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Discretionary demand for driving fuels, which remains near a 52-week low right now.

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Discretionary demand for driving fuels, which remains near a 52-week low right now.: Tyler Richey Quoted in Morningstar

Oil prices drop on rise in U.S. supplies as tariffs threaten to dent Chinese demand

Refinery utilization rose by 1 percentage point to 84.5%, EIA data showed. The uptick was likely in reaction to a “weather-driven rise in demand for heating oil last week,” which also helps explain the sizeable increase in distillate stockpiles, which include heating oil, said Tyler Richey, co-editor at Sevens Report Research.

However, the trends in the weekly data suggest that demand for oil and refined products has been weak so far in 2025, “and [is] potentially poised to get weaker,” he said. “That is especially true regarding discretionary demand for driving fuels, which remains near a 52-week low right now.”

“If we don’t begin to see signs of firming inflation” with gasoline supplied rising back towards 9 million barrels per day or higher in the weeks ahead, then “WTI futures dropping back below $70 [per] barrel will become rather likely,” said Richey.

Also, click here to view the full MarketWatch article published on Morningstar on February 5th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

Oil Inventories

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Expectation for continued rate cuts this year is an important support

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Expectation for continued rate cuts this year is an important support: Tom Essaye Quoted in MarketWatch Featured on Yahoo Finance

Jobs report and Trump’s trade war hold keys to outlook for stocks

The expectation for continued rate cuts this year is an important support for the bull market, Tom Essaye, founder and president at The Sevens Report Research, wrote in a Thursday note.

Also, click here to view the full MarketWatch article featured on Yahoo Finance published on February 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.

Tom Essaye Interviewed On Schwab Network

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Tom Essaye Interviewed On Schwab Network

A.I. Enterprise Monetization in Focus, AAPL’s ‘Upside Surprise’

A.I. companies were the name of the markets in 2024, now Tom Essaye says they need to prove they can make money.

Also, click here to view the full interview with Schwab Network published on February 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.

Can Stocks Rally in the Face of Tariff Threats?

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Can Stocks Rally in the Face of Tariff Threats?: Start a free trial of The Sevens Report.

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Can Stocks Rally in the Face of Tariff Threats?
  • Weekly Market Preview:  Do Fed Rate Cut Expectations Change This Week?
  • Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet:  CPI on Wednesday is the Key Report

Futures are modestly higher despite more tariff threats as markets bounce following Friday’s decline.

President Trump announced he was imposing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and will apply “reciprocal” tariffs on numerous countries later this week.

Markets are shrugging off the announcements so far, however, because they again lack specific details.

Economically, there were no notable reports overnight.

Today focus will be on the New York Fed 1-Year Consumer Inflation Expectations (E: 3.0%), which is a bit atypical.  On Friday, one year inflation expectations jumped but it was because of tariff concerns and as such, it’s not going to impact the Fed.  However, if we see another jump in inflation expectations this morning, that may be taken as a mildly hawkish signal and boost yields and pressure stocks.

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Jobs Report Preview: Why A Goldilocks Report Matters For This Market

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Jobs Report Preview: Why A Goldilocks Report Matters For This Market: Start a free trial of The Sevens Report.

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Jobs Report Preview:  Why A Goldilocks Report Matters For This Market

Futures are little changed as markets await the next round of news on tariffs while economic data was mixed.

Economically, Euro Zone Retail Sales missed estimates (-0.2% vs. (E) 0.0%) underscoring still tepid EU growth.

On trade, a call between Trump and Xi still hasn’t happened but most expect tariffs to be reduced when it does.

Today will be a busy day in the markets, starting with a major central bank decision as the Bank of England is expected to cut rates 25 bps.

Economically, there are two notable reports today including Jobless Claims (E: 215K) and Unit Labor Costs (E: 3.3%) and as we’ve seen the last two days, slight misses vs. expectations will be positives for stocks and bonds.  On the Fed front, there are two speakers today but they won’t move markets as they both speak after the close (Logan at 5:10 p.m. ET and Waller at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Finally, on earnings, the key report today is AMZN ($1.52) after the bell.

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Trade War 2.0 Primer (Needed Context)

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Trade War 2.0 Primer (Needed Context): Start a free trial of The Sevens Report.

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • U.S. Trade Primer (Needed Context for Trade War 2.0)
  • Chart – JOLTS Drop Consistent With Cooling Labor Market

Futures are lower thanks to lingering trade war jitters and soft earnings from two big tech companies late yesterday.

GOOGL (-7%) missed estimates on revenue due to a slowdown in their cloud business while AMD (-9%) offered weak forward guidance, both of which are weighing on tech today, dragging stock futures lower in pre-market trade.

Today, there are two potentially market moving economic reports to watch; the ADP Employment Report (E: 150K) and the ISM Services PMI (E: 54.0). investors will once again be looking for Goldilocks data with steady but cooling jobs data and positive but slowing growth in the service sector. Any “hot” numbers will likely weigh on stocks today.

Additionally, there are several Fed officials scheduled to speak today including: Barkin (9:00 a.m. ET), Goolsbee (1:00 p.m. ET), and Bowman (3:00 p.m. ET) while earnings season continues with Q4 reports due out from UBER ($0.50), DIS ($1.44), TM ($4.36), F ($0.34), QCOM ($2.97), and MCK ($8.11).

Join thousands 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.

Earnings and economic growth are still solid

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Earnings and economic growth are still solid: Sevens Report Analysts Quoted in Investing.com

Are tariffs a gamechanger for the S&P 500?

While the tariffs add another headwind for equities, Sevens Report argues that they do not warrant an immediate reduction in equity exposure.

“Earnings and economic growth (the two most important foundational forces for stocks) are still solid,” the analysts wrote. However, they caution that “the factors that push stocks higher are being weakened or eliminated one-by-one,” while downside risks are mounting.

“These tariffs potentially undermine that positive price action from the ‘rest’ of the market and could weigh on other sectors while DeepSeek weighs on tech,” the analysts noted.

“Most still believe this is all a negotiation and that the tariffs won’t be on for long (and that’s still probably right),” the report states. However, with AI uncertainty and elevated valuations already straining investor sentiment, Sevens Report warns that “the recipe is coming together for a solid and extended pullback.”

Also, click here to view the full article published on February 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.

This accelerated approach has generated 3.5% annualized alpha

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This accelerated approach has generated 3.5% annualized alpha: Sevens Report Analysts Quoted in Investing.com

Analyst explains 2 sector rotation strategies with proven outperformance

According to Sevens, this accelerated approach has generated 3.5% annualized alpha versus the S&P 500.

The second strategy called the Cheapskate Sector Strategy, involves buying the sector with the lowest price-to-earnings ratio from the previous year.

Sevens notes that the contrarian approach, while more psychologically challenging, has historically paid off, delivering an annualized return of 12.6% over 34 years. It has outperformed the S&P 500 in 20 of those years, with a 59% win rate. For 2025, Energy is the cheapest sector in the S&P 500 based on trailing P/E.

Sevens Report notes that while these strategies don’t work every year, their long-term success rates exceed those of most active managers.

Also, click here to view the full article published on January 31st, 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.

Are Tariffs a Negotiating Tool or Real Risk?

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Are Tariffs a Negotiating Tool or Real Risk?: Start a free trial of The Sevens Report.

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Are Tariffs a Negotiating Tool or Real Risk?
  • Why Are Tariffs Positive for the Dollar?
  • ISM Manufacturing Index Takeaways
  • Chart – A Volatility Warning From the VIX Futures Market

Futures are modestly lower as optimism surrounding strong earnings from data software company, PLTR (+20% pre-market), is being offset by simmering trade war fears.

After the close yesterday, news broke that U.S. tariffs on Canada would be paused like those on Mexico (for one month) which was well received by markets.

However, China retaliated against the U.S. with 10% tariffs overnight and opened an antitrust investigation into GOOGL, rekindling trade war fears which is weighing on global investor sentiment in early trade.

Looking into today’s session, there are two potentially market moving economic reports: Factory Orders (E: -0.6%) and JOLTS (E: 8.0 MM). Investors will be looking for more “Goldilocks” data that supports the case for a soft landing.

There are also, two Fed officials scheduled to speak today: Bostic (11:00 a.m. ET) and Daly (2:00 p.m. ET), and several big name earnings releases due out, including PYPL ($1.13), PEP ($1.95), PFE ($0.48), AMD ($1.09), GOOGL ($2.12), CMG ($0.24).

Join thousands 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.

Two Sector Rotation Strategies With Proven Outperformance

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Two Sector Rotation Strategies With Proven Outperformance: Start a free trial of The Sevens Report.

What’s in Today’s Report:

  • Two Sector Rotation Strategies With Proven Outperformance
  • Dueling Political Influences on Oil Prices

Futures are modestly higher on more solid tech earnings and as markets are in a “show me” mode on tariff threats.

Apple (AAPL) beat earnings overnight and the stock is up 3% pre-market and that’s helping push futures higher.

On tariffs, markets remain skeptical tariffs will be implemented against Canada and Mexico tomorrow and if they are, they’ll be largely ineffectual.

Today focus will be squarely on the Core PCE Price Index (E: 0.2% m/m, 2.6% y/y).  This is the Fed’s favorite measure of inflation and markets will want to see an in-line to weaker number to keep rate cut expectations intact.  If this number is above expectations, however, look for yields to jump and for that to likely hit stocks.

In addition to the core PCE Price Index we do have one Fed speaker today (Bowman at 8:30 a.m. ET) and some more notable earnings (XOM ($1.58), ABBV ($2.13), CL ($0.89)) but they’re unlikely to move markets.

Join thousands 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.