NYSE trading halted; stocks down 1% as China,...
July 8, 2015
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange was suspended in late-morning trade on Wednesday with U.S. stocks down about 1 percent on Wednesday as continued concerns about Greece and the extended selloff in the Chinese market pressured investor sentiment.
“We’ve had some technical malfunctions. Some may be related to connectivity with other exchanges. I believe we’re going to have a temporary pause certainly in a variety of stocks perhaps floor wide,” Art Cashin, director of floor operations at the NYSE, told CNBC, adding that the halt will not cause a move in a particular direction.
The Dow Jones industrial average traded about 175 points lower when trading was halted after dipping more than 200 points as the major averages declined, with the Nasdaq Composite briefly off more than 1 percent as biotechs and Apple (AAPL) plunged more than 1 percent. The iPhone maker was also the worst performing stock in the Dow.
The S&P 500 struggled to hold gains for the year. The index dipped into negative territory Tuesday but recovered in afternoon trade to hold slightly higher for 2015.
“I think we’re just realigning the U.S. market with the declines elsewhere,” said Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at The Lindsey Group.
Read More Greece asks for third bailout, pledges reforms
In China, the Shanghai Composite closed nearly 6 percent lower despite supportive government measures. The index has fallen more than 30 percent from its mid-June peak amid frequent bouts of extreme volatility. Analysts say the turbulence is starting to unnerve regional investors.
“There was no real trigger until Chinese stocks became too pricey,” said Nick Raich, CEO of The Earnings Scout. “The trigger that sent this all off has been the Greece debt crisis.”
European stocks traded higher on Thursday amid hopes of a Greece deal. However, the indices are more than 2 percent lower for the week so far.
The Greek government has until Friday morning to present detailed reform proposals to allow a bailout deal by a Sunday summit.
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the European Parliament on Wednesday, lambasting Europe’s advocacy of austerity and the efficacy of Greece’s bailout programs since 2010, but promised a detailed, “concrete” deal would be presented in the next two to three days.
“Unfortunately the U.S. will remain headline-driven until earnings season which (starts) with Alcoa tonight,” Boockvar said. “Today will clearly be bullied around by headlines out of Greece.”
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes at 2 p.m. ET will also be in focus, with traders scanning the Federal Reserve’s June meeting report for hints on interest rate rise timing.
Read More Fed minutes could be negative for market
“I think the Fed minutes are something to watch closely,” said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab. But “usually the market doesn’t do much around the minutes until they’re released.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow Jones Global Indexes: .DJI) traded down 194 points, or 0.99 percent, at 17,583, with Intel leading decliners and Microsoft (MSFT) the only advancer.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) traded down 23 points, or 1.14 percent, at 2,057, with telecommunications leading all 10 sectors lower.
The Nasdaq (^IXIC) traded down 64 points, or 1.31 percent, at 4,931.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) (^VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded near 18.
About five stocks declined for every advancer on the New York Stock Exchange, with an exchange volume of 194 million and a composite volume of 1.22 billion as of 11:30 a.m.
Crude oil futures for August delivery lost 81 cents to $51.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold futures rose $7.50 to $1,160.20 an ounce in morning trade.
Bond yields held lower, with the 10-year yield at 2.23 percent and the 2-year at 0.57 percent. The Treasury auctions $21 billion in 10-year notes this afternoon.
The U.S. dollar fell about half a percent against major world currencies as the euro gained to above $1.10.
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Earnings season unofficially begins with aluminium producer Alcoa (AA) reporting after the market close.
On tap this week:
Wednesday
Earnings: Alcoa, WD-40
1 p.m.: $21 billion 10-year note auction
2 p.m.: FOMC minutes
2 p.m.: San Francisco Fed President John Williams
Thursday
Earnings: Pepsico, Walgreens Boots Alliance, PriceSmart, Cintas, Barracuda Networks
6:45 a.m.: Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota in Frankfurt
8:30 a.m.: Initial claims
10:15 a.m.: Fed Gov. Lael Brainard
1 p.m.: $13 billion 30-year bond auction
12:30 p.m.: Kansas City Fed President Esther George on economy and policy
Friday
10 a.m.: Wholesale trade
11:35 a.m.: Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren
12:30 p.m.: Fed Chair Janet Yellen on economy
More From CNBC.com:
- Why the S&P’s speedy snap-back is a ‘very good sign’
- China’s retail investors give up hope as exodus intensifies
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