The end result of the week was green, but was there reason for it and does it tell us anything for this week?
Monday S&P 500 1.03% | NASDAQ 1.19%
Eleven major companies reported earnings, with one missing expectations. Much of the movement on Monday came as an extension of the Friday rally. A move based on the weaker than expected jobs report. Growth stocks outperformed as lower interest rates would carry a greater impact on their performance.
Tuesday S&P 500 0.13% | NASDAQ 0.10%
Twenty-three major companies reported earnings, with two missing expectations. Markets were little changed on the day. While stock stood steady, fixed income yields did slip on Tuesday. In general, this is a continuation of the last few days.
Wednesday S&P 500 0.00% | NASDAQ 0.18%
Fourteen major companies reported earnings, with three missing expectations. Mortgage rates slipped a little lower as rate hike expectations faded. The 10-year treasury rate, to the contrary, rose slightly on the day. This was a reversal of a recent trend. Not a notable enough increase to think that sentiment has changed.
Thursday S&P 500 0.51% | NASDAQ 0.27%
Eleven major companies reported earnings, with three missing expectations. Initial jobless claims came in higher than expected, but still at a muted level. The jobs data brought markets out of their two-day coma. Employment data is showing signs of softening. The hope is the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) will start getting the signals needed to start cutting rates.
Friday S&P 500 0.16% | NASDAQ 0.03%
Michigan Consumer Sentiment is projected to fall to 67.4 in May. If that holds true, it will be the lowest reading since August of 2023. This was a period where fears were high that a recession was on the horizon. The lack of earnings data and the weaker potential sentiment sent markets higher. Again, weakness is a signal of potential FRB moves.
Conclusion S&P 500 0.55% | NASDAQ 1.43%
Markets advanced for the week, albeit with little decisiveness. Market growth has all but stalled as more data is needed to entice investors. Last week’s message was clear from the FRB; they do not expect that their next move will be a hike. The focus is on the timing of a cut. Earnings data will slow down next week; however, inflation data will be in focus. It should give investors a better read on potential rate cuts later this year.
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July gained more than we have seen since 2020. Is it sustainable or should the bears be feared?
Monday S&P 500 0.13% | NASDAQ 0.43%
It was a rocky start to the week. Earnings did not really get under way for the week until after market close. Tuesday carried a much thicker representation of earnings data. Early trade was quite likely focused on affairs in Ukraine that continue to make global foods supplies questionable. This impacts inflationary pressures.
Tuesday S&P 500 1.17% | NASDAQ 1.88%
Inventory was the story of the day Tuesday. Walmart reported a need to slash prices even further to induce buying. This is in an effort to alleviate an inventory buildup. This news and what it could mean for other retailers sent stocks lower. This might just be an opening salvo on how inflation gets defeated…
Wednesday S&P 500 2.62% | NASDAQ 4.06%
Markets opened in the green in anticipation of the FRB press conference later in the day. That meeting did not disappoint. The FRB raised interest rates 0.75% to 2.50%, the top end of neutral. Markets applauded the move, but more so the language surrounding the move. They sounded more dovish towards future rate hike activity given economy weakness.
Thursday S&P 500 1.21% | NASDAQ 1.08%
Welp… 2nd quarter GDP came in at -0.9%. This was the second consecutive quarter of negative GDP. With no additional context this signals a technical recession. The necessary additional context is that consumers, which makes up 70% of GDP, was positive 1% on the quarter. The drag on GDP was that much of the bottlenecks since last year have cleared and created heavy corporate inventories. Those inventories act as a negative on economic growth. Ultimately, markets rose on the decreased likelihood of an aggressive FRB.
Friday S&P 500 1.45% | NASDAQ 1.88%
Inflation, inflation, inflation… Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), the FRB’s preferred measure of inflation firmed in June. Headline PCE rose to 6.8%, while core PCE rose to 4.8% (removing fuel and food). On a positive note, earnings data out Friday was strong with only 2 major companies missing expectations.
Conclusion S&P 500 4.26% | NASDAQ 4.70%
Breaking with recent trends, last week gained for the second week in a row. The month of July proved to be a strong month for equities. The S&P 500 rose 9.11% and the NASDAQ was up by 12.35% in the month of July. Given that we are in a bear market, last week’s strength should be short lived. Some air will likely be taken out of those gains.
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Always remember that while this is a week in review, this does not trigger or relate to trading activity on your account with Financial Future Services. Broad diversification across several asset classes with a long-term holding strategy is the best strategy in any market environment.
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.