U.S. stocks are mixed after Powell signals possible rate hikes

Investing.com -- U.S. stocks are mixed after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell did not rule out more interest rate increases and said he doesn't expect rates to reach the 2% target this year or next year.

At 11:08 ET (15:08 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 154 points or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 was flat and the NASDAQ Composite was up 0.5%.

Fed’s Powell takes stage in Portugal

Powell is appearing with other central bank leaders at a conference in Portugal on Wednesday as officials discuss monetary policies.

Investors are awaiting the Fed’s next move on interest rates after stronger than expected economic reports this week leading into Friday’s report on inflation for May. Expectations are that inflation will rise from last year but show a continued cooling from prior months.

Futures traders are factoring in a quarter of a percentage point rate hike when the Fed next meets in July after the Fed paused on rate hikes this month.

Chip stocks under pressure

Chip stocks were falling after a report that the U.S. was preparing to restrict sales of artificial intelligence chips to China, sending shares of NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) down 0.9% and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) down 0.2%. Both companies were already affected by earlier restrictions on chips made for sale to China.

Among other chip stocks, Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) fell 1.9%.

It’s a reversal from Tuesday’s rally when rising tech stocks helped the Dow snap a six-day losing streak as investors put recession worries on the back burner.

Bank stress test results expected today

Bank stocks are a focus today ahead of the Fed’s release of the latest stress test results. The Fed tests the largest U.S. banks annually to see if they have enough capital set aside to withstand severe disruptions in the financial system. The results affect how much capital banks can return to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks.

This year’s results are getting extra attention after the failure of three large banks this spring, brought on by deposit runs after the rapid increase in interest rates over the past year.

General Mills forecasts slowing growth

Shares of packaged food giant General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) dipped 5% after it forecast fiscal year adjusted profit growth in the mid-single-digits percentage.

Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) shares rose 0.2% after it said most of its 737 max fleet in China resumed commercial operation as of end-June.