US stock futures were lower on Friday to end a volatile week on Wall Street.
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 167 points, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures lost 0.5% and Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.7%.
China crackdown on Bitcoin hurt market sentiment overnight, particularly in tech stocks. China’s central bank said all cryptocurrency-related activities are illegal. Overseas crypto exchanges offering services in mainland China are also illegal, the PBOC said. Bitcoin lost 5% and Ether lost 9%.
Crypto-related stocks fell in early trading. Coinbase lost more than 3%. Robinhood lost 2%. Square was off 1.6%.
Nike shares fell 5% in pre-trading hours after the sneaker giant reported quarterly sales that fell short of analysts’ expectations on falling demand in North America. The company also lowered its fiscal 2022 outlook due to supply chain issues from Vietnam.
This week the market staged a two-day recovery rally starting Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signaled that there was no imminent lifting of its ultra-loose monetary policy. Investors are also betting that Chinese real estate giant Evergrande’s debt crisis will have no impact on global markets.
The blue-chip Dow rose 500 points on Thursday for its best daily performance since July 20. The S&P 500 was up 1.2% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was up 1%.
The big averages offset the steep losses earlier this week and are well on their way to post a profitable week through Friday. The Dow is up 0.5% this week and is well on its way to breaking a three-week losing streak. The S&P 500 is up 0.4% this week and the Nasdaq is up about 0.1%.
Investors were waiting to see whether China’s Evergrande, the failing developer at the center of the country’s housing crisis, would pay $ 83 million in interest on a US dollar bond due Thursday. The company has been silent so far and has 30 days before it fails technically. Evergrande worries hit global markets to start the week with a Dow down more than 600 points.
“If Evergrande fails, exposure outside of China seems limited and as the government will do whatever it takes to contain it,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda. “If China is successful, global risk-taking may not be affected as much.”
On Wednesday, the Fed said that tapering its monthly bond buying program “may soon be warranted,” but it did not provide an exact timetable for when it could begin moderating its purchases.
“While we are nowhere near the end of quantitative easing and interest rates near zero, the tide seems to be changing,” said Anu Gaggar, global investment strategist with the Commonwealth Financial Network. “So far, the market has welcomed bad news as good news, but a market that responds to signs of an economy that can operate on its own without monetary crutches is a refreshing change.”
