Financial Markets Wall Street

Most U.S. stocks fell as Wall Street contended with the downside of a U.S. economy that keeps powering through its many challenges. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% Wednesday to close out its third losing month in the last four. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.2%. Stocks initially headed for gains following an encouraging update on inflation. But they turned lower as reports also suggested the U.S. economy was stronger during the spring than earlier thought. That helped yields remain high in the bond market, which in turn kept up the pressure on stocks.

More swings in the bond market are rattling stock markets around the world and offsetting optimism that the artificial-intelligence industry can keep climbing. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% Thursday after giving up an early gain and may be heading toward its seventh loss in eight days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 188 points, and the Nasdaq composite was flat. The losses were sharper in Europe, where bond yields saw a significant jump overnight. Stock indexes tumbled 1.7% in London and 1.6% in Paris. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield briefly neared 5.34% following more gains for oil prices and data showing a resilient U.S. economy.