5 things to know before the stock market opens Friday, March 19

Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:

U.S. stock futures pared gains after the Federal Reserve on Friday declined to extend a pandemic-era rule that relaxed the amount of capital that banks had to maintain against Treasurys and other holdings. The move could boost bond yields further. Soaring Treasury yields clobbered tech stocks again Thursday, causing the Nasdaq to drop 3%. The S&P 500, which also has a heavy tech weighting, fell almost 1.5% from its prior record close. Both stock benchmarks had their worst days in nearly a month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fared much better but still dropped almost 0.5% from its prior record close. The Nasdaq and S&P 500, as of Thursday’s close, were lower on the week, while the Dow was higher for the week.

The 10-year Treasury yield pulled back slightly Friday, one day after hitting a 14-month high of 1.754%. Traders revolted over the Federal Reserve’s willingness to let the economy and inflation run hot as the job market recovers. Yields barely moved Wednesday afternoon after the Fed’s meeting concluded, responding initially to the forecast for no rate hikes through 2023. The rapid rise in yields is being driven by concerns that more Covid stimulus on top of an already recovering economy will spark worrisome inflation. The 10-year yield started the year at less than 1%.

Dow stock Nike fell 2.5% in Friday’s premarket, the morning after the athletic footwear and apparel maker reported fiscal third-quarter revenue that missed estimates. Sales growth of 2.5% to $10.36 billion was hurt by widespread port congestion in the U.S. and ongoing store closures in Europe. Nike also delivered a below-consensus forecast. However, the company did exceed estimates by 14 cents with a third-quarter profit of 90 cents per share.

FedEx, a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average, jumped 5% in Friday’s premarket. The delivery giant after the bell Thursday reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $3.47 per share, 24 cents better than expectations. Revenue rose 23% to $21.51 billion, also handily exceeding estimates. Big holiday sales offset severe weather in February that impaired operations at several of Fedex’s largest hubs.