The stock market plunge sent investors into a flurry of anxiety this past Friday, causing many to worry about the future state of the economy. Stocks fell by more than 2 percent, resulting in the overall decrease of the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 666 points. Such a decrease rivals the stock market plunge that occurred the day after the Brexit vote. Multinational billion dollar company Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) fell to its lowest stock price since October by 4.3 percent, and although electronic commerce company Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) stock reached new heights, such record prices did not prevent DOW from descending. Energy shares were particularly hard hit, decreasing at record levels with ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) plunging by 5.1 percent and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) dropping by 5.6 percent.
The strength of today's current market, while reassuring, may be the surprising cause of the market's unprecedented shift on Friday. Recent job data deemphasized the strength of the economy, which has been climbing since investors' increased purchase of corporate stocks and bonds. Likewise, the central bank's reduction of interest rates on safer government bonds has also allowed companies to invest in their businesses and hire more employees. President Trump's effort to decrease taxes and deregulation may also boost the economy. January also saw the addition of 200,000 new jobs by the U.S government. Such activity has caused the job market to soar, thereby strengthening the economy as a whole.
Many investors are wary of the Federal Bank's rising rates on bonds that will inevitably occur as a result of economic growth. The increasing interest rates were indicated on Friday as well, with the U.S. Treasury note increasing to 2.8 percent. In the past, higher rates on the Treasury note have indicated the overall interest rates of the bond market. Therefore, higher interest rates may pose issues for all: for example, higher rates for borrowing money for necessities such as a home and a car, which will exacerbate with the increase of the fixed mortgage rate. However, rising rates may also bring benefits as well. Worker pay can rise with higher inflation, along with an increase in overall tax cuts.
Due to the potential benefits, some are attributing the decrease in the stock market as a necessary event. Financial consultant Jeanne Asseraf-Bitton asserts that people "are finally starting to reprice reflation" and that it is "about time." Asseraf-Bitton continued that "global economic growth is strong and corporate earnings are very solid, so there's no reason to question the equity bull market...it's just the speed at which it's happening that is making investors nervous. Bottom line: this is a healthy correction."