U.S. stock futures fell sharply on Wednesday as investors worried about a possible fiscal stimulus package aimed at curbing slower economic growth due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Around 8:20 a.m. ET, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a loss of more than 800 points at the open. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures also pointed to steep losses.
President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday a 0% payroll tax rate that could last until the end of the year. However, the timing of such policies being implemented remains uncertain.
“We need to see meaningful support for economic activity and credit backstops especially for small businesses, not a targeted approach executed only by the executive branch,” Joe Kalish, chief global macro strategist at Ned Davis Research, said in a note. “We will likely need congressional involvement. This is a potential solvency problem.”
Trump’s comment came as the number of coronavirus cases around the world total more than 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In the U.S. alone, more than 1,000 cases have been confirmed. This increase in cases added to fears of a global economic slowdown.
Oil prices fell along with Treasury yields. U.S. crude fell more than 3% to $33.17 per barrel. Meanwhile, the benchmark 10-year note yield traded at 0.7%.
Central banks have also taken action to curb slower economic growth. The Bank of England on Wednesday cut its benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 0.25%.The move follows a 50 basis-point rate cut by the Federal Reserve earlier this month.
The move down in futures comes after the major averages regained a chunk of their losses on Tuesday. The Dow rallied more than 1,100 points while the S&P 500 had its best one-day performance since Dec. 26, 2018.
“Stocks posted impressive headline gains, but more strength needs to be seen beneath the surface to have confidence that the downside momentum in stocks has been broken,” Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird, said in a note. “The weight of the evidence continues to argue for caution in the near term and we recommend that investors remain patient in the face of ongoing market volatility.”
The uncertainty around fiscal stimulus, coupled with a reduction in travel demand and rising coronavirus cases, pressured airline and cruise line stocks. American, Delta, United and JetBlue all fell more than 2% in the premarket. Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival fell 4.4% and 7%, respectively.
In terms of data, there will be monthly consumer price figures at 8:30 a.m. ET and federal budget numbers are due at 2 p.m. ET.
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