Friday, 1 July 2022: US equity markets weaker, with the S&P500 cementing its worst first half in more than 50 years

US equity markets weaker, with the S&P500 cementing its worst first half in more than 50 years - Dow -351-points or -1.13%, with Salesforce Inc (down -3.26%) and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (-7.27%) the two worst performing index components overnight. The broader S&P500 fell for a forth consecutive session, down -0.63%. Energy (down -2.05%), Communication Services (-1.56%) and Consumer Discretionary (-1.54%) all fell over >1.5% to lead eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. More defensive sectors outperformed for a second straight session, with Utilities up +1.10%. Carnival Corp fell -2.48%, a day after tumbling -14.13% after Morgan Stanley cut its price target on the stock roughly in half and said it could potentially go to zero in the face of another demand shock. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd fell -3.08% and -3.89% respectively. American Airlines Group Inc (down -2.69%) has offered its pilots pay raises totalling nearly 17% under a new contract, according to an internal video seen by CNBC. The latest proposal to the pilots’ union, the Allied Pilots Association, comes less than a week after rival United Airlines Holdings Inc (-0.73%) and its pilots’ union reached a tentative agreement that includes more than 14% in total raises over the next 18 months. The technology-centric Nasdaq dropped -1.85%. Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc (down -1.64%) has warned employees to expect a tough second half of the year as the company continues to weather challenges related to its core online advertising business amid a weakening economy. Meta chief product officer Chris Cox detailed the company’s financial dilemma in an internal memo that detailed key areas where the social media giant plans to invest, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. The memo was previously reported by Reuters. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.66%. High-end furniture chain RH fell -10.56% after it issued a profit warning for the full year.