Market Snapshot: Nasdaq-100 futures slide over 1% as rising bond yields rise spook investors again

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U.S. stock futures tumbled on Wednesday, with notable pressure ahead for the technology sector and rising bond yields in focus, while investors also waited for private-sector payrolls data.

How are stock-index futures trading?
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average futures
    YM00,
    -0.97%

    fell over 350 points, or 1%, to 33,833

  • S&P 500 futures
    ES00,
    -1.10%

    dropped 1.2% to 4,278

  • Nasdaq-100 futures
    NQ00,
    -1.24%

    dropped 1.5% to 14,438

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
+0.92%

rose 312 points, or 0.92%, to 34315, the S&P 500
SPX,
+1.05%

increased 45 points, or 1.05%, to 4346, and the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
+1.25%

gained 178 points, or 1.25%, to 14434.

What’s driving the market?

Rising bond yields were set to derail chances of any follow-up to Tuesday’s gains. Some investors were seeking haven in the U.S. dollar
DXY,
+0.42%
,
which rose as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note
TMUBMUSD10Y,
1.547%

gained 2 basis points to 1.544%. European and most Asian stocks fell.

The combined effect of rising yields and a global energy crunch that seems to be approaching the U.S. is triggering “more negative sentiment,” said Saxo Bank’s chief investment officer, Steen Jakobsen, in a note to clients.

“Yesterday’s session failed to take out the previous day’s high, so if the energy crunch narrative builds today with yields extending their rise, then we could see a renewed selloff,” said Jakobsen.

U.S. natural-gas futures
NGX21,
-4.33%

rose 1.2% to $6.386 per million British thermal units. after the highest finish since 2008 on Tuesday. Natural-gas prices tapped fresh records on Wednesday in the U.K. and Europe.

Technology stocks looked set to lead any selloff, as rising yields can be a negative for shares of fast-growing companies as they make those future cash flows appear less valuable. 

Read: Analyst forecasts tech stock rebound of at least 10% and says rate fears will soon pass

Economic data will swing into focus for investors, with the ADP employment report for September due at 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time. “The next big announcement on the radar is the U.S. jobs report on Friday — a weak number could prompt concern that we are heading for the dreaded stagflation scenario,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould, in a note to clients.

What companies are in focus?
How are other assets trading?
  • Oil futures fell, with the U.S. benchmark
    CL00,
    -1.08%

    down 0.5% to $78.52 a barrel. Gold futures
    GC00,
    -0.30%

    dropped 0.6% to $1,750.80 an ounce.

  • In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600
    SXXP,
    -1.71%

    fell 1.8%, while London’s FTSE 100
    UKX,
    -1.56%

    dropped 1.5%.

  • The Hang Seng Index
    HSI,
    -0.57%

    closed down 0.5% in Hong Kong, while Japan’s Nikkei 225
    NIK,
    -1.05%

    dropped 1%. Markets in China remain closed for a holiday.