US markets finish lower on jitters about demand
US stocks ended sharply lower on Friday as chipmakers dropped on concerns about weak consumer demand, while rising Treasury yields pressured Amazon and other megacap growth companies. Chip equipment makers Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA Corp all dropped after Reuters reported TSMC had asked its major vendors to delay deliveries. Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom and Micron Technology also fell, pulling down the Philadelphia Semiconductor index. Stoking worries over chip demand from automakers, the United Auto Workers' union launched simultaneous strikes at factories of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler parent Stellantis. The S&P 500 lost 1.2 percent to end at 4,450, the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.6 percent to 13,708. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8 percent to 34,617. China's industrial output grew more than expected in August, data showed, suggesting that a recent flurry of support measures may be starting to slowly stabilize a stumbling economic recovery. Data on Thursday showed US retail sales rose more than expected in August, easing worries about a recession. Treasury yields edged higher ahead of the Federal Reserve policy meeting next week, with the central bank facing a strong US economy with inflation that remains above target. "We really continue to see that growth resilience story, and I think that's difficult for the market simply because there's concern about what that could mean both for rates and inflation," said Lisa Erickson, head of public markets at US Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis. Traders expect the Fed to hold rates steady in its September 20 policy meeting. Among growth stocks sensitive to higher interest rates, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta Platforms declined. Adobe dropped to a more than two-week low after the Photoshop software maker disclosed a commercial paper program of up to $3 billion on Sept. 8 following its third-quarter results. SoftBank's Arm Holdings was near unchanged for much of the session after a stellar Nasdaq debut on Thursday that rekindled expectations of a turnaround in the initial public offering (IPO) market. Arm's strong debut prompted grocery delivery app Instacart to raise the proposed price range for its IPO to target a fully diluted valuation of up to US$10 billion. (Reuters)