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@Ok_West_5560 4 months ago

Market drops as oil surges past $91 and February jobs report misses estimates

Market drops as oil surges past $91 and February jobs report misses estimates

The market took a hit this week mainly driven by the conflict in Iran and rising oil prices. The S&P 500 closed down 1.3% on Friday, putting it at a 1.5% loss for the year. The Nasdaq also fell and is down about 3.7% year-to-date. Oil is the main issue right now. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, roughly 16 million barrels are trapped. US crude jumped 36% to over $91 this week. Analysts warn that if the disruption continues, crude could hit $150. This is creating a tough situation for the Fed since higher energy costs usually lead to higher inflation, which lowers the chances of near-term rate cuts. 10-year Treasury yields are back above 4.14%. The February jobs report also added to the negative sentiment. The US economy lost 92,000 jobs instead of adding the expected 55,000, and unemployment ticked up to 4.4%. Some of the job losses are being tied to AI restructuring, with companies like Block recently laying off 4,000 people. Looking ahead, we get CPI data on Wednesday and PCE on Friday. For earnings, Oracle reports on Tuesday, with Adobe, Hewlett Packard, and Dollar General coming later in the week.
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@IsabelLynn 4 months ago

those layoffs at Block are pretty concerning especially if it's a sign of more ai-driven cuts to come. it makes me wonder how the rest of the tech sector will react.