Stocks drop after President Trump calls off coronavirus stimulus talks
Stocks dropped on Wall Street Tuesday after President Donald Trump ordered aides to stop negotiating with Democrats over another round of aid for the economy until after the election, though he later that evening tweeted he would be open to another round of $1,200 checks if a stand alone bill was sent to him.
Investors have been clamoring for more stimulus after the economy was punched into a recession by coronavirus shutdowns. The S&P 500 index closed 1.4% lower, after being up as much as 0.7%.
The series of tweets from the president came just hours after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell urged Congress to come through with more aid, saying that too little support āwould lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship.ā
In a series of tweets about the negotiations between the White House and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump said: āI have instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election when, immediately after I win, we will pass a major stimulus bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and small business.ā He also accused Pelosi of not negotiating in good faith.
The comments from the president came just hours after Powell urged Congress to come through with more aid, saying that too little support āwould lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses.ā
Former Vice President Joe Biden slammed Trump's move.
āMake no mistake: if you are out of work, if your business is closed, if your childās school is shut down, if you are seeing layoffs in your community, Donald Trump decided today that none of that ā none of it ā matters to him," Biden said in a statement released by his campaign.
Hours later, Trump appeared to edge back a bit from his call to end negotiations. He took to Twitter again and called on Congress to send him a āStand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200)" ā a reference to a pre-election batch of direct payments to most Americans that had been a central piece of negotiations between Pelosi and the White House. Pelosi has generally rejected taking a piecemeal approach to COVID relief.
āI am ready to sign right now. Are you listening Nancy?" Trump said in a flurry of tweets Tuesday evening. He also called on Congress to immediately approve $25 billion for airlines and $135 billion the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses.
Trumpās announcement dashes Wall Streetās hopes that another round of stimulus for the economy, which has been punched into a recession by shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic, could soon be on the way. Bitter partisanship on Capitol Hill has been preventing a compromise on more aid. Reports on the economy have been mixed recently, as some areas show a slowdown after extra unemployment benefits and other stimulus earlier approved by Congress expired.
Optimism that Democrats and Republicans would reach a deal on more stimulus ahead of the Nov. 3 elections helped lift the stock market recently. Now, investors face the prospect that more aid may not come until next year, after the new Congress is seated, said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird.
āThis isnāt just pushing it off until after the election, this realistically is pushing it off until spring,ā Delwiche said. "I don't think this is just a one-day financial markets reaction. This really goes to the health of the recovery.ā
The marketās slide comes a day after the S&P 500 posted its best day in more than three weeks. Other stock markets around the world made mostly modest gains. Longer-term Treasury yields veered lower after Trump's remarks. They had earlier been hanging close to their highest levels in months.
The selling was widespread, led by technology stocks and companies that rely on consumer spending. Utilities were the only gainers among the 11 sectors in the S&P 500.
A report on Tuesday showed that U.S. employers advertised slightly fewer job openings in August than the prior month. But the number was nevertheless better than economists expected.
Trading on Wall Street has gotten even shakier recently as investors contend with a long list of uncertainties, from Trumpās COVID-19 diagnosis to waxing and waning expectations about Congressā ability to deliver another round of stimulus for the economy.
Video: Trump returns to White House after stay at Walter Reed
The S&P 500 jumped 1.8% on Monday after Trump said heās returning to the White House to complete his recovery from the coronavirus, though his medical team said heās not yet fully āout of the woods.ā
Powell has repeatedly urged Congress to provide additional aid, saying the Fed can't prop up the economy by itself, even with interest rates at record lows. āThe expansion is still far from complete,ā Powell said in a to the National Association for Business Economics, group of corporate and academic economists.
Several big challenges lie ahead of markets. Chief among them is the still-raging pandemic, as so clearly illustrated by Trumpās stay in the hospital. The worry is that a ramp-up in infections could cause governments to bring back some of the restrictions they put on businesses early this year, which sent the economy hurtling into a recession.
āWeāre on the eve of earnings season and people are reasonably undecided as to whether the correction that started in September has further to run,ā said Julian Emanuel, BTIG chief equity and derivatives strategist.
The upcoming election also still means a host of uncertainty about tax rates and regulations on businesses, while tensions between the United States and China continue to simmer.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 0.75% from 0.78% late Monday. While thatās still very low, the yield has been generally climbing since dropping close to 0.50% in early August.
European and Asian markets closed broadly higher.
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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.