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The Nasdaq Composite was headed for a fifth straight decline Monday, with that drop in the technology-laden index putting it in jeopardy of falling into correction for the first time since March.
At last check, the Nasdaq Composite
COMP,
was down 2.3% , or 347 points, to reach 14,587. The index needs to stay above 14,451.69 to avoid a correction from its Nov. 19 record close peak. A correction is commonly defined by market technicians as a 10% fall from a recent peak.
The Nasdaq Composite last week posted its biggest one-week percentage decline since February, as rising bond yields punctured tech valuations.
On Monday, the 10-year Treasury note
TMUBMUSD10Y,
yielded around 1.8%, adding to highs not seen since January of 2020, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Yields move opposite to price.
Yields have been rising as investors anticipate tighter policy from the Federal Reserve and as many as three interest-rate increases in 2022 starting possibly in March. Goldman Sachs analysts, in a recent research note, estimate that there could be as many as four interest rate hikes this year.
Tech and other growth stocks are more sensitive to moves in yields. That’s because valuations of growth stocks are based on cash flows that extend far into the future. A rise in yields makes that future cash less valuable than it was when the yield on “risk-free” Treasurys was lower.
The Nasdaq Composite last entered correction on March 8 and didn’t exit correction until April 9.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
meanwhile, was down 500 points, or 1.4%, while the S&P 500 index
SPX,
was off 1.8% in Monday’s trade.
