Stock Selloff and Energy Rally Continue

Equity investors and cryptocurrency traders continue to react negatively to last week’s stronger than expected US Nonfarm Payrolls report. Signs of strength in the US economy have added to speculation that there could be significantly fewer interest rate cuts in the US this year dampening the easy money speculation that had underpinned 2024 gains in […]

Stocks and Bonds Retreat as Treasury Yields Climb; ADP Payrolls Miss

Adding to yesterday’s US index losses of 0.4% to 1.9%, US index futures are down 0.1% to 0.2% this morning. European bourses are in red across the board with the CAC down 1.0%, the FTSE down 0.6% and the Dax down 0.3%. Asia Pacific trading saw the Hang Seng lose 0.9%. The 10-year US treasury […]

Stocks Slip as Treasury Yields Climb

Equity markets in the US were unable to build on Tuesday’s positive momentum, but major indices were able to shrug off early losses to finish the day essentially flat. Today US index futures are down 0.3%-0.4% as investors continue to grapple with the headwind of rising Treasury yields. In Europe today, the FTSE is flat […]

Short Squeeze Subsides as Holiday Trading Begins

Friday’s Triple Witching Day, which had started with a premarket slump, turned into a big rally and short squeeze with major US indices gaining 1.0%-1.2%. Starting today, with many market participants away on holidays or in and out of the office for the next two weeks, trading has quietened down. US index futures are mixed […]

Big Swings From Fed’s “Hawkish Cut” Continue

Yesterday afternoon we saw the worst reaction to a December Fed decision since 2018. The Fed announced a “hawkish cut”, where they cut the Fed funds rate by 0.25% as expected, but signaled in the dot plot of FOMC member forecasts that they are only expecting 2 quarter point rate cuts next year instead of […]

Global Markets Rebound as FOMC Decision Looms

Shrugging off yesterday’s US index losses of 0.3%-0.6%, US index futures are up 0.2%-0.4% this morning. Over in Europe, the FTSE is up 0.1% and the Dax is up 0.2%. Chinese markets are also bouncing back with Hong Kong rising 0.8% and Shanghai gaining 0.6%. Commodities are also picking up today with US Crude Oil […]

Swiss Surprise

A day after the NASDAQ Composite Index reached 20,000 for the first time, US index futures are backsliding a bit this morning with declines of 0.1% to 0.4% in the wake of a disappointing US inflation report. Over in Europe, the FTSE, CAC and Dax are all flat. Asia Pacific markets rallied overnight, as both […]

US Inflation and Bank of Canada Meeting In Focus Today

US index futures are trading up 0.1% to 0.4% following the release of a relatively benign US inflation report, as they try to shake off yesterday’s US index declines of 0.2% to 0.3%. Over in Europe, the Dax is flat and the FTSE is up 0.3%. US Consumer prices were in line with expectations, up […]

Strong Start to a Short Week

Equity markets are off to a positive start this week with US index futures up 0.5%-0.7%, building on overseas gains of 0.4% for both the FTSE and Dax and 1.3% for the Nikkei. The Ukraine conflict didn’t worsen over the weekend and investors appear to be pleased with incoming President Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary. […]

Mind The Gap as Retailing Moves Into the Spotlight

Retailer Gap looks to be heading for a big day with a gain of 19.4% premarket adding to yesterday’s 6.9% advance. Earnings per share crushed expectations ($0.72 vs street $0.58). Management indicated the holiday quarter is off to a strong start and raised guidance. On the other hand, Intuit is down 2.8% premarket despite an […]