Wall Street gains on hopes of smaller rate hikes as economy shrinks again

US economy contracts again in second quarter; Meta Platforms revenue drops for first time; Qualcomm flags weak smartphone demand

Wall Street's major indexes reversed course to gain in early afternoon trading on Thursday, as a contraction in the U.S. economy for the second straight quarter raised expectations of a less aggressive monetary policy by the Federal Reserve.

Gross domestic product fell at a 0.9% annualized rate in the last quarter, the Commerce Department said in its advance GDP estimate. A Reuters survey had showed that the growth likely rebounded at a 0.5% annualized rate.

"The Fed will likely interpret this decline in real growth as confirmation to slow down the pace of rate hikes at the upcoming meetings," Jeffrey Roach, chief