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What you need to know today
The Fed's still worried
Federal Reserve officials are still worried that inflation could rise again, which would necessitate more interest rate hikes, according to minutes from the July meeting. Officials were also concerned that the decline of value in commercial real estate could affect banks and other financial institutions, sending ripples throughout the economy.
Losing streak
U.S. markets fell for a second straight day and Treasury yields rose as traders digested hawkish minutes from the Federal Reserve. European markets traded mixed Wednesday. The regional Stoxx 600 index was mostly flat: Media stocks retreated 0.9%, but a 0.9% rise in retail stocks made up for that.
Inflation relief for the U.K.
U.K. headline inflation in July dropped to 6.8% year on year, in line with economists' forecast. However, core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco prices, remained unchanged from June at 6.9%. Separately, data released Tuesday showed second-quarter wages growing 7.8% year over year, the fastest since records began in 2001.
VinFast valuation
VinFast shares jumped in their trading debut this week, taking the company's valuation north of $85 billion at one point. That's higher than General Motors' $47.6 billion and Ford's $47.2 billion. Still, the company has yet to make a profit and has faced difficulties delivering vehicles to U.S. customers.
[PRO] Don't panic
The S&P 500 may have declined in nine of its past 11 sessions. But that's nothing to worry about: We aren't headed for a bear market slump — this is just a garden variety correction. CNBC Pro's Bob Pisani explains why, and what to focus on in this environment.
The bottom line
The fight against inflation isn't over. And there's a risk interest rates have to go higher. That's the key takeaway from minutes of the Fed's July meeting.
Here are the exact words from the meeting summary: "With inflation still well above the Committee's longer-run goal and the labor market remaining tight, most participants continued to see significant upside risks to inflation, which could require further tightening of monetary policy."
That wasn't something markets wanted to hear. Investors think there's a 60% chance rates will be at current levels at the end of the year, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. But they might have to revise their bets soon, especially since U.S. economic data is coming in hotter than expected.
"Recent third-quarter GDP estimates, coupled with fresh retail sales data, suggest a much more robust underpinning to the economy, certainly not what the Fed wants to see as they navigate the so-called 'last mile' towards achieving price stability," said Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist for LPL Financial.
Longer-term U.S. Treasury yields — which are typically more sensitive to interest rate changes — rose in response to the minutes. The 10-year yield traded around 5 basis points higher at 4.258%, its highest closing rate in more than 15 years. The 2-year yield added nearly 4 basis points to hit 4.967%.
It wasn't a pretty picture in the stock market as well. All three major indexes fell for their second consecutive session. The S&P 500 declined 0.76%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.52% and the Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.15%. Both the S&P and Nasdaq closed below their 50-day moving average.
But there might be a silver lining to the sell-off. "Valuations are becoming less and less extreme," said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research.
That's a good opportunity for investors to jump in on Big Tech stocks such as Nvidia and Tesla — provided the expectation that earnings have bottomed in the second quarter proves true. But given the hawkish slant of the Fed minutes, it might be a steeper trough to climb out of than previously thought.
