03|16|2021

Growth or Inflation? | March 12, 2021

AUTHOR: Jason Roque, CFP®, APMA®, AWMA®
TITLE:   Investment Adviser Rep – CCO
TAGS: S&P 500, NASDAQ, CPI, PPI, Oil, Retail Sales, Sentiment
  

Markets lost ground for the second week. Does this say more about the last two weeks or the week ahead?

Monday                       S&P 500 0.11% | NASDAQ 0.41%

Markets opened the week in a muted tone. There was very little movement as Consumer Price Index (CPI) data was awaited on Tuesday.

Tuesday                        S&P 500 1.12% | NASDAQ 1.54%

CPI data for February showed inflation inching up slightly. Markets opened in the red on the news, but an earnings beat by Oracle allowed equities to march higher.

Wednesday                 S&P 500 0.19% | NASDAQ 0.54%

Crude oil inventories fell when a surplus was expected, which will further support higher prices for energy. Interest rates climbed on the back of the higher than expected CPI data from Tuesday. Growth stocks lagged as the data implies the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) will be less likely to cut rates.

Thursday                     S&P 500 0.29% | NASDAQ 0.30%

The Producer Price Index (PPI), a wholesale inflation gauge, rose in February to 1.6%. Retail sales advanced less than expected and initial jobless claims remained benign. A strong jobs market with firming inflation does not bode well for future rate cuts. Markets sold on the news, though not aggressively, as hope remains for FRB rate cuts later in the year.

Friday                          S&P 500 0.65% | NASDAQ 0.96%

Consumer sentiment is projected to fall to 76.5 in March from 76.9 in February. While lower, February and March are the first readings in the 70’s since August of last year. The week closed out on a sour note as commodity prices rise with inflation data. Further concerns mount that the inflation fight may have longer to go before a rate cut.

Conclusion                  S&P 500 0.13% | NASDAQ 0.70%

This is the first back-to-back losing weeks for the market in 2024. This leads to an FRB meeting week where guidance about potential future rate cuts will be hotly watched. Not only is the FRB meeting next week, but there is very little in the way of economic data for the week. This puts all the more focus on the FRB. 

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Growth or inflation, which will command the interest of investors? Did you see what I did there???

Monday

The movement for the day was generally in the green. This came off weekend news that the senate passed the $1.9T stimulus package. It is now headed back to congress to ratify the modifications. Late it the day interest rates surged (for the same reason) as concerns around inflation increased. This surge caused the rally to fade, and markets ended the day in the red.

Tuesday

Markets surged strong on Tuesday. Led by the NASDAQ, sending a sign that there may have been too much made of the recent inflation trade. The S&P 500 rose 1.84%, while the NASDAQ posted its strongest single day gains since November.

Wednesday

Oil inventories rose more than expected and Consumer Prices rose less than expected. Markets climbed early on the better than expected inflation data. They held onto those gains through the close.

Thursday

Markets rose on Thursday with the S&P 500 rising 1.05%. The NASDAQ, however led the way at 2.51%. Jobless claims fell to the lowest level since December. Additionally, Job openings were higher and showed promise.

Friday

The interest rate environment was back in focus as rates climbed Friday morning. With that markets started the day deep in the red. They spent the day digging out of the whole and finished in the green. A good sign, as investors felt comfortable being long the market heading into the weekend.

Conclusion

This last week was a strong week for markets, with the S&P 500 rising 2.64% on the week. While caution still exists around interest rates, markets seemed to have realized that the rising rates as a result of rapid growth expectations was actually a good thing. The anticipated inflation risks are expected to be transitory, fading by early 2022.

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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.