There was an onslaught of data last week, which led to gains. Should more be expected with the coming earnings season?
Monday S&P 500 0.27%| NASDAQ 1.09%
ISM Manufacturing unexpectedly slipped and remains in contractionary territory. The weaker economic data would typically signal lower rates as rate cut expectations would increase. To the contrary, 10-year treasuries rose on the day. In the face of weak economic data, the start of the quarter brought optimism towards the next three months.
Tuesday S&P 500 0.62% | NASDAQ .84%
JOLTs job openings rose more than expected to 8.14M openings. For perspective, there were 6.6M unemployed as of the May report. The strong jobs data did not deter markets, though; this may be because the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Chair, J. Powell, spoke on the day. He indicated that progress is being made towards their inflation target. This is the ‘secret sauce’ needed to justify future rate cuts.
Wednesday S&P 500 0.51% | NASDAQ 0.88%
Initial jobless claims rose for the week to 238K from 234K; the level remains elevated, albeit from all-time lows. Factory orders unexpectedly slipped into the negative on the month. Additionally, ISM Services unexpectedly slipped into contractionary territory. This is all bad news for economic production, so why did the markets rise? Interest rates fell as this data increases the likelihood that the FRB will lower rates sooner than expected. The heightened odds are now calling for a .25% cut in September and December, according to CME FedWatch.
Thursday S&P 500 -% | NASDAQ -%
Happy Independence Day!
Friday S&P 500 0.54% | NASDAQ 0.90%
Happy Jobs Friday! The unemployment rate rose to 4.1%, Nonfarm payrolls beat expectations, and participation rose to 62.6% from 62.5%, all for June. The unemployment rate went up even though we added 206K jobs??? Participation went up so, with more people in the market, the rate can go up even as jobs are added. This is a positive signal that workers are returning to the work force. The rise on equity markets, however, was on hopes that economic weakness would be enough for an FRB rate cut.
Conclusion S&P 500 1.95% | NASDAQ 3.55%
This was a busy week for economic data, especially for a holiday shortened week. We got weaker Jobs, manufacturing, Services, and Factory orders. The weakness led to stronger markets on hopes the FRB will cut rates BEFORE a recession can materialize. The coming week starts second quarter earnings. Valuations are stretched (S&P 500 P/E: 28.94) and economic production is weak, very little should be expected from this season. This could be the start of volatility that would lead into the Autumn.
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Last week felt like Opposite Day. Will this continue or will data begin to be better represented on the markets?
Monday S&P 500 3.20% | NASDAQ 4.29%
Markets tumbled to open the week. The elevated volatility makes the day’s move far too common. The interesting move on the day was that it was a red day for most sectors. Equities and oil will contradict each other typically, however, they all fell on the day. The 2-year and 10-year yields both fell for the day (Yields and prices move in opposite directions). It what appear to be a safe haven bid for markets.
Tuesday S&P 500 0.25% | NASDAQ 0.98%
The day started firmly in the green as markets attempted to rebound losses from Monday. Those faded as the day wore on, but markets did remain in the green. Also making gains, was treasury prices as yields fell slightly.
Wednesday S&P 500 1.65% | NASDAQ 3.18%
Consumer Price Index (CPI) data came out on Wednesday. It showed that inflation softens slightly year over year, but less than was expected. The resilience of inflation will likely mean the aggressive nature of the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) should continue.
Thursday S&P 500 0.13% | NASDAQ 0.06%
Jobs data showed continued strength in the job market, to no one’s surprise. Additionally, the Producer Price Index (PPI) showed corporate inflationary pressure is persisting. PPI measures input costs for companies and is often a tell on if consumers should expect retail prices to rise. Markets were little changed on the day.
Friday S&P 500 2.39% | NASDAQ 3.82%
Markets rallied broadly on Friday. This was in spite of Consumer Confidence coming in weaker than expected. It is not surprising, as a weaker consumer creates less inflationary pressure. Less inflationary pressure means less cause for the FRB to be more aggressive on rates.
Conclusion S&P 500 2.41% | NASDAQ 2.80%
My kids like to play opposite day quite frequently. Yeah Dad, I cleaned my room… nope… Yeah Dad, I emptied the dish washer… really… Apparently, the stock market is taking a lesson from my kiddos. Good economic data, while good for the economy, signals a more aggressive FRB which will hurt future earnings prospects. Bad economic data, while bad for the economy, signals a more restrained FRB and therefore bodes well for future earnings. Look for opposite day to last the next year or so…
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Any and all third-party posts or responses to this blog do not reflect the views of the firm and have not been reviewed by the firm for completeness or accuracy.