By Niket Nishant and Utkarsh Hathi
Sept 1 (Reuters) – The main U.S. stock indexes were on course to open lower on Tuesday, extending a weak run as elevated bond yields and higher oil prices kept investors at bay at the start of a historically weak month for equities.
A sharp increase in rate-hike bets has soured sentiment in recent sessions, while renewed clashes in the Middle East have heightened worries that borrowing costs may need to rise to contain price pressures.
The selloff in U.S. Treasuries also pushed yields to their highest in months, dampening risk appetite further. Higher yields on risk-free Treasuries typically reduce the appeal of equities.
“There is a bit of a vacuum. The macro is back in control and we’re going to have a couple of months until the next corporate updates. So we may potentially be entering a period of choppiness or consolidation,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones.
Investors are also contending with seasonal weakness. Since 1926, the benchmark S&P 500 has lost 0.7% on average in September, making it the weakest month for stocks and the only one with a negative average return, according to Fisher Investments, which cited data from Finaeon.
Still, historical trends may not be a reason to step away from stocks, said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial.
“The fundamental backdrop for stocks and the economy is sound. We believe investors are better served staying invested through the seasonal chop than trying to time around it,” he added.
At 8:22 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis shed 329 points, or 0.62%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 47.25 points, or 0.61%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis lost 355.5 points, or 1.20%.
JOBS DATA TAKES CENTER STAGE
The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, also known as the JOLTS report, will be in focus later in the session, ahead of the more crucial nonfarm payrolls data on Friday.
The reports are expected to be analyzed for clues on the health of the labor market after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said taming inflation is the central bank’s chief focus.
“The Fed’s focus remains squarely on inflation. A (payrolls) report landing near consensus would reinforce the view that the timing of any future policy shift hinges more on the path of price pressures than on the pace of payroll growth,” Glenmede’s investment strategists wrote.
Chip stocks declined before the bell, with Nvidia, Intel and AMD dipping between 1.47% and 2.95%.
Among other movers, Robinhood rose 1.51% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock.
Hut 8 added 1.37% after Reuters and other media reported that the digital infrastructure firm will develop a data center as part of a cloud deal between Anthropic and Lambda.
Energy stocks rose following a 1.71% gain in Brent crude, with Exxon Mobil and Devon Energy up 1.49% and 1.44%, respectively.
(Reporting by Niket Nishant and Utkarsh Hathi in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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