NEW YORK, July 8 — Wall Street stocks retreated early today following employment data underscoring the strength of the US labour market but also suggesting more Federal Reserve interest rate hikes ahead.
Average hourly earnings rose to cement a 5.1 per cent increase over the past 12 months, the report said. “That implies that real earnings growth remains negative, which further implies that there is apt to be pressure on discretionary spending the in coming months,” he said. The broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.5 per cent to 3,884.23, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.5 per cent to 11,559.45.