Stock Market News for Dec 10, 2019

Benchmarks ended in the negative territory on Monday as investors kept a close watch on the U.S.-China trade deal as the Dec 15 deadline to impose higher tariffs on Chinese products close in.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) dropped 75.84 points, or 0.3%, to close at 27,939.22. The S&P 500 fell 4.02 points, or 0.1%, to close at of 3,141.89. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 8,643.99, falling 12.54 points, or 0.1%. The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) increased 16% to close at 15.68. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by a 1.17-to-1 ratio. On Nasdaq, declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.13-to-1 ratio.

How Did the Benchmarks Perform?

Major indexes snapped the three-day winning session on Monday as Dec 15 tariff imposing deadline creates leaves investors sentiments gloomy. However, the losses on Monday landed all the three benchmarks less than 1% of their closing highs, on Nov 27.

Trade bellwethers like Apple Inc. AAPL, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company saw share prices slide 1.4% amidst rising tariff imposition worries. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Overall, the S&P index recorded 23 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 80 new highs and 44 new lows.

Dec 15 Deadline Creates Fresh Tension

Trade talks are in progress between the United States and China, but, while they continue to squabble over key details, investors become restless looking for signs of positive outcomes. Moreover, this additional 15% import duties on $156 billion of annual consumer imports will set in from Dec. 15 if the phase one deal is not signed soon.

During Monday’s session, investors kept waiting for more positive gestures from both America and China but lack of news on the trade front brewed fresh tensions as risk of tariff imposition increases.

Another factor that instilled fear was, economic reports from China indicated that China’s exports dropped 1.1% in November from a year earlier. This shrinkage in export is the fourth consecutive month drop amidst the protracted trade war that has created consistent pressures on manufacturers.

Things to Watch Out this Week

On Dec 9, the U.S. House of Democrats reached a tentative agreement with the White House and labor leaders to rewrite the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal. Per a Democratic aide, no one has been authorized to discuss the talks and granted anonymity.

This new trade agreement would replace North American Free Trade agreement which eliminated several tariffs and other trade barriers involving the United States, Mexico and Canada. Updates on this trade pact can be released by Dec 18.

On the other hand, the Federal Open Market Committee’s two-day policy meeting begins on Tuesday, and investors keep a close watch for central bank’s long-term outlook for interest rates.

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