What Happened?
A number of stocks fell in the morning session after markets continued to decline, as investors grew cautious ahead of a key speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The move came as U.S. equity markets recorded a fifth consecutive day of losses for major indexes like the S&P 500, with technology stocks experiencing the largest declines. Investors have grown wary that the sharp rally in the tech sector since April may have advanced too far. The market-wide caution is largely driven by the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium, a meeting of central bankers, where traders are anxiously awaiting Fed Chair Powell's speech on Friday for guidance on the future path of interest rates.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Travel and Vacation Providers company Sabre (NASDAQ: SABR) fell 3.3%. Is now the time to buy Sabre? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Specialized Consumer Services company 1-800-FLOWERS (NASDAQ: FLWS) fell 5.2%. Is now the time to buy 1-800-FLOWERS? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Real Estate Services company Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) fell 4.2%. Is now the time to buy Cushman & Wakefield? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Specialized Consumer Services company WeightWatchers (NASDAQ: WW) fell 4.5%. Is now the time to buy WeightWatchers? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Leisure Facilities company European Wax Center (NASDAQ: EWCZ) fell 3.7%. Is now the time to buy European Wax Center? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On 1-800-FLOWERS (FLWS)
1-800-FLOWERS’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 36 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 9 days ago when the stock gained 3.1% on the news that the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation holding steady, bolstering investor optimism for a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The data, which revealed that inflation remained at 2.7% for the year ending in July, was seen as a positive sign by investors. This stability increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve might lower interest rates at its upcoming September meeting. Lower interest rates can stimulate the economy by making borrowing cheaper for both consumers and businesses, which often translates into higher consumer spending. This is particularly beneficial for the Consumer Discretionary sector, which includes companies selling non-essential goods and services like apparel, travel, and electronics.
1-800-FLOWERS is down 32.5% since the beginning of the year, and at $5.27 per share, it is trading 44.4% below its 52-week high of $9.48 from August 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of 1-800-FLOWERS’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $174.56.
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