Stocks rebound from Monday’s tech-focused sell-off, Dow gains 200 points

The major averages rebounded on Tuesday following a technology-centered market rout in the previous session.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 230 points, or 0.7%. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite rallied 0.95%.

Mega-cap technology names were solidly in the green on Tuesday. Netflix rose 3.5%, Amazon gained 1.6% and Apple and Alphabet advanced more than 1% each. Facebook shares rose 1% following a 5% slide on Monday due to a whistleblower’s claims and a site outage.

Energy stocks rose again as oil prices continued their climb. U.S. oil prices topped $79 per barrel on Tuesday. Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips each gained more than 1%. Chevron advanced 2.7%.

On Monday, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.1% for its sixth negative day in seven as the tech heavyweights declined. The blue-chip Dow shed more than 300 points, while the S&P 500 lost 1.3%, dragged down by technology shares.

Tech has been the worst performing sector of the last month as a jump in yields caused investors to rotate out of the highly valued shares since rising rates can make their future profits look less attractive. Yields are increasing as the Federal Reserve signaled in September it would start tapering its monthly bond-buying soon. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was around 1.5% on Tuesday after hitting a high of 1.56% last week.

“The sell-off was in part driven by a rise in 10-year government bond yields…, higher inflation, and weaker growth,” wrote Mark Haefele, chief investment officer of global wealth management at UBS. “Energy shortages and a fiscal impasse in the U.S. Congress also undermined sentiment. But we see such worries as overstated, or likely to fade soon, and we expect the equity rally to get back on track.”

The market suffered a tumultuous September as inflation fears, slowing growth and rising rates kept investors on edge. The S&P 500 fell 4.8% last month, posting its worst month since March 2020 and breaking a seven-month winning streak. The equity benchmark is now 5.4% off its all-time high reached in early September, but has still gained 14.5% year to date.

In Washington, lawmakers are still trying to agree to raise or suspend the U.S. borrowing limit and avert a dangerous first-ever default on the national debt. The Treasury Department warned last week that lawmakers must address the debt ceiling before Oct. 18 when officials estimate the U.S. will exhaust emergency efforts to honor its bond payments.

Still, some believe the outlook for equities remain robust after the weak September as the economy continues to rebound from the Covid crisis.

“We do not believe the recent bout of de-risking will lead to sustained falls, and maintain the stance to keep buying into any weakness,” Marko Kolanovic, JPMorgan’s chief global markets strategist, said in a note Monday.

Investors are readying for the closely watched jobs report, which will be released on Friday.