US and European shares slipped yesterday after a report showing weakness in US manufacturing last month added to uncertainty ahead of today’s monthly US jobs data, while oil prices tumbled and the dollar dipped.
The Institute for Supply Management said its purchasing managers’ index fell to 49.4 in August, below expectations of economists polled by Reuters for a dip to just 52.0, and showing the first contraction in manufacturing since February.
The data weighed on sentiment amid an already nervous investor environment ahead of today’s US employment report for August. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Stanley Fischer said last week that the central bank would consider the jobs data when discussing when to next raise interest rates.
Employers are expected to have added 180,000 jobs in August, according to a Reuters poll of economists. Adding reasons for the Fed to raise rates was a report that showed the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose to 263,000 last week, below analysts’ estimate of 265,000.
European shares also lost ground in the wake of the weak US ISM data, with major markets in the region moving into the red. European shares had earlier climbed to a two-week high.
“Both the lower oil prices and the ISM show weakness in the economy,” said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management in New York.
Oil prices fell after a rise in US crude inventories focused attention on a supply glut that has pushed stockpiles to record highs around the world.
MSCI’s all-country world equity index was last down 0.67 points, or 0.16 per cent, at 415.94.
The Dow Jones industrial average was last down 87.93 points, or 0.48 per cent, at 18,312.95. The S&P 500 was down 11.6 points, or 0.53 per cent, at 2,159.35. The Nasdaq Composite was down 17.49 points, or 0.34 per cent, at 5,195.73.
Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index was last down 0.20 per cent at 1,349.64.
Brent crude was last down $1.07, or 2.28 per cent, at $45.82 a barrel. US crude was down $1.09, or 2.44 per cent, at $43.61 per barrel.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, pulled back from Wednesday’s more than three-week high of 96.255 and was last down 0.37 per cent at 95.664 after the ISM data cast doubts on the strength of the US economy.
US Treasury yields were little changed as the focus remained on today’s US jobs data.
Benchmark 10-year yields were last at 1.572 per cent, from a yield of 1.568 per cent late Wednesday.
“Everybody’s just waiting for the number tomorrow and the bets are being placed as to whether the number comes in weak or strong, since it has been teed up as a pivotal event for determining whether the Fed goes in September,” Bishop said.
Spot gold touched $1,301.90 an ounce, its lowest in more than two months, as investors awaited today’s US employment data.