US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-US futures slip after hotter-than-expected producer inflation data

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 08:42 AM EDT

March 18 (Reuters) - Futures tracking Wall Street's main indexes slipped on Wednesday after data showed producer prices rose more than expected in February, dampening expectations that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates this year.

A Labor Department report showed the Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 3.4% on an annual basis in February, compared with 2.9% expected by economists polled by Reuters.

On a monthly basis, it rose 0.7% compared with an estimated 0.3% rise.

Excluding volatile food and energy components, core PPI stood at 3.9% on an annual basis, compared with an estimates of 3.7%. It rose 0.5% on a monthly basis versus estimates of a 0.3% rise.

At 08:36 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 115 points, or 0.24%, and S&P 500 E-minis were down 15 points, or 0.22%. Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 47.25 points, or 0.19%. (Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

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