Posts

A Make of Break Week for Stocks and Bonds

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • A Make or Break Week for Stocks and Bonds
  • CPI Preview:  Good, Bad & Ugly
  • Weekly Market Preview:  Year-End Rally?
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  Fed Decision Wednesday and CPI Tomorrow are the key events.

Futures are slightly higher as China continues to remove COVID restrictions.  The rest of the weekend was quiet from a macroeconomic perspective.

China announced it will deactivate its COVID tracking app in the latest signal that it is gradually abandoning the “Zero COVID” policy.

Economically, reports were sparse but UK Industrial Production (0.7% vs. (E) 0.0%) and Monthly GDP (0.5% vs. (E) 0.4%) both beat expectations.

Today the economic calendar is quiet and trading should be also, as markets look ahead to the week’s key events tomorrow (CPI) and Wednesday (FOMC Decision).

 

Annual Discounts on Sevens Report, Alpha, and Quarterly Letter

We’ve recently been contacted by advisor subscribers who wanted to use the remainder of their 2022 pre-tax research budgets to extend their current subscriptions, upgrade to an annual (and get a month free), or add a new product (Alpha or Quarterly Letter).

If you have unused pre-tax research dollars, we offer month-free discounts on all our products. If you want to extend current subscriptions or save money by upgrading to an annual subscription (across any Sevens Report product), please email info@sevensreport.com.

Market Multiple Table: December Update

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Market Multiple Table December Update: Macro Improvement But It’s More Than Priced In
  • November ISM Services Index Takeaways

Futures are little changed this morning despite a stabilizing bond market and mostly positive global news flow overnight as yesterday’s hawkish money flows are digested.

Economically, German Manufacturer’s Orders rose 0.8% vs. (E) -0.2% in October suggesting that factory demand may be stabilizing.

In China, new Covid cases have declined for 8 consecutive days and the government is reducing testing requirements, bolstering optimism about a move away from the crippling Zero Covid policies.

Today is lining up to be a fairly slow day of news with just one lesser followed economic release: International Trade in Goods and Services (E: -$80.0B) and no Fed speakers as they remain in their pre-meeting blackout period. That said, equity markets will likely queue off of Treasuries and if we see a further rise in shorter-duration yields due to rising terminal rate expectations, yesterday’s declines could very well continue.

 

Annual Discounts on Sevens Report, Alpha, and Quarterly Letter

We’ve recently been contacted by advisor subscribers who wanted to use the remainder of their 2022 pre-tax research budgets to extend their current subscriptions, upgrade to an annual (and get a month free) or add a new product (Alpha or Quarterly Letter).

If you have unused pre-tax research dollars, we offer month-free discounts on all our products when billed on an annual basis.

If you want to extend current subscriptions or save money by upgrading to an annual subscription (across any Sevens Report product), please email info@sevensreport.com.

Why Stocks Rallied Last Week (And Is It Sustainable?)

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Why Stocks Rallied Last Week (And Is It Sustainable?)
  • Weekly Market Preview:  Can Inflation Fall Quickly and Growth Stay Resilient?
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  CPI Tomorrow is the Key Report

Futures are moderately higher as the U.S. Dollar extended Friday’s declines thanks to a hawkish ECB article.

The euro is surging another 1% and pushing the Dollar Index lower following a hawkish ECB Reuters article that stated the ECB may have to raise rates to 2% to curb inflation, which is higher than current expectations.

Economic data was slightly underwhelming as UK Industrial Production (0.1% vs. (E) 0.3%) and UK Monthly GDP (0.2% vs. (E) 0.4%) both missed estimates.

Today there are no notable economic reports nor any major Fed speakers, so we’d expect stocks to continue to follow the dollar ahead of tomorrow’s CPI report.  If the dollar extends this morning’s declines, stocks should be able to hold this early rally.

Tom Essaye Interviewed by BNN Bloomberg on August 30th, 2022

Invest in defensive sectors so you don’t get shaken out by oncoming volatility: Tom Essaye

Tom Essaye, founder and president of Sevens Report Research, joins BNN Bloomberg to talk on the markets. Click here to watch the full interview.

CPI Preview: Good, Bad and Ugly

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • CPI Preview:  Good, Bad, and Ugly

Futures are slightly lower thanks to more tech stock weakness following a mostly quiet night of macroeconomic news.

Micron (MU) became the second large semiconductor company to produce negative earnings guidance (Monday it was Nvidia) as MU slashed its outlook, and that’s weighing on markets this morning.

Geo-politically, the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago is dominating news coverage, but it has no impact on markets.

Today’s focus will remain on inflation via Unit Labor Costs (E: 9.3%) and if they come to light, that will further strengthen the idea that inflation is peaking and help to support stocks into tomorrow’s CPI report.

CPI Preview (Good, Bad & Ugly)

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • CPI Preview (Good, Bad & Ugly)

Futures are modestly lower following more disappointing economic data from Europe and as the dollar again surged to fresh multi-decade highs.

The German ZEW Economic Sentiment Index collapsed, falling to –53.8 vs. (E) -38.0, adding to quickly rising recession worries in the EU.

The bad ZEW reading further weighed on the euro and boosted the dollar, which rose to another 20+ year high.

Today there are no notable economic reports and just one Fed speaker, Barkin at 12:30 p.m. ET.  So, like Monday, we’d expect positioning ahead of tomorrow’s CPI report and any potential COVID headlines from China to move markets (and if there’s a path of least resistance today, it’s lower into the CPI print).

Macro Clarity This Week?

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Can We Get Macro Clarity This Week?
  • Weekly Market Preview:  All About the Fed
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  A Very Busy Week (Final Oct. PMIs, Fed Decision, Jobs Report)

Futures are modestly higher on tariff reduction and hopes Democrats will pass the spending bill early this week.

The US and EU eased steel tariffs this weekend and that is leading to hope that U.S./China tariffs could also be cut.

Democrats have coalesced around a $1.75 trillion spending bill with few tax increases that could be passed this week.

Economic data was mixed as the Oct. Chinese Manufacturing PMI missed estimates (49.2 vs. (E) 49.7) while the UK reading slightly beat (57.8 vs. (E) 57.7).

Today focus will be on the ISM Manufacturing PMI (E: 60.3) and markets will want to see stability in the data to show the recovery remains on solid ground.  Additionally, any further signals from Washington that the spending bill will be signed this week should be at least a mild tailwind on markets today.

Microeconomics vs. Macroeconomics

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Why Market Technicals, Internals, and Derivatives Are Weighing On Stocks Despite Mostly Good Fundamentals
  • The True Driver of This Pullback Remains Microeconomic, not Macroeconomic
  • CPI Takeaways

Futures are bouncing today while most international markets declined overnight amid stagflationary economic data.

Chinese Industrial Production, FAI, and Retail Sales data all missed estimates with the latter underwhelming by the largest margin which weighed on risk assets overnight, sparking renewed concerns about the pace of the global recovery.

Meanwhile, in Europe, CPI in the U.K. jumped from 2.0% to 3.2% in August, the largest monthly increase since 1997 which rekindled concerns about global inflation pressures despite yesterday’s soft CPI print in the U.S.

Today, focus will be on economic data early with the Empire State Manufacturing Index (E: 18.6), Import & Export Prices (E: 0.3%, 0.5%) and Industrial Production (E: 0.5%) all due out by mid-morning.

Investors will be looking for good growth (but not “too hot”) and fading inflation pressures (specifically in the Empire release as it is a September data point). Otherwise, more signs of stagflation, like we saw in the data overnight, could cause further selling across risk assets including stocks today.