Stocks extend losses amid mixed bank earnings, retail sales miss

Stocks ended mixed on Friday at the end of a volatile week, with investors monitoring a mixed set of bank earnings and a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. retail sales. 

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at the highs of the trading day. The Nasdaq fluctuated between gains and losses after a 2.5% drop on Thursday, but closed up 0.59% at 14,893.75. 

The Dow underperformed, dropping more than 1% at session lows as the index’s bank stock components declined after delivering earnings. The index closed down 0.56% at 35,911.81. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) shares fell 6% after the company posted lower-than-expected fourth-quarter trading revenues and rising costs as compensation expenses increased. Citigroup (C) shares also fell after posting a similar miss on fixed-income and equities trading revenues for the quarter.

Peer bank Wells Fargo (WFC) shares rose, on the other hand, after posting quarterly revenue that topped estimates as both commercial and consumer loans picked up at the end of last year. 

New economic data came in weaker-than-expected on Friday, adding to the risk-off tone in markets. U.S. retail sales fell 1.9% in December month-on-month, missing estimates for an only 0.1% dip and marking the biggest drop since February 2021. November’s sales were also downwardly revised to show 0.2% monthly increase, compared to the 0.3% rise previously reported. 

Investors this week have been weighing concerning signs of lingering price pressures across the U.S. economy against assertions from key central bank officials that the Federal Reserve is ready to take action to bring down inflation. 

In Fed Governor Lael Brainard’s hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, she suggested the central bank could begin raising interest rates — a move that would tighten financial conditions and help bring down inflation — “as soon as asset purchases are terminated.” The Federal Reserve is currently set to end its asset-purchase tapering process in March. 

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JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said during this morning’s earnings call that he expected that on interest rate hikes this year, “there’s a pretty good chance there will be more than four — there could be six or seven.”

“What we’re seeing right now is a repricing of the markets, given anticipated rate hikes… That’s going to be the catalyst driving down the market,” WealthWise Financial CEO Loreen Gilbert told Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday. “It’s going to be a wild ride.”

And the bevy of recent inflation data has so far helped strengthen the case for a near-term move on monetary policy, many economists suggested. Thursday’s Producer Price Index (PPI) showed the biggest annual rise in wholesale prices on record, in data going back to 2010, even as monthly price gains moderated slightly. And this report came just a day following the December Consumer Price Index (CPI) showing the biggest surge in inflation since 1982. Many economists suggested inflationary pressures would…