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Market Multiple Levels: S&P 500 Chart

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Market Multiple Levels: S&P 500 Chart
  • May JOLTS Report Takeaways

Stock futures are sharply lower along with most international equity markets this morning while bond yields are extending recent declines amid new COVID-19 concerns.

Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, issued a state of emergency for Tokyo overnight and the latest reports suggest spectators will be banned from the summer Olympics which is weighing heavily on investor sentiment today.

10-Year yields are down another 7 basis points in early trade while travel and leisure shares are leading markets lower in the pre-market, underscoring concerns about the state of the economic recovery and emerging concerns surrounding the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Today, there is just one economic report: Jobless Claims (E: 353K) and no Fed officials are scheduled to speak.

Investors will be looking for a continued drop in the weekly jobless claims data but focus will likely be on COVID-19 trends and the latest lockdown developments as the health of the economic recovery is reassessed.

A Market Driven by the 10 Year Yield

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Why This Market is Still All About the 10 Year Treasury Yield
  • Weekly Market Preview:  Does the 10 Year Yield Hit 1.75% or Higher?
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  Flash PMIs are the Big Report This Week

Futures are little changed following a generally quiet weekend as markets digest last week’s rise in global bond yields.

The 10 year Treasury yield is actually down five basis points this morning thanks to 10% drop in the Turkish Lira after the head of the central bank was surprisingly fired. That surprise news has put a mild (but likely temporary) safety bid into U.S. Treasuries.

Regarding COVID, fears of a 3rd wave in Europe are also weighing slightly on global bond yields as some lockdowns are being extended.

Today the key events are Fed commentary, and we have multiple Fed speakers today including Powell (9:00 a.m. ET), (Barkin (10:30 a.m. ET), Daly (1:00 p.m. ET) and Quarles (1:30 p.m. ET).  Bottom line, the markets want more acknowledgement of the threat of rising yields, and the hint of Operation Twist or maturity extensions in QE.  As was the case last week, if they markets don’t get that from the Fed commentary today, expect the 10 year yield to creep higher from current levels (and stocks to roll over).    There’s also one economic report today, Existing Home Sales (E: 6.50M), but it shouldn’t move markets.

Jobs Day

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Trade Update – What’s the Latest?
  • Key Levels to Watch in the Dollar and 10 Year Yield
  • OPEC Update – Positive or Negative for Oil?

Futures are modestly higher again as markets ignore more soft economic data and instead focus on incrementally positive U.S./China trade headlines.

China reduced import tariffs on U.S. soybeans and pork and that’s being interpreted as a mild positive in the negotiations, and that’s the reason futures are higher.

Economic data again disappointed as Japanese Household Spending and German IP (-1.7% vs. (E) 0.2%) both missed.

Today the key event on the calendar is the jobs report, (E: Jobs: 180K, UE Rate: 3.6%, Wages: 0.3%) and again the stronger the number, the better.  We also get Consumer Sentiment (E: 96.8) this morning, and given the focus on consumer spending, that number is more important than usual.  Like the jobs report, the stronger the number, the better for stocks.

Finally, regarding trade, Larry Kudlow will speak on CNBC at 9:30 so we’ll likely get another non-specific, yet positive, update on the U.S./China trade “mood music,” so don’t be surprised if you see a temporary pop in stocks right at the open.