Stock Futures Stabilize After Wild 600 Point Dow Swings

Stock, stock market, stocks

Markets brace for a stable Thursday trading open after a wild ride on Wednesday. | Source: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

Stock market futures point to a stable open on Wall Street after yesterday’s wild session which saw the Dow Jones plunge 600 points before recovering.

The volatility subsided overnight as China stabilized the yuan and US Treasury yields recovered after plunging near all-time lows on Wednesday. 

Stock futures gain composure after stormy session

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures were flat at 25,955 in early trading Thursday. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq Composite futures were equally steady at 7.10 am ET.

Stock futures point to a muted open on Thursday after the most volatile stock market session in seven months. Source: Yahoo Finance
Stock futures point to a muted open on Thursday after the most volatile stock market session in seven months. Source: Yahoo Finance

Dow stabilizes as China fixes yuan

The US stock market went into panic mode earlier this week when China let the yuan fall beyond the crucial $7 mark, a move widely seen as retaliation to Trump’s threat of extended tariffs.

On Thursday, China brought some calm to the markets by stabilizing the yuan, fixing it at a more stable level than analysts predicted. At 7.0039, it’s still the weakest level in a decade against the dollar, but lower than the 7.0156 expected by Bloomberg’s poll.

Trade data out of China also came in better than expected, which likely bolstered the decision to stabilize the currency.

Stock futures point to stable open

After a strong Asian session which saw the Shanghai Composite climb almost 1 percent, the US markets look set to hold steady. The move is also helped by Treasury note yields, which recovered from multi-year lows overnight. 

Last modified: September 23, 2020 12:53 PM
Ben is a journalist with a decade of experience covering financial markets. Based in London, UK, his writing has appeared in The Huffington Post and he was Chief Editor at Block Explorer, the world's longest-running source of Blockchain data. Reach him at Twitter at _Ben_Brown. Email ben @ benjamin-brown.uk.
Previous Binance Coin (BNB) Surges 11% Despite 'FUD' Hack Rumors Next Terrifying Global Currency Crisis Explained in 19 Tweets; Why Bitcoin Matters