Weekly Market Report: June 7th, 2024

Financial markets digested important labor market and economic survey data last week with what might be categorized as a “bad news is good news” mentality (until it’s not…). The S&P 500 (+1.3%) enjoyed a narrow rally to a new record high supported by large technology and shadow technology names across consumer discretionary, communication services, and information technology sectors. International developed (0.11%) and emerging (0.60%) both participated but were weighed down slightly by a strengthening USD (+0.20%). The Treasury yield curve flattened as longer tenured yields fell more than the short end leaving the 10yr (-8bps) yielding 4.43% and the 2yr (-2bps) yielding 4.87%. Commodities traded lower on the week (-1.54%) with WTI down 1.9% to $75 and industrial metals broadly lower.

Market Anecdotes

• Last week’s top-heavy S&P rally was a microcosm of the nature of the large cap U.S. equity market which has reached a six-decade threshold in terms of index concentration.
• Equity and bond markets seem to be laser-focused on translating the economic growth backdrop to monetary policy where stronger growth poses ‘overheating’ risks, higher/stickier inflation, and commensurately tight monetary policy.
• Higher real yields and significantly less competitive relative earnings yield have made bond markets much more appealing to investors of all sorts.
• The closely watched monthly employment report conveying robust job and wage growth translated to a bounce in UST yields and more speculation about the forward path for rates, a significant consideration impacting potential returns for bond market investors.
• The ECB and BoC both joined team dove last week by moderating the degree of restrictive rates with 25 bps rate cuts, fully anticipated by markets.
• One might think there should be very little economic gloom with unemployment under 4% for over two years, median wages up 18% (more for low wage workers), and real consumer spending up 11% right? Wrong. Whether it’s pandemic angst, hyperpartisan echo chambers, negative news bias, federal government dysfunction, or persistent inflation, negative sentiment remains prevalent in many circles.
• Markets won’t be pricing U.S. politics or elections until after July, but European Parliament elections (June 6-9) are seeing a rise in anti-establishment European right-wing parties in response to high energy costs and immigration discontent.
• Modi was re-elected for a third term as India’s prime minister making him the third longest serving PM in the country’s history. While the BJP lost its majority, Modi and the coalition are expected to continue to pursue constructive reform policies going forward.
• An FT article addressed the announced phase out of OPEC+ production curbs noting their clout is running out with the U.S. now the single largest oil producer in the world.

Economic Release Highlights

• The May jobs report came in stronger than consensus (272,000 vs 182,000) and average hourly earnings were warm at 0.4% (0.3%) MoM and 4.1% (3.9%) YoY. The unemployment rate moved one tick higher to 4% (3.9% expected) and labor participation fell two ticks to 62.5%.
• The April JOLT Survey reported 8.059M job openings in April, notably fewer than the 8.4M forecast and past several months.
• May ISM Manufacturing Index registered 48.7, below consensus forecast of 49.8. ISM Services rebounded and beat consensus (53.8 vs 50.7).
• Non-U.S. PMIs (C,M,S) released last week included India (60.5, 57.5, 60.2), Eurozone (52.2, 47.3, 53.2), U.K. (53.0, 51.2, 52.9), China (C,S: 54.1, 54.0), and JPM Global (53.7, 50.9, 54.1).
• Factory Orders in April grew in line with consensus at 0.7%, a slightly slower growth rate than March’s 1.6%.

Weekly Market Report: May 31st, 2024

Last week markets absorbed the formal end of Q1 earnings season and some closely watched economic reports. Key drivers for the week were a relatively in-line April PCE inflation report, softer than expected Chinese PMIs, and interest rates edging higher on the long end. Within U.S. equity markets, the S&P 500 (-0.51%) and NASDAQ (-1.1%) snapped their respective five-week winning streaks while developed international closed up 1% with both Japan and Europe posting solid returns. Rates continued to back up with the 10yr yield closing back above 4.5% while 5 years and shorter tenors actually saw yields fall slightly. Currency and commodity markets were both relatively calm with both trading slightly lower on the week.

Market Anecdotes

• U.S. equity markets saw some consolidation on the back of a 5%+ rally over the past five weeks fueled by strong corporate earnings, an increase in economic soft landing narratives, and a continuation of AI backed
  momentum.
• Q1 earnings season is officially over with solid 6% bottom line growth and 4.2% top line growth leaving the S&P 500 priced at a 20.5x fwd P/E. A beat rate of 80% and margin of 7.5% were healthy as well. AI was the key theme with 199 companies citing AI in earnings calls last quarter.
• While the Fed is focused on a higher for longer path with markets now pricing in only one cut this year, the ECB has set market expectations for a cut at their upcoming June meeting thanks to an improving cyclical outlook – with important currency and financial market implications.
• According to BCA Geopolitical analysis, Donald Trump’s conviction of 34 felony counts by a New York state court last week, while troubling, is unlikely to change the course of the November elections with less than 15% of Trump supporters indicating they may reconsider if found guilty.
• The latest BofA Fund Manager Survey has equity managers the most bullish since January 2022 with overweighting U.S. stocks the most crowded sentiment. It also shows over 60% of bond managers expecting higher rates in 2024.
• Last week’s inauguration of a third consecutive DPP party President (Taiwan independence platform) saw newly elected President Lai walk dangerously close to Beijing’s line regarding the “One China” policy. Economic and political tensions are going nowhere.
• A midweek bank downgrade due to its commercial real estate exposure sent a fresh jolt of volatility into the regional banks, serving a reminder to investors to remain vigilant as the slow moving commercial real estate issues continue to grind forward.

Economic Release Highlights

• PCE inflation in April came in right at the consensus forecast for both YoY headline (2.7%) and core (2.8%) as well as MoM headline (0.3%) and core (0.2%). Personal income grew 0.3% and personal consumption expenditures slowed from 0.8% last month to 0.2%.
• Chinese PMIs in May unexpectedly contracted on both Manufacturing (49.1) and Services fronts.
• The second estimate of 1Q GDP reflected a notable downward revision from a 1.6% QoQ annual rate down to 1.3%. Personal consumption was also revised down from 2.5% to 2.0%.
• May’s Consumer Confidence Index came in well above consensus forecast (102.0 vs 95.3) and the high end of forecast estimates.
• Pending Home Sales Index fell 7.7% in April, well below the consensus forecast of 0.3% growth.
• The March Case-Shiller Home Price Index grew 0.3% MoM and 7.4% YoY, exactly in line with the consensus forecast.

Weekly Market Report: May 17th, 2024

Markets took in a busy economic calendar last week with several readings on inflation and the consumer. There were also a large number of Fed speaking engagements which provided ample opportunity for Fed members to opine on macro trends. The week saw U.S. equity markets notch fresh record highs while a big rally in China (+5.6%) and India (+4%) pushed emerging markets up 3% on the week. Equity markets got an assist from falling bond yields which have fallen nearly 30 bps since late April, leaving 10yr UST yields at 4.42%. Commodities were up 1.7% on the week thanks in part to a healthy rally across both industrial metals and energy. The energy complex saw WTI oil close back up over $80 and natural gas was up 16.6% on the week.

Market Anecdotes

• The S&P 500, now up 11.4% on the year, chalked up a fourth consecutive week of gains and took out the late-March record high last week while the VIX hit a 9-year low.
• Second quarter GDP is currently modeled by the Atlanta Fed at 3.6% supported by personal consumption expenditure growth of 3.6% and domestic investment growth of 5.6%.
• The three-month average unemployment rate moved up to 3.87% in April, 0.37% over the early 2023 low of 3.5%, technically triggering the Sahm Rule recession indicator.
• A research note from BCA highlighted a potential scenario where a light recession compresses market valuations from 20x to 16x and we see a 10% decline in operating earnings which would be consistent with a 30% decline in the S&P 500 to 3,700.
• Tight investment grade and high yield credit spreads are continuing to provide an “all-clear” indication with regard to implied credit risk in the market and seem to be shrugging off signs of a deteriorating labor market.
• In a week with several disappointing economic data releases, The PBoC announced a $42b property market rescue package designed to absorb excess housing inventory, relaxing mortgage rules, and lowering down payment requirements for homebuyers.
• Fourteen Fed speaking engagements, including Powell, gave markets ample talking points which amounted to a strong higher for longer narrative. Powell acknowledged the lack of progress on inflation in the first quarter and the possibility of a rate hike, albeit less likely than a cut.
• A far too early observation on the upcoming U.S. general election is that both POTUS candidates share two market unfriendly campaign threads – a pointed nationalist/protectionist narrative and absolutely no discussion of addressing the massive federal budget deficit spending.

Economic Release Highlights

• April YoY headline and core CPI readings of 3.4% and 3.6% and MoM readings of 0.3% were softer than expected and lower than March readings across the board.
• Headline and core PPI registered 2.2% and 2.4% YoY respectively, with warmer than expected MoM readings (0.5% vs 0.3%) and (0.5% vs 0.2%).
• The NFIB Survey improved from 88.5 to 89.7 in April but the trend this year has been down.
• The Conference Board LEI returned to a contractionary reading (-0.6% vs -0.3%) after only one month in the plus column over the past two years.
• Industrial Production in April slowed down from March levels and came in under consensus forecast on both Headline (0.0% vs 0.1%) and Manufacturing Output (-0.3% vs 0.3%) readings.
• Retail Sales in April cooled notably relative to March and came in below consensus (0.0% vs 0.4%) while the Control Group unexpectedly declined by 0.3%.
• A reading of 45 for April’s Housing Market Index was below consensus forecast and the March reading, both of which were 51.
• Housing Starts (1.360M vs 1.435M) and Permits (1.440M vs 1.480M) both came in under consensus forecast.

Weekly Market Report: May 10th, 2024

Markets last week didn’t have too much to absorb thanks to a very light economic calendar and the tail end of Q1 earnings reports. Equity markets continued to rebound from April’s volatility with the S&P 500 climbing 1.85%, a third consecutive week of gains. Developed international markets were also up 1.8% while the emerging markets finished flat despite another up week in China. Despite several Fed speaking engagements decorated by a wide variety of talking points, bond markets didn’t sniff out anything new. Interest rates were relatively flat across the board with the 10yr yield closing the week exactly where it began at 4.5%. Both the USD and commodity complex notched minor gains on the week with the Yen and Real losing ground versus the USD and commodity gains modest but widespread.

Market Anecdotes

• The market consolidation period from the S&P 500 record high set on March 28th through late April has been followed by a healthy rebound.
• FactSet noted Q1 blended S&P 500 earnings growth is at 5.4%, overwhelmingly bolstered by the ‘Mag Seven’ bottom line as evidenced by the fact that removing the top 5 contributors (Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta, Amazon, Alphabet) blended earnings would be -2.4%.
• Eleven Fed speaking engagements last week gave investors a fresh dose of the higher for longer narrative as it pertains to the Fed funds rate and the FOMC objective of reducing inflation back toward its 2% target.
• Fed funds futures are reflecting a consensus of September marking the formal Fed pivot with the likelihood of at least one cut currently priced at 61%. If a cut is delivered in September, it will most certainly be greeted with political handwringing given its proximity to the general election.
• The Fed’s Survey of Loan Officers published last week showed weaker loan demand across the board and continued tightening standards for CRE and C&I loans with particular scrutiny on credit cards.
• The National Association of Realtors noted the combination of high prices and high mortgage rates have taken U.S. home affordability to the lowest on record.
• A Bloomberg article updated what may be one of the most important charts for investors to keep top of mind contrasting the short- and longer-term horizon returns of core asset classes (stocks, bonds, cash) with a clear positive skew growing in lockstep with time horizon.
• With the risk-on cyclical tailwind of 2023 behind us, the lagging healthcare sector as a counter-cyclical with a new contract cycle (pricing power) tailwind over the coming year is taking shape as a potentially interesting fundamental play.
• Global central bank meetings last week included the BoE projecting a more dovish tone than expected and the Riksbank became the second G10 central bank to cut (25 bps to 3.75%).
• One clear consequence of conflict in the Middle East is the re-routing of global shipping traffic. Suez Canal daily ship traffic of less than 30 is down over 50% and volumes are down over 70%. This is mirrored with a commensurate increase in traffic around the Cape of Good Hope.
• A tongue in cheek observation by BCA noted that if the SPR were a hedge fund run by the current U.S. administration, an average oil purchase price of $83 and average selling price of $95, has ‘Biden Capital’ outperforming the WTI Oil index by approximately 7%.

Economic Release Highlights

• The JPM Global Composite PMI (C,M,S) registered (52.4, 50.3, 52.7) respectively, solidly in expansionary territory.
• Weekly jobless claims of 231k increased by 22k and came in above expectations (231k vs 212k), taking the 4-week average 10k higher to 215k.
• May’s UofM Consumer Sentiment Index registered 67.4, well below consensus expectation of 77 and last month’s reading of 77.2.

Weekly Market Report: May 3rd, 2024

Last week markets took in an FOMC meeting, a large dose of Q1 earnings, and a closely watched economic calendar. A soft jobs report and outright rejection of interest rate hikes by Jerome Powell pushed bond yields lower for the week, taking the 10yr UST down to 4.5%. Cooling growth and labor markets seemed to be welcomed by the equity markets where both domestic and international markets managed respectable gains on the week. The U.S was up 0.55% while developed and emerging markets were up 1.2% and 3.2% respectively. Commodities lost ground due to a 6.85% selloff in oil markets and the USD weakened 0.86%.

Market Anecdotes

• The FOMC left the policy rate unchanged and announced a slightly larger than expected curtailment of the QT program, beginning June 1. Notably, Powell refused to acknowledge that hikes may be needed following recent inflation data and a strong ECI wage report.
• While quarterly ECI data was warm, the labor market seems to be cooling with a miss on the headline establishment survey, cooler than expected monthly wage data, slower hiring intentions in survey data, and fewer job openings.
• With 80% of the S&P 500 reported, 1Q earnings reports have taken shape with historically average beat rates and margins of 77% and 7.5%, respectively. Blended earnings and revenue growth are trending at 5% and 4.1%, respectively.
• An interesting note from BCA regarding fundamentals of the technology rally is how positive fundamentals have underpinned the rally with 12mo fwd earnings for IT, Cons Discretionary, and Comm Services up 25.2%, 23.8%, and 34%, respectively since the beginning of 2023.
• While junk bond spreads appear relatively sanguine right now at 3.16% over treasuries, history reminds us that when they turn, they can surge very quickly.
• In the next 12 months, $18 billion of office loans converted into securities will mature—more than double the volume in 2023. Moody’s projects that 73% of loans will be difficult to refinance because of the properties’ income, debt levels, vacancies, and approaching lease expirations.
• WTI oil had its worst week in three months, down 6.85% on easing tensions in the Middle East, a higher for longer Fed, and signs of slowing growth in the U.S.
• The BoJ seems to have intervened in the currency markets a couple of times last week to defend the Yen with intraday price action showing tremendous volatility and the BoJ current account reflecting what were some likely intervention moves.

Economic Release Highlights

• April payrolls grew by less than forecasted (175,000 vs 243,000) and the unemployment rate ticked up from 3.8% to 3.9%. Average hourly earnings came in lower than forecasted for both the MoM (0.2% vs 0.3%) and YoY (3.9% vs 4.0%) readings.
• The Q1 Employment Cost Index came in at 1.2% QoQ, in excess of both consensus (0.9%) and prior quarter (0.9%) rates. ECI registered 4.2% YoY versus 4.3% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
• The March JOLT Survey registered 8.488M job openings, below both the prior month (8.756M) and consensus estimate (8.700M).
• April’s ISM Manufacturing Index came in slightly under forecast (49.2 vs 50.0). The ISM Services Index also missed to the downside (49.4 vs 52.0)
• The Case-Shiller Home Price Index for February came in above consensus for both the MoM (0.6% vs 0.1%) and YoY (7.3% vs 6.7%).
• Consumer Confidence Index registered 97.0 in April, well below consensus forecast of 104.0 and the estimated range of 103-105.6.