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The S&P 500 fell 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, or 100 points, Nasdaq was flat.
U.S. Federal Reserve officials said further rate hikes could be required as inflation remains too hot for comfort.
Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said Friday it “will likely be appropriate” to not only lift rates higher but also hold them at restrictive levels for some time to bring back to the central bank’s 2%.
Boston Fed president Susan Collins, meanwhile, also said additional rate hikes are “not off the table.”
The remarks come just days after the Fed skipped a rate hike on Wednesday, and also reduced the number of rate cuts to two from four next year.
Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 15 hits shelves in 40 countries worldwide amid optimism that the latest iPhones will encourage a wave of upgrades from customers who have previously chosen to hang onto their older iPhone models.
“iPhone 15 pre-orders are still tracking much stronger than we and the Street originally expected and up roughly 10%-12% from iPhone 14 based on our analysis,” Wedbush said in a note.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) remained above the flatline after giving up some gains as the e-commerce giant unveiled plans to include limited advertisements on Prime Video streaming service starting next year.
The move to attract advertising dollars is expected to help offset rising costs as its spending on content jumped to nearly 30% last year.
Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ:ATVI) jumped more than 2% as its takeover by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is set to clear the final regulatory hurdle after UK said it would accept concessions offered by Microsoft.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) jumped more than 3% after making progress with the UAW avoided expanded strikes at its plants. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) and Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA) were also higher even as the duo faced expanded strikes.
“At noon Eastern today, all parts distributions centers at General Motors and Stellantis will be on strike,” Union President Shawn Fain said Friday. “We will shut down parts distribution until those two companies come to their senses and come to the table with a serious offer,” he added.
