Morgans AM: Monday, 29 August 2022

US equity markets fell sharply as investors digested Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell’s address at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium in which he signalled the central bank would keep hiking rates to tame inflation and provided a frank acknowledgment of coming pain to households - Dow slumped -1,008-points or -3.03%, settling with its largest percentage drop since 18 May. 3M Co. stock tumbled -9.54%, pacing the Dow’s steep decline and logged its largest single-day percentage decline since 25 April, 2019 (alone shaving -89.77 points off the 30-stock index) after reports indicated that a bankruptcy judge blocked a request from 3M that would have shielded the company from litigation around earplugs that were sold to the military and later alleged to have caused issues such as hearing loss. The company’s Aearo subsidiary filed for bankruptcy last month, allowing the subsidiary to pause pending lawsuits, but the judge determined that 3M, which itself did not file for bankruptcy, is not entitled to those protections The broader S&P500 tumbled -3.37%, logging its biggest single session percentage decline since June. Information Technology (down -4.28%), Communication Services (-3.88%), Consumer Discretionary (-3.86%) and Industrials (-3.51%) all declined over >3.5% to lead all eleven primary sectors lower. ~43% of stocks were down at least 4%, while only five stocks in the S&500 settled in positive territory – Electronic Arts Inc (up +3.57), Molina Healthcare (+3.36%), Take Two Interactive Software Inc (+1.59%) , CF Industries Holdings Inc +0.81%) and ConocoPhillips (+0.04%). The Nasdaq dropped -3.94% and recorded its steepest single session percentage decline since 16 June. Having led gainers in the previous session, Nvidia Corp (down -9.23%) and Amazon.com Inc (-4.31%) dropped sharply. Meta Platforms Inc (-4.15%), Netflix Inc (-4.57%) and Block Inc (-7.72%) also logged steep declines. Apple Inc fell -3.77%, with Politico reporting late on Friday (26 August) that the company could be in the crosshairs of a potenti