Rising interest rates torched the home furnishings stock.
Shares of Wayfair (W -9.33%) were taking a dive, even though there was no company-specific news out on the online home furnishings retailer.
Instead, Wayfair got hit by rising Treasury yields, a sign investors think the Federal Reserve will be slower to cut interest rates than they previously did. Some economists now expect no cut at the next meeting in two weeks.
As a result, Wayfair finished the day down 9.3%.
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Wayfair could use some help
Spending on home improvement is closely tied to mortgage rates, as homebuying tends to spur spending on home furnishings, as do renovation projects. High rates have cooled off Wayfair’s business, and investors have been counting on rate cuts to drive a recovery in the housing market, as existing home sales have been hovering near a 30-year low.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield today jumped 2.7% to 4.18%, its highest level since July, and mortgage rates reached a two-month high.
Those trends are clear headwinds for investors and contrary to what they had hoped, with the Fed having begun a new rate-cut cycle.
Can Wayfair bounce back?
Wayfair was flying high during the pandemic, but the company has struggled since then, as both revenue growth and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) profits have been elusive.
The good news is interest rate cuts from the Fed should eventually come, though the timing is still uncertain, and both presidential candidates have promised various programs to mitigate the national housing shortage.
The housing market will eventually bounce back, and when it does, Wayfair should be ready to capitalize on it.