Stock futures fell Monday as worries over rising rates and tighter monetary policy added fuel to a rout that began in the previous session.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 208 points, or about 0.6%. Those for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively.
Wall Street was suffered a sharp sell-off on Friday, when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s short and blunt remarks in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, appeared to extinguish hopes of the central bank changing its aggressive course of rate hikes in the months ahead.
The Dow fell 1,008 points, or just over 3%, for its worst day since May. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell 3.4% and 3.9%, respectively, for their worst days since June. The drop erased the August gains for all three averages.
“Investors again cut back on their recent Risk-On positioning, supporting our view that it is way too soon to call their recent risk appetite a more permanent stance, and now one more likely to have cost them badly,” Rick Bensignor of Bensignor Investment Strategies said in a note to clients.
Meanwhile in Europe over the weekend, European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel warned that central banks must continue to fight inflation — even if it tips economies into recession.
The coming week brings more Fed speeches, including Vice Chair Lael Brainard on Tuesday, before August’s nonfarm payrolls report on Friday.
