By Anora Mahmudova and Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

Middle East tensions drive up oil, gold prices

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures declined on Thursday, extending losses on Wall Street to four straight sessions, as worries about slowing growth sent investors to perceived haven assets such as gold and the yen.

A stronger-than-expected report on jobless claims did little to alleviate concerns of a marked slowdown in the economy during the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Middle East tensions, specifically airstrikes launched by Saudi Arabia in Yemen (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/iran-warns-saudi-airstrikes-in-yemen-will-escalate-tension-in-region-2015-03-26), pushed up oil prices, adding to jitters.

The heaviest losses for futures fell on those for the Nasdaq-100 index (NQM5), down 49 points, or 1.4%, to 4,274.50. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YMM5) slid 135 points, or 0.8%, to 17,513, while those for the S&P 500 index (ESM5) dropped 13.55 points, or 0.6%, to 2,040.

Selling in tech and biotech stocks drove the losses on Wall Street Wednesday. Small-cap stocks, which had been highfliers, also took it on the chin, with the Russell 2000 (RUT) falling 2.34%, to close at 1,233.86 Wednesday.

The S&P 500 (SPX) and Dow industrials (DJI) each logged the worst losses in two weeks. The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) finished 2.4% lower, and the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) slid 4.1%.

Michael O'Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading, believes what's happening is the market is reassessing data and starting to view previous tailwinds as headwinds.

"When one considers the trends behind the major top-down elements that investors watch -- 1. fundamentals in the form of earnings, 2. policy in the form of the Fed, and 3. economic data -- all three were previous tailwinds that appear to be transforming to headwinds as of late," O'Rourke said in a note.

Others blamed the selloff on a number of factors: earnings jitters, investors cashing in on recent run-ups for biotechs and other stocks, and a drop in durable-goods orders that triggered concerns about U.S. economic growth.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index slid 1.6% ion Thursday trade. The Nikkei 225 index posted the biggest losses in two months, with a 1.4% decline.

Read: Stocks are overpriced, overleveraged, headed for trouble (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stocks-are-overpriced-overleveraged-headed-for-trouble-2015-03-25)

Middle East tension also added to the mix. Investors drove up gold prices (GCM5), which pushed through the psychologically important level of $1,200 an ounce, while oil prices (CLM5) surged more than 2% as news of a coordinated strikes in Yemen by five Gulf states and Egypt triggered worries about crude supply. The yen (USDJPY), another perceived-safe-haven asset, also surged against the dollar.

Read: Oil prices surge as Saudi strikes in Yemen trigger supply worries (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-surge-as-saudi-strikes-in-yemen-trigger-supply-worries-2015-03-26)

(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-surge-as-saudi-strikes-in-yemen-trigger-supply-worries-2015-03-26) (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-surge-as-saudi-strikes-in-yemen-trigger-supply-worries-2015-03-26) (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-surge-as-saudi-strikes-in-yemen-trigger-supply-worries-2015-03-26)In economic news, the number of people who applied for weekly unemployment benefits fell by more than expected, in a sign that companies are keeping their workers despite what appears to be a marked slowdown in first-quarter growth.

The Fed calendar is fuller. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, speaking in Frankfurt, said risks of keeping U.S. policy of rates at zero too long could be "substantial."

"Now may be a good time to begin normalizing U.S. monetary policy so that it is set appropriately for an improving economy over the next two years," Bullard said in prepared remarks to the OMFIF City Lecture in Frankfurt, The Wall Street Journal reported (http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/03/26/feds-bullard-risks-of-keeping-u-s-policy-rates-at-zero-too-long-may-be-substantial/?KEYWORDS=bullard).

Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer will speak in Frankfurt on the U.S. nonbank financial sector at 6:30 a.m. Eastern. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, a voting member of the Fed, takes part in an onstage discussion in Detroit about U.S. monetary policy and economic outlook at 9 a.m. Eastern Time.

Stocks to watch: Shares of SanDisk Corp.(SNDK) plunged 14% in premarket trading after the company cut its sales outlook (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sandisk-shares-sink-after-revenue-outlook-cut-2015-03-26).

Lululemon Athletica Inc.(LULU) fell 3% in premarket trading after news of a disappointing outlook (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lululemon-gives-disappointing-outlook-shares-drop-2015-03-26).

GameStop Corp.(GME), Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc.(RH) and ConAgra Foods Inc.(CAG) will report Thursday.

Red Hat Inc.(RHT) shares could add to a late rally Wednesday on the heels of better-than-expected results (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/red-hat-apollo-education-pvh-earnings-in-focus-2015-03-24).

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

ConAgra Brands (NYSE:CAG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more ConAgra Brands Charts.
ConAgra Brands (NYSE:CAG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more ConAgra Brands Charts.