S&P 500 futures drop as Target leads retail stocks lower

Stock futures fell on Wednesday as investors weighed on a bleak quarterly update from Target that weighed on retail stocks.

Futures related to the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 56 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively.

The moves came after Target reported a decline in sales as families deal with soaring inflation heading into the biggest shopping season of the year for retailers. The warning Heavier on futures, sending the stock down more than 15% And pressure on most retail stocks.

Wall Street exited a positive session, with the S&P 500 closing 0.87% higher on Tuesday and the Dow Jones adding 56.22 points, or 0.17%. The Nasdaq jumped 1.45% and is the only major average on pace for a slight gain for the week. The producer price index, which measures wholesale prices, came in below expectations, easing some investor concerns about inflation.

Stocks saw a strong rally in the wake of last week’s better-than-fright CPI report. Last week, the S&P 500 posted its best weekly extension since June and all major averages are on track to end the month with gains.

However, some investors say a near-term downturn looms.

“In the short term, the market is too stretched and overdue to turn back and digest the recent rally,” said Adam Sarhan, CEO of 50Park Investments.