Walmart(US:WMT) 第一财经·2025-08-21 23:39Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the recent decline in major U.S. stock indices, driven by investor concerns over potential hawkish signals from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium [3]. Market Performance - The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 152.81 points, a decrease of 0.34%, closing at 44,785.50 points [3]. - The S&P 500 index dropped by 25.61 points, down 0.40%, to 6,370.17 points [3]. - The Nasdaq Composite Index decreased by 72.54 points, a decline of 0.34%, ending at 21,100.31 points [3]. - Large tech stocks experienced a downward trend, with Tesla down 1.17%, Meta down 1.15%, Amazon down 0.83%, Apple down 0.49%, Nvidia down 0.24%, Microsoft down 0.13%, and Google up 0.22% [3]. Sector Performance - Among the 11 sectors in the S&P 500, nine sectors declined, with the consumer staples sector experiencing the largest drop of 1.18% [5]. - Walmart's stock plummeted by 4.5% after reporting quarterly profits below expectations, despite raising its full-year sales and profit forecasts due to tariff-induced cost increases [5]. - Coty, a beauty products manufacturer, saw its stock fall by 21.4% due to expectations of weak U.S. consumer spending impacting sales this quarter [5]. Economic Indicators - Initial jobless claims rose by 11,000 to 235,000, marking the largest increase in nearly three months, while continuing claims reached 1.972 million, the highest since November 2021, indicating a cooling job market [6]. - The housing market showed resilience, with July existing home sales annualized at 4.01 million, exceeding market expectations of 3.92 million and the previous value of 3.93 million [6]. Commodity Prices - As of the close on August 21, crude oil prices increased, with light crude oil futures for October delivery rising by $0.81 to $63.52 per barrel, a gain of 1.29% [6]. - Brent crude oil futures for October delivery also rose by $0.83 to $67.67 per barrel, an increase of 1.24% [6]. - COMEX gold futures for the current month fell by $6.90, a decrease of 0.20%, settling at $3,381.60 per ounce [7].