The stock market decline on Friday could be just one of many more sell-offs to come and investors should avoid certain sectors and stocks at risk to bear the brunt of the losses, S&P Global Market Intelligence told clients Monday.
"At first glance, it appeared as if stock markets experienced an equal opportunity sell-off on Friday, September 9, in response to hawkish statements by Fed officials that seemed to prepare investors for a rate hike as soon as the September 20-21 FOMC meeting," wrote Sam Stovall, S&P's U.S. equity strategist.
"Upon deeper examination, however, it appears that investors were attempting to 'take the money and run.'" he said, explaining that at the epicenter of the losses were the best-performing sectors this year and those stocks that could lose their appeal once rates trend higher, namely shares of dividend-paying companies.
