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Did the Markets Achieve Peak Inflation & Peak Hawkishness

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What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Keys to a Bottom Update:  Did the Markets Achieve Peak Inflation & Peak Hawkishness?
  • Weekly Market Update:  Can Stocks Hold the Recent Gains?
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  All About Growth This Week (And the Data Needs to be Solid)

Futures are modestly lower after Chinese economic data missed estimates and the Chinese central bank cut rates in response.

Chinese economic data was soft as Industrial Production (3.8% vs. (E) 4.3%) and Retail Sales (2.7% vs. (E) 4.9%) both missed estimates.  In response, China’s central bank announced a surprise 10 bps rate cut, a move that signals economic concern but also doesn’t offer a lot of help (a 10 bps cut won’t make a difference as long as “Zero COVID” is an in-force policy).

Focus today will be on the August Empire Manufacturing Survey (E: 5.0) and specifically the price index within the report.  The sharp drop in that price index kicked off the “peak inflation” rally of the last month, so markets will be looking for continued signals that growth is stable (so a solid headline reading) and inflation is falling (another drop in the price index).

We also get the July Housing Market Index (E: 55.0) and we have one Fed speaker,  Waller (10:50 a.m. ET), but they shouldn’t move markets.