What Happened?
Shares of global professional services company Accenture (NYSE: ACN) fell 2.1% in the afternoon session after the major indices continued to retreat (Nasdaq -1.5%, S&P 500 -1.2%) amid profit-taking and renewed concerns about tariffs. Investors reacted to a federal court ruling that most of President Trump's global tariffs were illegal, raising uncertainty over trade policy and the fiscal impact of potential refunds. Rising Treasury yields added to the pressure, with the 10-year climbing above 4.2% and the 30-year nearing 5%, intensifying worries about stretched equity valuations. September's historically weak track record for stocks further dampened sentiment, leaving traders cautious ahead of the jobs report later in the week and the Federal Reserve's upcoming rate decision.
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What Is The Market Telling Us
Accenture’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 7 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 20 days ago when the stock gained 3.2% on the news that stocks continued to rally as investor optimism grew for a potential Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September. This optimism was largely fueled by a recent consumer price index report that showed inflation easing, along with public comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent advocating for a significant 50-basis-point rate cut. The prospect of lower borrowing costs tends to boost rate-sensitive sectors like Business Services, as it can encourage companies to increase spending on consulting, IT projects, and staffing.
Accenture is down 26.6% since the beginning of the year, and at $256.12 per share, it is trading 35.7% below its 52-week high of $398.25 from February 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Accenture’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,036.
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