{"id":58976,"date":"2026-02-23T12:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/dowjonestodaydow-jones-plummets-as-hawkish-fed-signals-and-economic-data-trigger-risk-off-sentiment\/58976\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T12:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:09:33","slug":"dowjonestodaydow-jones-plummets-as-hawkish-fed-signals-and-economic-data-trigger-risk-off-sentiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/dowjonestodaydow-jones-plummets-as-hawkish-fed-signals-and-economic-data-trigger-risk-off-sentiment\/58976\/","title":{"rendered":"[DowJonesToday]Dow Jones Plummets as Hawkish Fed Signals and Economic Data Trigger Risk-Off Sentiment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/markets\/dowjones\/today.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Dow Jones Today\">Dow Jones<\/a> Index (^DJI)<\/strong> was down <strong>784.29 (-1.58%)<\/strong> points today, landing at <strong>48,841.68<\/strong>, while <strong>Dow Futures (YM=F)<\/strong> was down <strong>682.00 (-1.37%)<\/strong> points today. This sharp retreat was primarily triggered by <strong>hawkish commentary from Federal Reserve officials<\/strong>, who suggested that interest rates may need to remain elevated longer than previously anticipated to combat persistent <strong>inflationary pressures<\/strong>. This narrative was further exacerbated by a disappointing <strong>Purchasing Managers&#39; Index (PMI)<\/strong> report, which signaled a slowdown in industrial output, sparking a broad-based &quot;risk-off&quot; environment across Wall Street as traders recalibrated their expectations for the fiscal year.<\/p>\n<p>The financial and growth sectors faced the steepest declines as higher-for-longer rate fears pressured valuations. American Express (<a href=\"\/stock\/AXP\">AXP<\/a>) was down <strong>7.23%<\/strong> to <strong>$321.55<\/strong>, as investors worried about rising <strong>delinquency rates<\/strong>. Salesforce (<a href=\"\/stock\/CRM\">CRM<\/a>) was down <strong>5.23%<\/strong> to <strong>$175.42<\/strong>, while Nike (<a href=\"\/stock\/NKE\">NKE<\/a>) was down <strong>4.94%<\/strong> following cautious retail outlooks and global trade concerns. Major banking institutions like JPMorgan Chase (<a href=\"\/stock\/JPM\">JPM<\/a>) and Goldman Sachs (<a href=\"\/stock\/GS\">GS<\/a>) also saw significant selling, down <strong>3.85%<\/strong> and <strong>3.03%<\/strong> respectively.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, <strong>defensive stocks<\/strong> provided a necessary cushion. Walmart (<a href=\"\/stock\/WMT\">WMT<\/a>) was up <strong>2.44%<\/strong> to <strong>$126.07<\/strong>, as its robust supply chain and value-oriented pricing appealed to investors. Verizon (<a href=\"\/stock\/VZ\">VZ<\/a>) was up <strong>2.22%<\/strong> to <strong>$50.35<\/strong>, while Procter &amp; Gamble (<a href=\"\/stock\/PG\">PG<\/a>) was up <strong>1.62%<\/strong> to <strong>$163.46<\/strong>. Other safe-haven plays included Johnson &amp; Johnson (<a href=\"\/stock\/JNJ\">JNJ<\/a>), which was up <strong>1.45%<\/strong>, and McDonald&#39;s (<a href=\"\/stock\/MCD\">MCD<\/a>), up <strong>1.12%<\/strong>. Tech leaders like Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) and Nvidia (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) managed to stay green, up <strong>0.85%<\/strong> and <strong>0.75%<\/strong> respectively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dow Jones Index (^DJI) was down 784.29 (-1.58%) points today, landing at 48,841.68, while Dow Futures (YM=F) was down 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