Investing.com – Wall Street moved lower on the last trading day of the month as investors digested earnings and economic reports, while oil turned around on a report that OPEC oil output neared record highs in April.
At 15:23GMT, or 13:23ET, the Dow Jones lost 128 points, or 0.72%, while the S&P 500 fell 17 points, or 0.83%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite traded down 49 points, or 1.02%.
In the first remarks from a Fed official since this week’s monetary policy decision, Dallas Fed president Robert Kaplan promised to push for gradual increases in interest rates as long as inflation continued to rise and the labor market registered near full employment.
“As we continue to make progress in achieving our dual mandate, I will advocate that we take actions to remove some amount of accommodation," Kaplan remarked in a speech prepared for a monetary policy forum in London.
"I will also advocate that we take these steps in a gradual and patient manner," he added.
Kaplan also indicated that the U.K.’s referendum on European Union membership on June 23 would be a factor in the Fed’s decision at the June meeting. However, it was unclear what type of effect it would have since the meeting will occur prior to the vote.
In any case, markets were busy dismissing the possibility of a hike with federal funds rates discounting the probability at 14%, compared to the 20% that was priced in ahead of the April meeting this week.
Furthermore, inflation data released on Friday showed a weak reading, reducing the likelihood that the Fed would be able to continue with policy tightening in the short-term.
Specifically, the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose a meager 0.1%, while the annualized rate increased by only 1.6%. The year-on-year growth has decreased from January’s read of 2.3% and is relevant since the Fed uses core PCE as one tool to gauge the direction of inflation in comparison to its 2% target.
Personal spending also did little to spur optimism over consumption in the U.S. economy as it inched up a slight 0.1%, settling below consensus.
Adding to concern over spending, the University of Michigan revised its consumer sentiment gauge for April down to its lowest level since September 2015. The expectations component also missed consensus as it was unexpectedly revised down.
Also of note, the Chicago PMI for April showed activity falling more than expected to a reading of 50.4, hovering just above the 50-point dividing line between expansion and contraction.
With all these factors in mind, bearish sentiment in the dollar increased, taking the American currency to nine month lows in Friday’s session.
Specifically, the U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, traded down 0.80% at 92.98, at 15:25GMT or 11:25AM ET.
On the earnings front, Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) led the gainers on the Dow after reporting earnings that handily beat Wall Street expectations thanks to cost cutting measures.
Its blue-chip competitor Chevron (NYSE:CVX) did not share the same fate, trading down 0.8% after adjusted profit missed consensus despite its own spending reductions.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) wowed the markets with its own quarterly report released after the market close Thursday and shares soared almost 10% in Friday’s session.
In M&A activity, Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ:ROVI) announced plans to buy TiVo Inc (NASDAQ:TIVO) for $1.1 billion.
Though oil hit new five-month highs on Friday, it turned around on a survey by Reuters that showed OPEC output neared a record high in April thanks to increases in Iran and Iraq’s production.
U.S. crude futures gave up 0.33% to $45.88 a barrel by 15:26GMT, or 11:26ET, while Brent oil lost 0.75% to $47.41.