Fed Archives - Page 4 of 5

December 13, 2021

A Quiet Economic Calendar Leaves Omicron News and Sentiment Towards the FED in Focus

Tuesday, 14^th December

Eurozone Industrial Production (MoM) (Oct)

Wednesday, 15^th December

French CPI (MoM) (Nov) Final

French HICP (MoM) (Nov) Final

Spanish CPI (YoY) (Nov) Final

Spanish HICP (YoY) (Nov) Final

Italian CPI (MoM) (Nov) Final

Thursday, 16^th December

French Manufacturing PMI (Dec) Prelim

French Services PMI (Dec) Prelim

German Manufacturing PMI (Dec) Prelim

German Services PMI (Dec) Prelim

Eurozone Private Sector PMIs (Dec) Prelim

Eurozone Wages / Trade Data

ECB Policy Decision and Press Conference

Friday, 17^th December

German PPI (MoM) (Nov)

German Ifo Business Climate Index (Dec)

Eurozone Inflation (Nov) Final

The Majors

It was a bearish end to the week for the European majors on Friday.

The DAX30 slipped by 0.10{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, with the CAC40 and EuroStoxx600 ending the day down by 0.24{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and by 0.30{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} respectively.

Finalized inflation figures from Germany had a muted impact on the majors, with the markets focused on U.S inflation on the day.

Later in the European session, another pickup in inflationary pressure supported a more hawkish set of interest rate projections next week. What remains unclear, however, is how the FED sees inflation and the new Omicron strain impacting growth.

Away from the economic calendar, news updates from labs across the world remained a key area of interest. While early tests showed that vaccine efficacy was materially lower, there were also indications that the new strain was a milder form.

The Stats

It was a quiet day on the Eurozone economic calendar. Finalized German inflation figures were in focus going into the European open.

In November, German consumer prices fell by 0.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, which was in line with prelim figures. Consumer prices had risen by 0.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in October.

Germany’s annual rate of inflation accelerated from 4.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to 5.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, which was also in line with prelim figures.

According to Destatis,

The inflation rate increased for the 6^th time in a row, reaching the highest level recorded in 2021.
A higher inflation rate was last recorded in Jun-1992, when the rate of inflation was 5.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.
Compared with Nov-2020, energy prices were up 22.1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, with prices for food up 4.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.
Excluding energy, Germany’s annual rate of inflation stood at 3.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.
Prices for services increased by 2.9{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} compared with the same month a year earlier.

From the U.S

Inflation and consumer sentiment figures were in focus late in the European session.

In November, the U.S core annual rate of inflation picked up from 4.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to 4.9{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, which was in line with forecasts. For the month of November, core consumer prices rose by 0.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, with consumer prices up 0.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.

In spite of the pickup in inflation, consumer sentiment unexpectedly improved in December.

According to prelim figures, the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index climbed from 67.4 to 70.4 versus a forecasted fall to 67.1. Hopes of a pickup in wage growth amidst rising prices supported improved sentiment.

The Market Movers

For the DAX: It was a mixed day for the auto sector on Friday. Continental rose by 1.10{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to buck the trend.

Daimler tumbled by 13.82{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, however, with Volkswagen and BMW ending the day down by 1.00{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and by 0.73{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} respectively.

It was also a mixed day for the banks. Deutsche Bank fell by 0.82{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, while Commerzbank rose by 0.17{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.

From the CAC, it was a bearish day for the banks. Soc Gen and Credit Agricole fell by 0.50{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and by 0.65{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} respectively, with BNP Paribas declining by 1.24{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.

The French auto sector had a mixed session, however. Stellantis NV rose by 0.26{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, while Renault ended the day down by 0.45{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.

Air France-KLM and Airbus SE avoided the red, rising by 0.43{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and by 0.08{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} respectively.

On the VIX Index

It was back into the red for the VIX on Friday, marking a 4^th day in the red for the week.

Reversing an 8.44{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} rise on Thursday, the VIX slid by 13.39{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to end the day at 18.69.

The Dow ended the day up by 0.60{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, with the NASDAQ and the S&P500 gaining 0.73{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and by 0.95{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} respectively.

The Day Ahead

It’s a quiet day ahead on the Eurozone’s economic calendar. There are no material stats due out of the Eurozone to provide the majors with direction.

From the U.S, there are also no stats to consider, leaving the majors in the hands of OPEC’s monthly report and Omicron news updates.

With the FED in action on Wednesday and the ECB in focus on Thursday, it could be a testy start to the week.

The Futures

In the futures markets, at the time of writing, the Dow Mini was up by 31 points.

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:

December 8, 2021

Expectations for faster pullback in Fed support takes steam out of credit

Corporations are rushing to issue more debt amid the Federal Reserve’s messaging that it may move quicker to tighten the spigot on its easy money policies.

Despite the emergence of the Omicron variant, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and a chorus of other Fed officials recently signaled they were likely to support a faster wind-down in the Fed’s asset purchase program.

If the Fed can fully end the so-called quantitative easing program early next year, the central bank would have the flexibility to start raising interest rates earlier than the timeline previously set in early November.

The prospects of earlier — and perhaps more aggressive — interest rate hikes are pushing companies to pull forward issuance of corporate bonds. Lower Fed rates generally correspond to cheaper borrowing costs. And messaging that the Fed may move faster appears to have spooked issuers into pulling forward bond issuance ahead of any rate hikes.

BofA Securities noted that the supply of investment-grade corporate debt jumped to $57 billion in the week ended Nov. 15, as chatter over an accelerated taper began building.

“For companies thinking about their own situation and taking an upper hand knowing interest rates are low now, spreads are tight now, and markets are wide open now: go ahead and issue the bonds when you can,” said Tom Graff, head of fixed income at Brown Advisory.

Warning signs have flashed in credit markets as early as October. In that month, BofA Securities observed a slowdown in inflows into U.S. investment-grade funds and ETFs, coinciding with a 10-year U.S. Treasury yield that was trending higher.

Emily Roland, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, said adding some high-yield bonds might be an attractive opportunity. But she said to stay away from junkier bonds at the bottom of the rating spectrum.

“It’s going to be hard to sort of squeeze more out of the lower rungs of the high-yield bond market and we would really think about those BBs, those fallen angels that continue to have the ability to be upgraded as this economic cycle unfolds,” Roland told Yahoo Finance Tuesday.

Still, uncertainty looms over the asset class.

Corporate bond spreads widened in November amid heavy supply and lower demand, sparking concerns that more volatility in spreads could be coming in 2022. But investment-grade spreads still remain historically low (104 basis points now, comparable to pre-pandemic levels).

BofA Securities pointed out that the emergence of Omicron shook equity markets but made little waves in spreads, reinforcing their analysts’ views that the “number 1 risk” for spreads remains “a more hawkish Fed.”

Brian Cheung is a reporter covering the Fed, economics, and banking for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter @bcheungz.

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December 4, 2021

Fed Survey Finds Supply-Chain Shortages Boosting Inflation | Business News

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many parts of the country were hit by supply chain disruptions and labor shortages in November, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday.

In a survey of business conditions around the country, the Fed’s 12 regional banks found that the economy continued to grow at a modest-to-moderate pace, and the outlook for future growth remains positive.

But some of the Fed’s some business contacts expressed uncertainty about when the problems presented by supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages might begin to ease.

In part because of the supply chain problems, price increases were reported to be widespread across the economy.

Political Cartoons

“There were wide-ranging input cost increases stemming from strong demand for raw materials, logistical challenges and labor market tightness,” the Fed’s report, known as the beige book, said.

The Fed survey, which is based on interviews with business contacts last month in all 12 of the Fed’s regional bank districts, will form the basis for discussions when central bank officials hold their final meeting of the year on Dec. 14-15.

In congressional testimony this week, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank is prepared to speed up the pace of the pullback of the easy-money policies it has been using to support the economy for the past 20 months.

The Fed had been buying $120 billion in Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities since the spring of 2020. At its meeting last month, the central bank announced that it would start to trim those purchases, which serve to keep long-term interest rates low, by $15 billion in November and another $15 billion in December.

Powell’s comments this week indicated the Fed may announce at its December meeting that it will make larger monthly reductions in the future so that the bond purchases can be totally ended earlier than the June end-date which had been expected.

That would clear the way for the Fed to begin raising its benchmark interest rate, which was reduced to a record low of 0{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to 0.25{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in early 2020.

Both the ending of the bond purchases and the start of interest rate hikes would be expected to raise borrowing costs for consumers and businesses as a way to slow the economy and fight inflationary pressures.

Powell made his comments as inflation has surged to a three-decade high, largely because the pandemic has limited supplies at a time when the re-opening of the economy has led to high demand.

The Fed report said that companies were complaining about “persistent difficulty in hiring and retaining employees” with many leisure and hospitality firms still limiting operating hours due to a lack of workers.

The report said businesses had heard a variety of reasons for the labor shortages. Those included the lack of childcare, retirements, and continued safety concerns revolving around the persistence of COVID cases. The survey was conducted before the emergence of the new omicron variant.

“Nearly all districts reported robust wage growth,” the Fed said. “Hiring struggles and elevated turnover rates led businesses to raise wages and offer other incentives, such as bonuses and more flexible working arrangements.”

December 1, 2021

Bitcoin bull run shows signs of wear as crypto investors eye other coins; Omicron, Fed taper loom

The volatile but never boring market for Bitcoin (BTC) has been whipsawed in recent days, as investors ponder whether there are better returns to be had in other cryptocurrencies, even as a new COVID-19 variant and the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook shake up the landscape.

With news of the Omicron strain of COVID-19 unsettling investors, Bitcoin shed over 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} on Tuesday as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell dropped several hints that the central bank is growing more attentive to inflationary risks, and may even accelerate its plans to pull back on stimulative bond purchases.

In theory, the rise of a new variant would prompt the Fed to err on the side of more stimulus, which should benefit cryptocurrencies. Still, Bitcoin sold off sharply along with other risk assets last week, and has yet to challenge its record high near $68,000 set earlier this month, off by more than 20{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} since hitting that peak.

To be certain, Bitcoin is still firmly entrenched in bull market territory. However, other crypto assets, some notably smaller and higher-risk, are seeing growing investment flows, and may be drawing money away from Bitcoin holdings.

Jon Wolfenbarger, a veteran equities analyst, told Yahoo Finance this week that he’s using the 250 day-moving average (DMA) to judge whether crypto and other assets might begin long term turns for the worse.

While stocks, bonds and commodities still traded above their 250 DMAs on Friday, Wolfenbarger cautioned that “there has been enough damage done recently to tell us that we need to be very vigilant for continued weakness that could trip bear market signal,” even if the larger uptrend remains intact, he said.

During the downturn, notable Bitcoin whales like El Salvador, the largest nation state holder of BTC, which is planning to issue sovereign BTC bonds; and MicroStrategy, the largest publicly listed U.S. company, both used the recent correction as a buying opportunity.

‘Further down the risk-curve’

A recent trend indicates more investors are hunting for crypto trading opportunities outside Bitcoin.

Ether (ETH) — a major “Web 3.0” contender integral to the boom in nonfungible tokens (NFTs), decentralized finance and the Metaverse — has logged gains higher than BTC, roughly doubling its performance over the last week.

Meanwhile, higher risk meme-coins such as Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) and Shiba Inu coin (SHIB-USD) are posting even larger gains. The latter is up over 16{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} on the day, coinciding with its listing today on the U.S. based cryptocurrency exchange, Kraken.

At least a few crypto investors consider Bitcoin safe haven asset of sorts, largely because of stimulative government policies that feed inflation and devaluation, but its price action suggests its more closely linked to other risk-sensitive assets. Added to that, data suggests that money is rotating out of Bitcoin into other speculative cryptos.

This pattern is best captured in the ether/bitcoin trading pair, which is trading near levels not seen since 2018, according to Trading View.

“A break-out of ETH/BTC would further support the thesis of an observable rotation out of BTC and into more speculative alts[coins],” the asset manager Fundstrat wrote in a research note Monday.

Beyond speculation, ETH is also used to pay transaction fees on the Ethereum blockchain. Its price action relative to Bitcoin also shows why lesser known cryptocurrencies built on top of Ethereum, especially within DeFi, are seeing the most significant gains over the last few weeks.

“When the market is moving and certain sectors are doing well, as they are currently in DeFi assets, then traders add risk and allocate out of the safe haven [bitcoin]” said Bryan Hernandez, President of the DeFi trading app, Structure.

And the initial buying in these smaller cryptocurrencies is much more speculative according to Hernandez.

“Because smaller DeFi assets tend to be less liquid, they are more affected by moves from powerful players like big VC funds or certain market makers,” he added. “The access to credit that these players have gives them an ability to really push the price to new levels that then create awareness and FOMO buying.”

Other cryptocurrencies connected to the metaverse via virtual platforms The Sandbox and Decentraland, have seen swings of more than 50{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and 25{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, respectively, over the last several days.

Contrary to a speculative frenzy, the rotation from Bitcoin to smaller cryptocurrencies suggests a degree of market health according to Mark Elenowitz, president and CEO of the fintech firm, Horizon Fintex.

“Investors are willing to go further down the risk curve for yet-to-be-built projects (i.e. the metaverse) because, again, they view the overall market structure at the moment as trending green.” said Elenowitz.

If the new Omicron-variant does shape buyer demand long term, some investors see a path for Bitcoin to rise in value as an inflation hedge. Yet Craig Erlam, Oanda senior analyst, isn’t so certain.

First, it isn’t clear yet whether central banks will stall tapering enough to change investment growth, the analyst argues. Secondly, higher levels of inflation might cause the market to react in a markedly different way than they have during the early days of the pandemic.

“Everything is hypothetical at this point,” Erlam told Yahoo Finance. “But it’s always too convenient to try to pin [Bitcoin] down to one narrative.”

David Hollerith covers cryptocurrency for Yahoo Finance. Follow him @dshollers.

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November 6, 2021

S&P, Nasdaq pop to new records while Dow sinks after Fed

Stocks traded mixed on Thursday, with tech stocks and the broader market setting new highs as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin paring back some of its monetary policy support as the economic recovery progressed.

Although the Dow dropped, tech stocks were boosted by Tesla, which set a new record high above $1200 per share, and helped the Nasdaq set a fresh record. The S&P 500 also eked out a new high.

A day earlier, all of the major benchmarks set records, with the Fed’s latest monetary policy decision compounding with optimism over a slew of stronger-than-expected quarterly corporate earnings results.

The Fed’s decision on Wednesday unfolded the way many investors had been expecting, wherein the central bank formally announced it would begin tapering its pandemic-era asset purchase program starting this month. That came as Federal Open Market Committee members deemed that the economy had made “substantial further progress” in recovering to warrant the gradual removal of this policy support.

But importantly, the newly announced contours of the Fed’s tapering plan appeared to appease equity traders.

“The Fed has baked in some flexibility in their tapering,” Ryan Nauman, Zephyr market strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live on Wednesday. “They were very clear that in November and December how much they were going to taper. After that, they did not put in a dollar amount on it.”

Specifically, the Fed said it would begin reducing its asset purchases this month by a total of $15 billion, and then by another $15 billion in December, but said the outlook for the pace of tapering in the future would depend on “changes in the economic outlook.” Fed Chair Jerome Powell also reiterated his prior stance that the ultimate end of the tapering process next year would not automatically signal the start to interest rate hikes.

“So they added some flexibility, and a lot of it has to do with the uncertainty around inflation,” Nauman added. “And even though they said inflation is transitory, they added that word ‘expected,’ which kind of hedges their bets a little bit and buys them some more flexibility. And finally I think that [last] piece … is the timeline. They added more transparency, more clarity to the timeline and the markets really liked that … that transparency showing that they’re expecting inflation to start slowing during mid-2022, Q2, Q3.”

Separately Wednesday afternoon, third-quarter earnings season rolled on with a parade of names across industries reporting results. Booking Holdings (BKNG) share rose after third-quarter results pointed to a pick-up in travel trends especially in Europe, with revenue jumping 77{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} over last year to top Wall Street’s estimates. Semiconductor company Qualcomm (QCOM) also posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings, revenue and guidance, suggesting strong demand was buoying the company despite a global chip shortage and supply chain snarls. Etsy (ETSY), on the other hand, offered a lower-than-expected forecast for the holiday shopping season, with the e-commerce site losing some momentum after a surge in online sales over the course of the pandemic.

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4:05 p.m. ET: S&P 500 closes at a record high for sixth straight session, powered by jump in tech stocks

Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:05 p.m. ET:

S&P 500 (^GSPC): +19.49 (+0.42{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,680.06
Dow (^DJI): -33.35 (-0.09{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 36,124.23
Nasdaq (^IXIC): +128.72 (+0.81{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 15,940.31
Crude (CL=F): -$1.79 (-2.21{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $79.07 a barrel
Gold (GC=F): +$30.90 (+1.75{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,794.80 per ounce
10-year Treasury (^TNX): -5.5 bps to yield 1.5240{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

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11:33 a.m. ET: Small cap and technology stocks could be some of the winners going forward: CIO

Select areas of the market are poised to benefit as the Federal Reserve remains accommodative in its monetary policy posturing and the economic recovery moves along, and those could include small-cap and technology stocks, according to one strategist.

“We are seeing momentum right now both in small cap stocks … and technology stocks,” Kevin Mahn, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management president and chief investment officer, told Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday. “And we believe that as we move further and further away from the COVID-19 pandemic and more of the economy starts to open, technology will become an even more critical component of that reopening in areas such as … artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, fintech, and even 5G. as we try and expand our country’s broadband access.”

“So we see more upside potential for small-cap stocks as the economy continues to expand, and as credit conditions remain accommodative, but particularly in those areas of revolutionary technologies.”

—

10:00 a.m. ET: U.S. trade deficit hits new high

The Commerce Department said U.S. the trade gap surged 11.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to a record $80.9 billion in September. Exports tumbled 3.0{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to $207.6 billion in September. Goods exports plunged 4.7{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to $142.7 billion. The decline was led by industrial supplies, with crude oil exports decreasing $1.0 billion. Imports rose 0.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to a record $288.5 billion. Goods imports rose 0.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} to $240.9 billion, also a record high.

—

9:30 a.m ET: Stocks mixed at the open

Here were the main moves in markets as of 9:30 a.m. ET:

S&P 500 (^GSPC): 4,669.18, +8.61 (+0.18{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
Dow (^DJI): 36,125.63, -31.95 (-0.09{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
Nasdaq (^IXIC): 15,871.98, +60.39 (+0.38{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
Crude (CL=F): $83.09 a barrel, +$2.23 (+2.76{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
Gold (GC=F): $1,793.70, +29.80 (+1.69{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
10-year Treasury (^TNX): -1 bps to yield 1.5610{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

—

8:36 a.m. ET: New jobless claims set fresh pandemic-era low, coming in below 300,000 for fourth straight week

New weekly jobless claims came at a fresh pandemic-era low, with further improvements in the labor market coming as companies continue to compete to attract and retain workers amid elevated demand.

Initial unemployment claims came in at 269,000 for the week ended Oct. 30, or the lowest since March 2020. This came following the prior week’s total of 283,000 new claims, with that sum upwardly revised from the 281,000 reported previously. Consensus economists were looking for 275,000 new claims for last week, according to Bloomberg consensus data.

Continuing claims for regular state programs also fell more than expected to reach their best level since the start of the pandemic. These were at 2.105 million for the week ended Oct. 23, compared to the 2.150 million expected and 2.239 million from the prior week.

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7:47 a.m. ET Thursday: Stock futures mixed after Fed decision, tech stocks outperform

Here’s where markets were trading Thursday morning:

S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +7 points (+0.15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,659.25
Dow futures (YM=F): -5 points (-0.01{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 36,030.00
Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +62 points (+0.38{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 16,191.75
Crude (CL=F): $82.39 per barrel, +$1.53 (+1.89{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
Gold (GC=F): $1,779.50 per ounce, +$15.60 (+0.88{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})
10-year Treasury (^TNX): -0.2 bps to yield 1.577{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

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6:07 p.m. ET Wednesday: Stock futures drift sideways

Here’s where markets were trading as the overnight session kicked off:

S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +1.25 points (+0.03{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,653.50
Dow futures (YM=F): -1 points (-0.00{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 36,034.00
Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +8 points (+0.05{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 16,137.75

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 30, 2021 in New York City. In afternoon trading the Dow was down over 250 points as investors continue to worry about inflation, wages and supply chain issues. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 30: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 30, 2021 in New York City. In afternoon trading the Dow was down over 250 points as investors continue to worry about inflation, wages and supply chain issues. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter

November 3, 2021

S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq rise to reach fresh all-time highs; markets await Fed decision

Stocks reached fresh all-time highs on Tuesday in another record-setting session, with investors cheering another set of better-than-expected corporate earnings results.

The Dow and S&P 500 gained while the Nasdaq rose more modestly, weighed by a drop in Tesla (TSLA) after CEO Elon Musk downplayed the expected impact of a deal with car rental giant Hertz. Investors watched with optimism as more corporate earnings results exceeded expectations and defied concerns over ongoing supply chain constraints, shortages and cost pressures.

Clorox (CLX) became one of the latest major names to top estimates in results posted Monday after the closing bell, with the cleaning supplies and home goods company topping third-quarter sales and profits estimates and reaffirming its full-year guidance even as the company said it expects “cost pressures to persist.” Shares of Avis (CAR) and Simon Property Group (SPG) also jumped, with both of these companies posting quarterly earnings that exceeded expectations after market close.

Heading into this week, the expected earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 was at 36.6{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} for the third quarter, which while a step down from the second quarter’s rate, would still mark the third-highest pace in data spanning back to 2010, according to FactSet.

“I don’t think what’s going on is terribly surprising,” when it comes to the sizable year-over-year earnings growth many companies have reported for the third quarter, Pacer ETF’s President Sean O’Hara told Yahoo Finance Live. “I think what we need to see going forward is, is it sustainable, or are some of these outside factors going to be a bigger challenge than we expect?”

“Is inflation and the input costs that the producers are dealing with, is that going to derail things? Is the lack of workers?” he added. “There’re a lot of things out there that could potentially derail the market, especially as you’re making this transition from where we are, which is easy comparables versus last year, to more difficult ones going forward.”

In addition to the solid backdrop of corporate earnings, an ongoing economic recovery and still-accommodative positioning by monetary policymakers have also helped underpin equities in their march to new highs. For investors, the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy decision on Wednesday will help suggest how long the central bank will maintain its current levels of support. Many pundits expect to see the bank begin to pull back the asset purchases that comprised its quantitative easing program that had helped support the recovery, with fresh economic data reflecting a U.S. economy closing in on pre-pandemic conditions.

“We think that better days are ahead. Earnings are still growing at a pretty healthy clip. There’s a lot of people focusing on peak growth rates. That’s probably not the way to look at it,” Sameer Samana, Wells Fargo senior global market strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live. “From our standpoint, those low interest rates, still stimulative policy and really strong growth are what set the stage for strong equities in the next year.”

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4:05 p.m. ET: S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq rise to reach fresh all-time highs; markets await Fed decision

Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:05 p.m. ET:

S&P 500 (^GSPC): +16.98 (+0.37{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,630.65
Dow (^DJI): +138.79 (+0.39{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 36,052.63
Nasdaq (^IXIC): +53.69 (+0.34{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 15,649.60
Crude (CL=F): -$0.55 (-0.65{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $83.50 a barrel
Gold (GC=F): -$6.90 (-0.38{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,788.90 per ounce
10-year Treasury (^TNX): -2.6 bps to yield 1.5490{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

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12:36 p.m. ET: Residential rental vacancy rate dips in 3Q to near pre-pandemic levels

The U.S. vacancy rate for rental housing fell in the third quarter to close in on pre-pandemic levels.

Rental vacancies reached 5.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in the three months ending in September, marking the lowest level since the second-quarter of 2020. This fell by 6.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} compared to the second quarter and from 6.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in the same period last year.

Rent prices have also been increasingly notably over the course of the past year, with the median asking rent for vacant units rising to $1,203 in the third quarter from $1,160 a year earlier. And in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ consumer price index, rent of primary residence prices last increased by 0.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in September compared to August, accelerating from a rise of 0.3{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} during the prior month.

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11:35 a.m. ET: Avis shares surge, triggering volatility halt after 3Q estimates point to strong car-rental demand

Shares of Avis (CAR) more than doubled on Tuesday alone after the car-rental company posted third-quarter estimates that far exceeded consensus estimates, pointing to solid demand for rentals.

At session highs on Tuesday, the stock more than tripled to reach a record $545.11 per share. This outsized move to the upside triggered at least one volatility halt in the stock. Third-quarter net revenue nearly doubled over last year to reach $3 billion, and adjusted earnings per share of $10.74 were much better than the $7.24 expected. The company also said it would add more electric vehicles to its fleet over time during its quarterly earnings call with analysts.

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11:27 a.m. ET: Chegg shares plunge after lowering guidance, with company saying ‘education industry is experiencing a slowdown’

Shares of education company Chegg (CHGG) sank 45{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} Tuesday morning after the company lowered its full-year guidance and highlighted a slowdown in the broader higher education industry.

For the third quarter. Chegg reported revenue of $171.94 million, which missed expectations for $174 million, according to Bloomberg consensus data. The firm also lowered its forecast for both revenue and adjusted EBITDA for the full year, and now sees revenue coming in at as much as $764 million, versus the as much as $815 million seen previously.

“In late September it became clear to us that the education industry is experiencing a slowdown that we believe is temporary and is a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” CEO Dan Rosensweig said in prepared remarks for the company’s earnings call.

“A combination of variants, increased employment opportunities and compensation, along with fatigue, have all led to significantly fewer enrollments than expected this semester,” he added. And those students who have enrolled are taking fewer and less rigorous classes and are receiving less graded assignments”

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9:42 a.m. ET: Tesla gives back some gains as Musk plays down Hertz deal

The carmaker’s high-flying stock is under pressure in early trading, after Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla has not yet signed on the dotted line with Hertz, which announced a deal last week to add Model 3s to its fleet of rentals. Musk also stated that regardless, the deal would have “zero impact” on Tesla’s bottom line.

But Hertz said it’s already receiving cars under its plan to add 100,000 Tesla EVs through 2022, but didn’t respond directly to Musk’s remark:

As we announced last week, Hertz has made an initial order of 100,000 Tesla electric vehicles by the end of 2022 and is investing in new EV charging infrastructure across the company’s global operations. Deliveries of the Teslas already have started, and consumer reaction to our commitment to lead in electrification has been beyond our expectations.

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9:30 a.m. ET: Stocks open flat ahead of the Fed