Morning Commentary
Breaking News: I will be interviewing Vice President Pence today on Making Money on Fox Business
It seems as if the market picked up on Federal Reserve Chairman Powell’s tone. He was too defensive about the recent actions that were taken to arrest a free-falling economy.
He reminded Senators on the bank finance committee that he hinted at bond purchases on March 23rd, which did happen, and the purchases probably put in a market bottom. Still, the news of actual direct purchases rather than buying corporate bonds via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) upset the market purists.
The corporate bond market, including the high yield (see chart), took off like a rocket before the Fed did any actual buying. It was revealed later that the Fed got stuck with bonds from companies facing bankruptcy, which may have been the reason for buying individual corporate bonds.
High Yield Corporate Bonds
So, while nudging lawmakers to act, Powell was justifying his actions on bond-buying:
“It’s out of an excess of caution to preserve these gains for market function by following through,” suggesting he could slow purchases if things continue to improve.
The dilemma outlined by Powell is the initial rebound, which is much better than anyone anticipated, is still not enough to reverse deep damage to the economy from the lockdown, and the subsequent new reality of social distancing, and limits on crowds. This is a real concern that should not be ignored by anyone.
Yes, the bounce has been nothing short of remarkable, but it happened with help from the Federal government and the Federal Reserve.
That near-term risk and extra nudging were underscored after the close of the market, and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) announced it was canceling all sailing through the end of September. The stock tumbled in after-hours trading, and it will be interesting if buyers emerge to buy on a weakness today.
Technical Hurdles
The action in major indices is a classic consolidation of the big recent rally, but it’s also a test of the rally, which means key support points must hold. The key resistance points:
S&P 500
Fund Managers Conflicted
The Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s (BofAML’s) survey of global fund managers was released, and it was filled with confusion. In fact, this statement best summed up the sentiment:
While Wall Street might be past the "peak pessimism," June optimism remains "fragile, neurotic, nowhere near dangerously bullish," wrote Bank of America Chief Investment Strategist.
The 78% of money managers say the market is oversold, and 53% say this is a bear market rally; and yet, cash declined to 4.7% from 5.7%.
This is a contrarian indicator, which means extreme pessimism is supposed to be a buy signal.
The Message of the Market
Although the market meandered after hitting a Powell-induced air pocket, there was a late nudge that focused mostly on cyclical names.
While market breadth was impressive across the board, it was gangbusters on the New York Stock Exchange, where there was almost a 5:1 ratio of winners and losers. The up volume was more than a 5:1 ratio, greater than the down volume.
Market Breadth |
NYSE |
NASDAQ |
Advancers |
2,466 |
2,512 |
Decliners |
513 |
824 |
New Highs |
44 |
127 |
New Lows |
1 |
5 |
Up Volume |
5.2 billion |
3.4 billion |
Down Volume |
809.5 million |
1.3 billion |
Energy took the lead after a pullback back in West Texas Intermediate (WTI). Health Care performed well, and Consumer Discretionary got a lift from the strong retail sales report.
We are spying Materials on reports the administration is preparing a $1.0 trillion infrastructure plan. This stuff happens in every election cycle, but there is a major need to shore up our roads and bridges.
S&P 500 Index |
+1.90% |
Communication Services XLC |
+0.82% |
Consumer Discretionary XLY |
+2.10% |
Consumer Staples XLP |
+1.56% |
Energy XLE |
+2.88% |
Financials XLF |
+1.57% |
Health Care XLV |
+2.46% |
Industrials XLI |
+1.96% |
Materials XLB |
+2.09% |
Real Estate XLRE |
+1.67% |
Technology XLK |
+2.13% |
Utilities XLU |
+0.46% |
Portfolio Approach
We added two new positions this week, one in Consumer Discretionary and one in Industrial. Our cash position is now 0.
Today’s Session
May housing starts for new construction increased 4.3% as low mortgage rates and economies reopening sparked buyers and builders. Hard hit areas like the West and Northeast saw a spike of 21.5% and 12.8%, respectively. Annual start rate rose to 974,000 units from 934,000 in April, which was the 5-month low. The South and Midwest however declined 16% and 1.5%, respectively.
Permits rocketed up 14.4% to 1.22 million annual rate. All regions experienced a rise in new permits.
Mortgage applications for May also soared up 26.1%.
The futures are pointing to a positive open.
Comments |
I keep hearing that the cruise companies must be doing well because they have billions in booked cruises. I wonder how much of that is people like me. Royal Caribbean is holding $3200 of mine hostage. I had 2 back to back cruises booked starting March 19th, 2020. The port closed March 12th. They will not refund my 2 canceled cruises. The credit is not transferable. The funds for the 2 cruises cannot be combined into one cruise must be used on 2 separate cruises. Half of the credit is held by my 87-year-old mother that was to be taking her last cruise and will not likely be able to ever use the credit. The grand finality is that the credit has expiration dates that keep changing. Linda on 6/17/2020 10:20:10 PM |
Tweet |
3/27/2024 1:40 PM | Mostly Higher |
3/27/2024 9:32 AM | U-TURN? |
3/26/2024 1:08 PM | Everything Is Up |
3/26/2024 9:42 AM | TAPPED OUT (I HOPE YOU AT LEAST GOT A T-SHIRT) |
3/25/2024 1:33 PM | Not A Mutiny |
3/25/2024 9:35 AM | STAYING THE COURSE…BEYOND TECH |
3/22/2024 12:56 PM | Toll on Americans |
3/22/2024 9:38 AM | A TAD TIRED |
3/21/2024 1:55 PM | Building on Gains |
3/21/2024 9:30 AM | A COMFORTING FED |
3/20/2024 1:33 PM | Pivotal Moment |
3/20/2024 10:00 AM | HERE COMES THE FED |
3/19/2024 1:33 PM | Picking Up Steam |
3/19/2024 9:35 AM | RUMBLINGS IN THE BOND MARKET |
3/18/2024 1:48 PM | Mag 7 is Back |
3/18/2024 9:39 AM | THE PARTY IN SAN JOSE WILL BE LIT |
3/15/2024 1:38 PM | Realtors Settle |
3/15/2024 9:33 AM | AN UNEASY PAUSE |
3/14/2024 1:43 PM | Sticky Inflation |
3/14/2024 9:48 AM | GOING TO A GO-GO |
3/13/2024 2:16 PM | Taking a Breather |
3/13/2024 9:51 AM | ALL SO EPIC |
3/12/2024 1:42 PM | Marching Higher |
3/12/2024 9:25 AM | ROTATION IN FULL SWING |
3/11/2024 1:41 PM | Sharpening Pencils |
More commentary archives |
Home |
Products & Services |
Education |
In The Media |
Help |
About Us |
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | All Rights Reserved.
|