Stocks Retreat on Tech Weakness

Market Outlook - Markets are anticipating Nvidia's earnings report for insights on the AI outlook, along with earnings from Target and Walmart to gauge consumer spending health [1] - The US Nov NAHB housing market index unexpectedly rose by 1 to a 7-month high of 38, surpassing expectations of no change at 37 [1] Labor Market and Economic Indicators - US weekly initial unemployment claims were reported at 232,000 for the week ending October 18, with continuing claims rising by 10,000 to a 2-month high of 1.957 million [2] - Richmond Fed President Barkin's dovish comments regarding layoffs by large companies and inflation expectations supported stock market recovery [2] - The 10-year T-note yield fell by 2 basis points to 4.12% following ADP's report of an average job loss of 2,500 per week in the four weeks ending November 1 [2] Stock Market Performance - US stock indexes extended declines, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100 reaching 1-month lows, driven by weakness in technology stocks [3][4] - Amazon.com and Microsoft saw significant declines of over 4% and 2% respectively after a downgrade by Rothschild & Co Redburn [3][10] - Home Depot's stock fell over 6% after cutting its full-year earnings guidance, indicating reduced consumer spending on home improvements [3][12] Earnings Season Insights - Q3 corporate earnings season is nearing completion, with 82% of S&P 500 companies exceeding forecasts, leading to a 14.6% increase in earnings, significantly above the expected 7.2% [6] - Home Depot reported Q3 comparable sales growth of only 0.2%, below the consensus of 1.36%, and adjusted its full-year operating margin estimate downwards [12] International Market Trends - Overseas stock markets also experienced declines, with the Euro Stoxx 50 down 1.88%, China's Shanghai Composite down 0.81%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 down 3.22% [7] Interest Rates and Bond Market - December 10-year T-notes closed up by 4.5 ticks, with the yield falling to 4.121%, driven by stock market weakness and labor market concerns [8] - European government bond yields showed mixed results, with the 10-year German bund yield decreasing by 0.6 basis points [9]