In the world of stocks, Thursday’s trading session began on a relatively flat note as investors eagerly awaited the next big market catalyst and analyzed the recent surge in stock prices.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 showed a slight uptick of 0.05%, indicating a positive start, while Nasdaq 100 futures demonstrated a stronger gain of 0.2%. However, futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a minor setback of 31 points or 0.1%.
One notable stock that took a considerable hit was GameStop, which witnessed a significant decline of approximately 22% following the announcement of CEO Matthew Furlong’s termination. The company simultaneously appointed Ryan Cohen as its executive chairman.
In the previous trading session, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite encountered a downward trend. The broad-market S&P 500 index concluded with a 0.38% decline, while the Nasdaq dropped by 1.29%. On the other hand, the Dow, consisting of 30 major stocks, emerged as the outlier with a gain of 0.27% or 91.74 points.
Currently, investors appear to be in a state of anticipation as they await the upcoming policy meeting of the Federal Reserve, scheduled for June 13 and 14. Economic indicators suggest that inflation is gradually receding, even though it remains above the central bank’s targeted 2% mark. Additionally, the latest data on weekly jobless claims released on Thursday showed an increase to the highest level since October 2021, indicating a potentially weakening labor market. This development has raised expectations that the Federal Reserve may pause its campaign of raising interest rates at the upcoming meeting.
According to the CME FedWatch Tool, market analysis indicates a 73% likelihood that the Fed will maintain its current interest rates during the next meeting.
Coinbase Shares Face Pressure After SEC Lawsuit
Meanwhile, Coinbase, a prominent player in the cryptocurrency space, continues to face significant pressure following a major sell-off earlier this week, triggered by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s long-anticipated lawsuit against the company. In premarket trading on Thursday morning, Coinbase shares were down 2%.
Following the wave of reactions from Wall Street analysts this week, Berenberg Capital Markets labeled Coinbase as “uninvestable” for the foreseeable future, reaffirming its hold rating on the stock while lowering its price target.
Berenberg analyst Mark Palmer explained, “Even before the SEC filed a lawsuit against Coinbase, we anticipated weak trading volumes for Q223, and we believe that the suit’s repercussions could lead to persistent weakness in the company’s trading volumes and a reduction in the assets on its platform.”
Adding to the uncertainty surrounding Coinbase’s future, the company received a show cause order from 10 states, which further complicates matters related to its staking program, Palmer noted.
In summary, the stock market is currently experiencing a period of stability as investors eagerly await upcoming market catalysts. The Federal Reserve’s policy meeting is expected to provide crucial insights into the future direction of interest rates, while Coinbase faces challenges and uncertainties following the SEC’s lawsuit and the additional order from several states.
