Labor Department, which could determine how early the Federal Reserve will begin removing policy stimulus.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNBC that the U.S. could be gone into recession if Congress failed to introduce the debt ceiling before an October 18 deadline.

On Tuesday, the session was reversed when the market saw a broad advance, with nine out of 11 S&P 500 sectors closing positive. The Dow gained almost 1%. The S&P 500 rose 1.05%, and the Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.25%.

On Tuesday, Mega-cap tech stocks closed higher after being knocked down the prior trading session. Facebook stayed in focus following a lengthy outage and claims by a whistleblower that the company knows it’s harming people.

On Tuesday, the financial sector finished as the best performing segment of the S&P 500, up 1.78%. Other sectors geared toward a recovering economy were shares rise. Energy names gained as oil prices climbed. Cruise, airline, and retail stocks also advanced.