Sevens Report analyst Tom Essaye told Forbes the selloff following Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse — and a similar collapse by crypto bank Silvergate last week — was “undoubtedly an unwelcome reminder” of the 2008 financial crisis. Click here to read the full article.
What’s in Today’s Report:
Stock futures are cautiously higher and yields are bouncing globally following better than expected economic data overnight and more stable price action in U.S. bank shares while traders continue to unwind hawkish Fed policy bets ahead of today’s CPI report.
Economically, the U.K’s ILO Unemployment Rate came in at 3.7% vs. (E) 3.8% which is pressuring Gilts (down 11 bp) and lifting yields across Europe and the U.S. while the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose to 90.9 vs. (E) 89.9.
Looking into today’s session, focus will be on the February Consumer Price Index release before the bell with the headline expected to rise 0.4% m/m (6.0% y/y) while the all-important Core CPI figure is also expected to rise 0.4% m/m (5.5% y/y).
There are no Fed speakers today so if the inflation data comes in hot, expect a rebound in yields that would likely pressure equities as traders reassess the less-hawkish policy expectations that have been priced into rates markets since the SVB debacle began.
Additionally, bank shares (KBE) will remain in focus and if contagion fears persist and financial stocks remain under pressure, it will be hard for the broader equity market to meaningfully stabilize, much less recover some of the recent losses.
What’s in Today’s Report:
Futures are little changed as markets digest the three bank failures last week and the government response.
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank of New York (SBNY) both failed over the weekend, making three bank failures last week. In response to the SVB and SBNY failures, the government announced the creation of a bank lending facility, the Bank Term Funding Program, which is helping to ease concern about a broader bank run (but doesn’t entirely solve the crisis).
Today President Biden will address the nation on the situation this morning, but the key remains stability in the regional banks and in Treasury yields (they need to stop collapsing). If regional banks (KRE) and yields stabilize, markets can rally.