 | AUTHOR: Jason Roque, CFP®, APMA®, AWMA® TITLE: Investment Adviser Rep – CCO TAGS: S&P 500, NASDAQ, Small Business, CPI, FRB Minutes, PPI, Jobs, Earnings |
The week was all about inflation data, but have we inflated its importance?
Monday S&P 500 0.04% | NASDAQ 0.03%
Markets were little changed on the day. There was very little economic news out before the bell on Monday. The week will likely be sharply focused on Wednesday when we get the updated figures for March inflation. The report is expected to show an increase from February.
Tuesday S&P 500 0.14% | NASDAQ 0.32%
Small business sentiment slipped in March to the lowest level since January 2013! Even still, markets advanced ahead of inflation data on Wednesday. Growth stocks out-performed which signals that an increase of inflation data would likely not hamper growth stock leadership. This is important because the rate cuts expected later this year would favor growth stocks most.
Wednesday S&P 500 0.95% | NASDAQ 0.84%
Consumer Price Index (CPI) information showed that inflation has stopped cooling. A 0.1% reading was replaced with a 0.4% reading. The main culprits were transportation services, energy, and home services. The markets moved sharply lower, but likely on the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) minutes release, rather than on CPI data. FRB Minutes showed concerns that inflation was stagnating, endangering the likelihood of the FRB cutting rates later this year.
Thursday S&P 500 0.74% | NASDAQ 1.68%
Producer Price Index (PPI), which is a proxy for wholesale inflation rose less than expected. Initial jobless claims fell on the day supporting a strong job market. The weaker than expected inflation data led to a bounce back rally by markets. Little was changed about rate cut expectations moving forward however, given the FRB minutes from March.
Friday S&P 500 1.46% | NASDAQ 1.62%
Michigan Consumer Sentiment is projected to slip, but remains in the high 70’s. Financial firms got earnings season underway on Friday and they did not impress. The slide on Friday solidified a down week for equities. The Nasdaq led markets lower on the day, but its Thursday rebound mitigated losses for the week.
Conclusion S&P 500 1.56% | NASDAQ 0.45%
The week ended well into the red. The fall represented the worst week for the S&P 500 since January. In January the focus was on the markets accepting that the FRB may only cut rates three times this year. This time it is on the realization that perhaps the FRB may not cut rates at all. As of now investor expectations are that the FRB will cut rates one, maybe two times (September and December). The meeting in two weeks should provide more clarity. Even with this change to rate cut expectations, it will be interesting to see what action the FRB takes with Quantitative Tightening. If they do start to slow the selling bonds that should provide some relief.
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September turned out to be a volatile month after all. Should we expect a scare from October as well?
Monday
The S&P 500 started the week mildly lower, 0.27%. Core durable goods orders delivered less return than expected. It rose 0.2% in August where 0.8% was expected. The focus was more on the debate in Washington over the debt ceiling and the potential of a government shutdown.
Tuesday
Selling accelerated on Tuesday as the S&P 500 lost 2.04%. Long term interest rates climbed dramatically on the day as tighter monetary policy is expected in the future. The Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Chair, Powell, was testifying in Washington. Concerns that ’Transitory’ inflation, will not be so transitory, dominated rate activity.
Wednesday
Markets stabilized on Wednesday, but that is not necessarily good news. The S&P 500 rose 0.1%. It is important to observe investor activity the day following a large sell off. The lack of a bounce signals an acceptance of fair value for the losses of the previous day.
Thursday
Selling pressure persisted on the last day of the month as the markets sold off an additional 1%. This gave us a negative month on the S&P 500 for the first time since January. In case you forgot, we had Game Stop to thank for January… You take that out of the equation, and this is the first down month since October of last year.
Friday
New month, new you??? Markets welcomed the 4th quarter, as the S&P 500 rose 1.15% to end the week and say goodbye to September. The Government averted a shutdown on Thursday night lending to the upbeat tone of investors. To be clear, the debt ceiling still needs attention over the next few weeks.
Conclusion
What a September it was, as the S&P 500 lost 4.75%! A market correction is marked by a fall of 10% or greater. Look for volatility to continue in October as the debt ceiling situation remains unresolved. Also, we are building to what should be an FRB tapering program in November. That will be just in time for the consumer to save the economy with holiday shopping…
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Your interest in our articles helps us reach more people. To show your appreciation for this post, please “like” the article on one of the links below:
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Always remember that while this is a week in review, this does not trigger or relate to trading activity on your account with Financial Future Services. Broad diversification across several asset classes with a long-term holding strategy is the best strategy in any market environment.
Any and all third-party posts or responses to this blog do not reflect the views of the firm and have not been reviewed by the firm for completeness or accuracy.