Traders anxious over economic uncertainty, weak corporate forecasts

Get Our Email Newsletter
The companies, people and issues shaping business in Madison and the Capital Region.

Anxiety returned to Wall Street on Thursday with markets poised to give back much of the previous day’s gains, which were spurred by President Donald Trump’s one-month exemption for U.S. automakers on his 25% tariffs for Mexican and Canadian imports, according to the Associated Press. Futures for the S&P 500 were down 1.1%, and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 0.9% lower. Nasdaq futures slid 1.3%.

Macy’s was the latest retailer to issue a weak forecast, sending its stock down in premarket trading even after it posted strong fourth-quarter profit that beat expectations. Its shares tumbled more than 3% before markets opened Thursday.

It was a similar story for Victoria’s Secret, which beat Wall Street’s fourth-quarter sales and profit forecasts but also issued tepid sales guidance for the first quarter and full year. Its shares tumbled 3.2%.

Digital Partners