What’s happening: After rallying almost 27% in 2021, the S&P 500 finished January down 5.3%. It was the index’s worst January since 2009.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 9%, its worst kickoff since 2008. It’s still in a correction, down more than 10% from its November peak.
“Undoubtedly the main theme in January was the continued hawkish pivot by a number of central banks in light of continued and persistent inflationary pressures, which led investors to price in a much more rapid hiking cycle over the months ahead,” Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note to clients on Tuesday.
Smaller companies whose fate is closely tied to the health of the US economy struggled, too. The Russell 2000 index, which is made up of such firms, shed 9.7% in January. It’s almost 17% below its November high.
The big unknown: Is the turbulence here to stay?
Recent days have looked better. The Dow closed up 1.2% on Monday, while the S&P 500 rose 1.9% and the Nasdaq leaped 3.4%.
Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic suggested over the weekend that the Fed could hike rates by 0.5 percentage points in March. On Monday, he clarified that a half-point rate hike was not his preference. Yet any hawkish remarks from policymakers over the next few weeks could spark a sharp response from jittery traders.
“Good riddance to January, but this month’s investment themes will linger,” Nicholas Colas, cofounder of DataTrek Research, wrote Tuesday. Fed policy, he added, “remains the biggest wildcard.”
The New York Times joins the gaming deal frenzy
This just in: The New York Times has struck a deal to acquire Wordle, the hugely popular game that gives players six chances to guess a five-letter word daily.
The Times, which announced the purchase on Monday, is looking to grow its portfolio of games, which also includes the crossword and Spelling Bee.
“The Times remains focused on becoming the essential subscription for every English-speaking person seeking to understand and engage with the world,” the company said in a statement, adding that games “are a key part of that strategy.”
At the end of last year, the company had over 1 million subscriptions to its Games platform.
Step back: Josh Wardle, a Brooklyn-based software engineer, released the game in October 2021. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Millions of people now play Wordle every day, according to the Times.
The deal is just the latest (and okay, maybe the nerdiest) in a string of gaming industry tie-ups as tech, news media and entertainment companies compete for eyeballs and engagement time.
Why Netflix and Spotify shares just popped
But analysts at Citi see the pullback as a buying opportunity. They upgraded both stocks to a “buy” recommendation on Monday.
The analysts think that Netflix has “ample pricing power.” The video streaming service recently said it would raise prices in the United States and Canada. They also believe that Spotify can “improve ad-supported monetization.”
The report helped send Netflix’s stock up 11% on Monday, while Spotify jumped 13.5%.
Spotify’s rally also came after comedian Joe Rogan responded to backlash from artists like Neil Young over Covid-19 misinformation on his popular podcast, which is exclusively hosted on the music streaming platform. Rogan said Sunday he is “happy” with Spotify’s decision to add advisories before podcasts that tackle the pandemic.
“I want to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time,” he said. “And I’m very sorry that this is happening to them, and that they’re taking so much heat from it.”
On the radar: That doesn’t mean the controversy is resolved. What will the Spotify do if more artists announce plans to boycott? It’s a question the company should prepare for on Wednesday, when it reports results for its most recent quarter.
Up next
Also today: The ISM Manufacturing Index for January posts at 10 a.m ET.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized comments by Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic. He said a half-point rate hike was possible but not his preference.
