Omicron Fear Fades 😅

😅  Omicron fears abating. Positive developments on the #COVID19 Omicron front has the market running. Cases so far seem mild with high transmissibility and Pfizer believes its 3-shot regimen (2 initial + 1 booster) protects against Omicron. 🙄  CPI up only 6.8%… Nov 12-month CPI grew 6.8%-a 40-year high. However, markets actually cheered the news with CPI coming in below #InflationFears estimate of Read More

The Omicron Rollercoaster 🎢

😬  Omicron anxiety. Big market movements all week with small bits of #COVID19 Omicron news trickling out. Investors remain super anxious with #COVIDRecovery uncertainty from new variant. S&P 500 ends down -1% for week. 💸  Transient no more? Powell is retiring describing inflation as ‘transient’ and considering accelerating asset tapering timeline. Quick tone change from just a couple weeks ago signaling #InflationFears risk Read More

A Different Black Friday 🦠

🦠  Omicron variant fears. New #COVID19 variant Omicron surging in South Africa has countries globally restricting travel again. Still a lot unknown about the new variant, but rampant speculation and thinly traded Black Friday sent markets nose-diving. S&P 500 fell over -2%. #COVIDRecovery names hit hard, but #RevengeTravel including hotels and airlines decimated. 🏦  Powell renominated. Overshadowed by Omicron, Biden renominated Fed Chair Read More

Strong Retail Demand 🛍

🛍  Strong retail spending. Retail #earnings were strong highlighting #COVIDRecovery consumer demand remains intact despite #InflationFears. However, #SupplyScare issues remain heading into Q4. Consumer up +4% for week. 🦠  4th Wave? #COVID19 resurgence in Europe as rising case has Austria mandating 20-day lockdown and Germany not ruling out potential lockdown either. Even  cases troughed weeks ago and rising again. Volatile market as #COVIDRecovery keeps starting and stopping. ️💸  Read More

Oct CPI Lifts Off 🚀

📈  Surging inflation. #InflationFears in high gear with Oct 12-month CPI rising 6.2%-3x higher than 2% annual target. Investors concerned Fed moving too slow with stubborn ‘transient’ expectations. 10-year treasury yield rebounds up +9% after pullback from conservative Fed action. 📉  Consumer sentiment falling. #InflationFears spilling onto Mainstreet. Michigan’s consumer sentiment gauge dropped to 10-year low driven by surging Read More

Fed’s Inaction Action 🦥

🦥  Cautious Fed. As expected, Fed starting to taper asset purchases by $15B/month. However, Fed remains steadfast in transient #InflationFears expectations tempering rate hike forecast. 10-year treasury yield fell -7% during the week with Financials 🏦 lower with it. ✈️  Travel time. #RevengeTravel got a shot in the arm with more positive #COVID19 pill data. Compounds strong #earnings as travel restrictions ease globally. All 👀 on Read More

Supply Scare 👻

🚢  Supply shortages. #SupplyScare has companies scrambling to build and ship products. Component shortages, labor shortages, rising fuel costs and delayed logistics all compounding the issue. Not boding well for Q4 🎄 season. ⚾️  Revenue strikes out. Revenue missing Street expectations is a recurring theme this #earnings season. #COVIDRecovery demand seems to be there, but companies can’t produce enough product due to #SupplyScare issues. 💸  Yields Read More

Pantry Loading 2.0? 🧻

🚢  Supply chain woes. Rising concerns #COVIDRecovery hampered by persistent supply chain issues. Consumer companies noting some consumer hoarding behavior (Pantry Loading 2.0?) as well as retail ad demand lower for holiday season. All-time high energy prices just compounding investor concerns. 💸  Yields resume climb. Erasing last week’s dip, #RisingYields resume with 10-year treasury yield up 4%. More #InflationFears bolstered by Powell’s ‘time Read More

Banking on COVID Recovery 🤑

💸  Yields stabilizing. #RisingYields breaks 3-week streak with 10-year treasury yield ending week down -2%. Yields peaked Mon, dropped -6% by Thur and rebounded +4% Fri. The culprit flattening yield curves as investors worry Fed underestimating #InflationFears and will need to accelerate rate hikes. 💻  Growth rebound. S&P 500 finished up almost +2% with high-growth Tech leading the way up Read More

New Adventures of Old Auto 🚘

💸  Yields keep on rising. For 3rd straight week, #RisingYields continue tacking on another 9%. Surging energy prices, strong #COVIDRecovery data and incoming Fed action continues to drive #InflationFears and #Flight2Safety rotation. 🇨🇳  Biden/Xi virtual summit. White House reengaging Beijing holding a virtual summit later this year. Markets popped Thursday on #ChinaTension relief with S&P 500 finishing +1% for week. 🚙  Legacy auto in spotlight. General Motors Read More