Is There A Storm Brewing? | October 22, 2021 | FFS

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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Markets climbed nicely last week on the back of earnings, but is there a storm brewing?

Monday

In mixed market activity, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% on the day. Markets opened in the red and managed to climb their way out. The week opened, as many have recently, where the focus was on inflationary pressures. This gave way to earnings, which continue to out-perform. Reporting is still focused on financials but shifting towards technology.

Tuesday

Markets climbed on Tuesday as the S&P 500 added 0.75% on the day. Building permits disappointed on the day, shrinking by 7.7%. Driving markets higher was earnings strength as a much heavier swath of companies reported in comparison to Monday. All major earnings (that came in before close) beat market expectations.

Wednesday

The climb continued on Wednesday with the S&P 500 rising 0.37%. Earnings continued to be in focus as 78% of major reporters beat expectations and 61% beat on revenue. A low percentage of S&P 500 companies have reported, but the season is starting with good strength.

Thursday

Although mild, the S&P 500 managed to rise for the seventh straight session, adding 0.26%. Initial jobless claims fell to their lowest level since the start of the pandemic at 290K. Normal pre-pandemic levels were around 200K. On-going unemployment claims have fallen by about 100K each week over the last 5 weeks. This could mean a strong jobs report for October (released on the first Friday of November).

Friday

Markets opened in the green but reacted adversely to comments from Federal Reserve Board (FRB) chair Powell. He admitted that inflation is persisting longer than the FRB has expected. This admission removes the term transitory from the conversation. The word that the FRB has been feeding markets for about 10 months. He expressed that the expectation is for inflation to begin to pull back to more normal levels late next year. He also indicated that the FRB intends to begin tapering shortly and be completed by the middle of next year. So, that type of accommodation should be fully removed earlier than previously anticipated. This was digested by investors as a more hawkish stance by the FRB.

Conclusion

The S&P climbed fairly nicely across the week courtesy of an earnings season that is starting stronger than expected by investors. The statements by FRB chair Powell may have lasting reverberations into next week. Watch fixed income markets for stress from potential updated expectations for when the FRB may start to raise interest rates. Bank of America has already updated their forecast to late 2022. Additionally, the unresolved debt ceiling still looms large for the third of December…