Sevens Report: U.S. Labor Market Stable, But Cracks Emerging

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Thresholds in claims and unemployment could trigger sharp equity declines

What does a soft jobs market mean for markets?

Sevens Report said U.S. labor conditions remain broadly stable despite recent weak data, citing jobless claims below 250,000, continued positive payrolls, and JOLTS near 7 million.

The firm warned, however, that momentum is fading: hiring is slowing even as layoffs remain limited. Key thresholds include jobless claims above 260,000, a four-week average above 300,000, unemployment over 4.5%, and JOLTS falling under 6.5 million. Each would signal real deterioration.

On market impact, Sevens cautioned that a sharp labor downturn could drive a 15%–30% equity drop, with the S&P 500 potentially sliding 500–700 points initially. Defensive sectors such as staples, utilities, and healthcare would likely outperform, alongside lower-volatility ETFs and mega-cap tech if the AI trade holds.

“Bottom line, the labor market is not bad; however, it is losing momentum and this is something we need to watch carefully,” the report said.

Also, click here to view the full article published in Investing.com on September 8th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

September Market Multiple Table Update

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Market Multiple Table Update – What’s Changed Since August?

Futures are slightly higher while overseas equity markets were mixed overnight amid quiet newswires as the global bond rally stalls and investor focus turns to inflation data due later in the week.

Economically, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose to 100.8 vs. (E) 100.5 in August.

There are no additional economic reports in the U.S. today, and no Fed officials are scheduled to speak.

The Treasury will hold a 6-Week Bill auction at 11:30 a.m. ET and a 3-Yr Note auction at 1:00 p.m. ET, and both have the potential to impact fixed income markets which could reverberate through equity markets (the stronger the demand, the better).

Finally some late season earnings to watch include: SAIL ($0.04), ORCL ($1.15), GME ($0.19), SNPS ($2.76), AVAV ($0.34), however, with the PPI and CPI reports due out tomorrow and Thursday, respectively, markets will more than likely remain quiet today.

 

What Does A Bad Labor Market Look Like and What Does It Mean for Markets?

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • What Does A Bad Labor Market Look Like and What Does It Mean for Markets?
  • Weekly Market Preview: Do Stagflation Fears Rise Further?
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet: CPI on Wednesday the Key Report This Week

Futures are slightly higher as markets bounce from Friday’s post-jobs report declines, as investors look ahead to key inflation data this week.

Economically, data was mixed as Chinese and German exports (4.4% vs. (E) 5.5% and –0.6% vs. (E) 0.1% respectively) missed estimates, but German Industrial Production beat expectations (1.3% vs. (E ) 1.0%).

Geopolitically, Japanese stocks rallied hard (more than 1%) as PM Ishiba resigned (although it wasn’t a surprise).

This will be another important week because the PPI and CPI reports (Tuesday and Wednesday respectively) will either increase stagflation concerns (negative for stocks/bonds) or further pushback on them (positive for stocks and bonds). But, today should be mostly quiet as there are no notable economic reports nor any Fed speakers.

Tom Essaye: Jobs Report Needs Stronger Beat to Derail Fed Rate-Cut Hopes

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Different payroll scenarios could spark sharp swings in stocks and yields

It will take a doozy of a jobs report to derail investor expectations for a September rate cut

Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research, said it would take a much stronger payrolls beat to derail rate-cut expectations and pressure equities.

He outlined several scenarios:

  • Best case: Payrolls rise around 150,000 with steady unemployment and tame wage growth. This would ease growth worries while keeping a September cut in play.

  • Hot surprise: Payrolls of 250,000+ and unemployment at 4% or below could spark a 1%+ S&P 500 drop and a sharp rise in 10-year Treasury yields.

  • Weak reading: Payrolls below 25,000 with unemployment at 4.4% could trigger a short-term rally on “bad-is-good” rate-cut optimism, but Essaye warned it would ultimately weigh on stocks as growth fears mount.

“A bounce in the S&P 500 initially shouldn’t be a total surprise, but beyond the short term this outcome would not be positive,” Essaye wrote.

Also, click here to view the full Market Watch article published in Morningstar on September 4th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Jobs Day

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Abbreviated Jobs Report Preview

Futures are modestly higher ahead of the jobs report and following solid tech earnings overnight.

Semiconductor company Broadcom (AVGO) beat estimates and offered bullish guidance and the stock is up 9% pre-market and that’s helping to lift futures.

Economically, German Manufacturers’ Orders missed estimates, felling –2.9% vs. (E) 0.5%.

Focus today will be on the jobs report and expectations are as follows:  E: 77K Job-Adds, 4.3% Unemployment Rate, 3.8% Wage Growth.  Any job adds number in the mid to low 100k range would be ideal for stocks as it would keep rate cut expectations high but also signal a stable labor market.  Conversely, if job adds drop close to zero (or even go negative even with revisions) it’ll increase concerns the labor market is cooling, boost slowdown fears and likely hit stocks.

 

Sevens Report’s Tyler Richey: AI Stock Stumble Signals Bearish Exhaustion

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Mega-cap tech weakness poses broader risks to equity markets

AI stock boom starts to stumble as investors increase bets against sector

A recent stumble in AI-related stocks “highlights some degree of bearish exhaustion in the underlying AI narrative,” said Tyler Richey, co-editor at Sevens Report Research.

“There are signs the market is turning on AI stocks,” Richey warned, adding that a meaningful and lasting rethinking by investors could pose significant risks for the broader equity market. The concern stems from the heavy concentration of mega-cap tech stocks such as NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Meta within the S&P 500 and other major indexes.

“This could be extremely detrimental to even the most vanilla index strategies,” Richey said. With a record amount of U.S. personal wealth tied to equities, a major AI-driven drawdown could create a negative wealth effect, fueling a bear market in stocks and risk assets while pushing investors toward safe havens amid a weakening economy.

Also, click here to view the full article published in S&P Global on September 3rd, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Jobs Report Preview

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Jobs Report Preview

Futures are slightly higher despite underwhelming earnings and mixed economic data overnight.

Salesforce (CRM) guidance was underwhelming and the stock is down –7% pre-market, adding to pressure on tech.

Economically, UK retail sales missed estimates (-0.5% vs. (E) -0.1%) but that’s not moving markets.

Today focus will be on two of the three remaining important events of the week:  The ISM Services PMI (E: 50.5) and Broadcom (AVGO) earnings after the close.  Ideally, markets will want to see the ISM Services PMI move higher and not drop below 50, while strong AVGO earnings ($1.35) and guidance will help push back on some of the recent tech sector weakness that’s been a headwind for the S&P 500.

Other notable events today include ADP Employment (E: 68K), Jobless Claims (E: 232K) and two Fed speakers: Williams (12:05 p.m. ET) and Goolsbee (7:00 p.m. ET).  Broadly speaking, the stronger the two employment reports and the more dovish the Fed speakers, the better for this market.

Finally, other earnings today include LULU ($2.84) and DOCU ($0.23).

 

How the “Degenerate Economy” Can Help Us Navigate This Market

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • How the Degenerate Economy Can Help Us Navigate This Market
  • ISM Manufacturing PMI Takeaways

U.S. stock futures are solidly higher this morning, led by tech shares with GOOGL up 6%+ after a favorable court ruling saw the company avoid severe antitrust penalties while international stocks were mixed as bonds steadied in the wake of an early week spike in yields.

Economically, the final Eurozone Composite PMI fell to 51.0 vs. (E) 51.1 in August due to a weak Services index revision but the data is not materially moving markets focused on renewed tech sector strength this morning.

Today, focus will be on economic data early as jobs week kicks off the July JOLTS report (E: 7.375 million) while Factory Orders data from July will also be released mid-morning (E: -1.4%).

There are two Fed speakers today: Musalem (9:00 a.m. ET) and Kashkari (1:30 p.m. ET). As far as stocks are concerned the more dovish their tone, the better as investors are pricing in a September rate cut with a high degree of certainty.

Finally, late seasons earnings continue to be released with quarterly reports from DLTR ($0.38), HPE ($0.36), M ($0.19), CPB ($0.57), CRM ($2.12), AEO ($0.20), and AI (-$0.81) all due out today.

 

Tom Essaye Interviewed on Yahoo Finance as the Fed Faces Twin Pressures

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Tom Essaye: Fed Faces Twin Pressures of Rising Inflation and Weakening Jobs

Fed is in the ‘worst possible’ position, analyst says

Central bank policy outlook grows more complicated heading into fall

The Federal Reserve is under mounting pressure as inflation shows signs of picking up while the labor market begins to soften, according to Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research.

Speaking on Opening Bid, Essaye explained that this combination leaves the Fed in a difficult policy position heading into the fall. The central bank must balance the risk of tightening too little against the danger of tightening too much at a time when economic growth is already showing cracks.

“The Fed is caught between two mandates,” Essaye noted, adding that rising producer and consumer price data alongside weakening job gains increases the likelihood of a policy dilemma in the coming months.

Also, click here to view the full video on Yahoo Finance published on August 30th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Tom Essaye: Ethereum’s Outperformance Over Bitcoin Carries Equity Market Signals

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ETH/BTC rallies have historically preceded stock market peaks

Bitcoin Vs. Ethereum: Why I’m Closely Watching Their Trading Relationship

Since early July, a noteworthy shift has emerged in the crypto space, with Ethereum meaningfully outperforming Bitcoin, according to Tom Essaye, president of Sevens Report Research. The long-ETH/short-BTC trade has accelerated rapidly as both cryptocurrencies surged toward record highs.

At first glance, investors might dismiss the move as noise. But Essaye noted that past accelerations in the ETH/BTC ratio often aligned with powerful equity rallies that eventually gave way to broader market peaks.

“In prior cases over the last 10 or so years, every time we have seen such a robust and pronounced rise in the ETH/BTC crypto-pair, stocks have been sprinting higher in lockstep,” Essaye said. However, he cautioned that once the momentum faded from those rallies, equity investors who did not raise their guard often faced sharp pullbacks.

Bottom line: While the latest ETH/BTC surge reflects strong demand for Ethereum, it may also serve as an early warning indicator for stock markets if the historical relationship holds true.

Also, click here to view the full article on Moneyshow.com published on September 29th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.