
US open: Recession fears send stocks tumbling lower
US stocks are dropping sharply and are set for steep weekly losses after the Fed rate hike raised fears of a recession.
Share this:
US futures
Dow futures -1.22% at 29718
S&P futures -1.2% at 3708
Nasdaq futures -1.3% at 11350
In Europe
FTSE -1.7% at 7027
Dax -2.1% at 12270
Investors continue digesting the Fed meeting
US stocks are heading for losses on the open, adding to losses in the previous session, as recession fears build and the dollar appears to be the only place to hide.
Stocks on Wall Street are heading for steep weekly losses after the Federal Reserve hiked rates by 75 basis points earlier in the week and pledged to keep fighting inflation aggressively.
The market is still repricing and repositioning for the idea that the Fed will keep pushing rates higher for longer and then keep them there.
Attention is now turning to the PMI business activity data for clues on how the US private sector is holding up as the risk of recession rises and as inflation and interest rates rise. The manufacturing PMI is expected to slip to 51.1, which is still expanding. The services PMI is expected to rise to 45 from 43.7, contracting but at a slower pace.
Corporate news:
Costco is falling pre-market after the big box retailer reported a squeeze on margins as higher freight and labour costs eat into margins.
Where next for the Nasdaq?
The Nasdaq has broken below support at 11450 and is powering lower. The 20 sma has crossed below the 50 sma. The RSI also supports further downside while it remains out of the oversold territory. Sellers will look to take out the June low at 11036 to bring 1000 psychological level into target. Buyers would need to rise above 12150 to negate the near-term downtrend.
FX markets – USD rises, GBP tanks
The USD is rising, boosted by hawkish Federal Reserve bets and safe haven flows. Fear is spreading through the market and US dollars are proving to be the best hiding place. US dollar index trades at 20-year highs and is set to rise to 112.00
EUR/USD is falling after PMI data painted a bleak picture. The eurozone composite PMI fell more than expected to 48.2 in September, down from 48.9 in August. The data suggests that the eurozone could already be in recession.
GBPUSD plunges after the Chancellor’s mini budget. Far from soothing concerns over the outlook for the UK economy, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s economic plan for the UK has sent the pound plunging. The announcement of the largest tax cuts since 1972 to boost growth and stave off a recession that has already started has triggered a crash in the pound and the bond market.
The sell-off in UK assets reflects the sheer panic as the new government’s stimulus package will not only grow an already sizeable debt burden, potentially to unmanageable levels but will also add to inflationary pressures.
The BoE, which has been reluctant to hike rates aggressively, will need to roll up its sleeves and fight inflation with larger rate hikes. Expectations for a 1% hike in November are already climbing.
It’s difficult to see how the pound can recover from here. Investors are rapidly pulling out of UK assets, and who can blame them? Drawing comparisons historically, the last big tax giveaway in 1972 resulted in rampant inflation, unmanageable debt, and an IMF bailout.
Suddenly pound parity with the USD looks increasingly likely.
GBP/USD -2% at 1.1056
EUR/USD -0.85% at 0.9750
Oil falls 3%
Oil prices are tumbling lower as recession fears grip the market and the USD marches higher. With central banks across the globe hiking rates, fears of a recession are hurting the demand outlook for oil. Quite simply, slower growth means weaker oil demand.
The downside could be capped by heightened tensions as Russian mobilizes more troops to support the ongoing war in Ukraine. Following Putin’s latest threats, the EU is rushing to agree on an oil price cap. The cap could hit Moscow’s revenue which is helping to fund the war.
WTI crude trades -3% at $80.81
Brent trades -2.7% at $87.1
Looking ahead
14:45 US PMI data
18:00 Baker Hughes
US futures
Dow futures -1.22% at 29718
S&P futures -1.2% at 3708
Nasdaq futures -1.3% at 11350
In Europe
FTSE -1.7% at 7027
Dax -2.1% at 12270
Learn more about trading indices
Investors continue digesting the Fed meeting
US stocks are heading for losses on the open, adding to losses in the previous session, as recession fears build and the dollar appears to be the only place to hide.
Stocks on Wall Street are heading for steep weekly losses after the Federal Reserve hiked rates by 75 basis points earlier in the week and pledged to keep fighting inflation aggressively.
The market is still repricing and repositioning for the idea that the Fed will keep pushing rates higher for longer and then keep them there.
Attention is now turning to the PMI business activity data for clues on how the US private sector is holding up as the risk of recession rises and as inflation and interest rates rise. The manufacturing PMI is expected to slip to 51.1, which is still expanding. The services PMI is expected to rise to 45 from 43.7, contracting but at a slower pace.
Corporate news:
Costco is falling pre-market after the big box retailer reported a squeeze on margins as higher freight and labour costs eat into margins.
Where next for the Nasdaq?
The Nasdaq has broken below support at 11450 and is powering lower. The 20 sma has crossed below the 50 sma. The RSI also supports further downside while it remains out of the oversold territory. Sellers will look to take out the June low at 11036 to bring 1000 psychological level into target. Buyers would need to rise above 12150 to negate the near-term downtrend.
FX markets – USD rises, GBP tanks
The USD is rising, boosted by hawkish Federal Reserve bets and safe haven flows. Fear is spreading through the market and US dollars are proving to be the best hiding place. US dollar index trades at 20-year highs and is set to rise to 112.00
EUR/USD is falling after PMI data painted a bleak picture. The eurozone composite PMI fell more than expected to 48.2 in September, down from 48.9 in August. The data suggests that the eurozone could already be in recession.
GBPUSD plunges after the Chancellor’s mini budget. Far from soothing concerns over the outlook for the UK economy, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s economic plan for the UK has sent the pound plunging. The announcement of the largest tax cuts since 1972 to boost growth and stave off a recession that has already started has triggered a crash in the pound and the bond market.
The sell-off in UK assets reflects the sheer panic as the new government’s stimulus package will not only grow an already sizeable debt burden, potentially to unmanageable levels but will also add to inflationary pressures.
The BoE, which has been reluctant to hike rates aggressively, will need to roll up its sleeves and fight inflation with larger rate hikes. Expectations for a 1% hike in November are already climbing.
It’s difficult to see how the pound can recover from here. Investors are rapidly pulling out of UK assets, and who can blame them? Drawing comparisons historically, the last big tax giveaway in 1972 resulted in rampant inflation, unmanageable debt, and an IMF bailout.
Suddenly pound parity with the USD looks increasingly likely.
GBP/USD -2% at 1.1056
EUR/USD -0.85% at 0.9750
Oil falls 3%
Oil prices are tumbling lower as recession fears grip the market and the USD marches higher. With central banks across the globe hiking rates, fears of a recession are hurting the demand outlook for oil. Quite simply, slower growth means weaker oil demand.
The downside could be capped by heightened tensions as Russian mobilizes more troops to support the ongoing war in Ukraine. Following Putin’s latest threats, the EU is rushing to agree on an oil price cap. The cap could hit Moscow’s revenue which is helping to fund the war.
WTI crude trades -3% at $80.81
Brent trades -2.7% at $87.1
Learn more about trading oil here.
Looking ahead
14:45 US PMI data
18:00 Baker Hughes
Related tags:
Latest market news
View more newsThe complete CFD trading experience
Award-winning platforms, competitive spreads, low commissions and dedicated support.
We live and breathe the markets and are dedicated to helping traders realise their ambitions as we continue to set the industry bar.
Economic calendar
Web Trader platform
Our sophisticated web-based platform is packed with features.

EUR/USD weekly outlook: Oil, inflation and NFP in focus
After coming under significant pressure in recent weeks, the EUR/USD came off its lows to finish the week on a positive note on Friday, albeit with only a mild rebound. That was not enough to prevent the exchange rate falling for the third consecutive week, as the US dollar and bond yields rallied across the board.

Gold Q4 2026 outlook: Resilience in the face of rallying dollar and yields
As we headed towards the latter stages of Q3 and into Q4, the Fed had just hiked rates in a hawkish FOMC meeting, while the likes of the ECB and BoJ had also tightened their respective policies. Oil prices remained elevated amid the prolonged US-Iran conflict. Meanwhile, bond yields were breaking out, and the dollar was higher across the board. Yet, remarkably, gold was still holding in the positive territory for the third quarter, even if it had weakened somewhat in September.

Equity Indices Q4, 2026 Outlook: Cracks Begin to Show
There's still an open door for a melt-up in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq but the Dow and Russell 2000 are looking more vulnerable, and until calm hits the Treasuries market there's a higher probability for volatility. The big question is whether that's a next quarter theme or not.
StoneX Europe Ltd may make third party material available on this website which may contain information included but not limited to the conditions of financial markets. The material is for information purposes only and does not contain, and should not be construed as containing, investment advice and/or investment recommendation and/or an investment research and/or an offer of or solicitation for any transactions in financial instruments; any decision to enter into a specific transaction shall be made by the client following an assessment by him/her of their situation.
StoneX Europe Ltd makes no representation or warranty and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, nor any loss arising from any investment based on a recommendation, forecast or other information supplied. You should always seek independent advice as to your suitability to speculate in any related markets and your ability to assume the associated risks, if you are at all unsure. We are not under any obligation to update any such material. Any opinion made may be personal to the author and may not reflect the opinion of StoneX Europe Ltd.




