Morning Brief
Headline News:
The S&P 500 futures trade nine points, or 0.2%, below fair value following yesterday’s unprovoked rebound. Investors have been busy reviewing a huge batch of earnings reports.
First-quarter results remained mostly better than expected, including from 3M (MMM 149.75, +1.15, +0.8%), UPS (UPS 193.79, +4.15, +2.2%), General Electric (GE 86.79, -3.09, -3.4%), and PepsiCo (PEP 174.27, +0.53, +0.3%). Note, GE is trading lower after saying it expects full-year earnings to be at the low end of its previous guidance range.
Growth concerns remain in the mix after Beijing initiated a massive COVID-19 testing campaign, stirring lockdown fears; and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, according to Bloomberg, warned western countries that there is a “considerable” chance of nuclear war if weapon deliveries to Ukraine continue.
Treasury yields are down for the second straight day. The 2- yr yield is down four basis points to 2.59%, and the 10-yr yield is down four basis points to 2.79%. The U.S. Dollar Index is up 0.1% to 101.90. WTI crude futures are up 0.8% to $99.32/bbl.
(Michael Gibbs, Director of Equity Portfolio & Technical Strategy)
Markets:
The S&P 500 moved below support at 4222.62 but rallied later to close higher at 4296.12. The volume was above average, with 2,843,614,976 shares traded, and RSI turned higher to close at 39.27. However, the Advance/Decline index was not positive, so the rally is suspect and was potentially an oversold bounce for now. Another positive close with above-average volume would be a good sign today that buyers are back in control. Potential resistance could come in at 4730.30, and possible support is now at 4292.46 and 4222.62.
We are currently Intermediate-term bearish and short-term bearish.
John N. Lilly III CPFA
Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor℠
Accredited Asset Management Specialist℠
Portfolio Manager, RJFS
Partner, DJWMG
Windsor Wealth Planners & Strategist
Futures trading is speculative, leveraged, and involves substantial risks. Investing always involves risk, including the loss of principal, and futures trading could present additional risk based on underlying commodities investments.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI), developed by J. Welles Wilder, is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and changes of price movements.
The advance/decline line (A/D) is a technical indicator that plots the difference between the number of advancing and declining stocks on a daily basis. The indicator is cumulative, with a positive number being added to the prior number, or if the number is negative it is subtracted from the prior number.
The A/D line is used to show market sentiment, as it tells traders whether there are more stocks rising or falling. It is used to confirm price trends in major indexes, and can also warn of reversals when divergence occurs.
The percentage of stocks trading above a specific moving average is a breadth indicator that measures internal strength or weakness in the underlying index. The 50-day moving average is used for short-to-medium-term timeframes, while the 150-day and 200-day moving averages are used for medium-to-long-term timeframes. Signals can be derived from overbought/oversold levels, crosses above/below 50% and bullish/bearish divergences.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represent approximately 8% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index.
The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S stock market. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investors’ results will vary. Opinions expressed are those of the author John N. Lilly III, and not necessarily those of Raymond James. “There is no guarantee that these statements, opinions, or forecast provided herein will prove to be correct. “The information contained was received from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy is not guaranteed. Investing always involves risk, and you may incur a profit or loss. No investment strategy can guarantee success. The charts and/or tables presented herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as the sole basis for your investment decision. International investing involves special risks, including currency fluctuations, different financial accounting standards, and possible political and economic volatility. Investing in emerging markets can be riskier than investing in well-established foreign markets.
This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any company’s stock mentioned above.
US government bonds and treasury bills are guaranteed by the US government and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and guaranteed principal value. US government bonds are issued and guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by the federal government. Bond prices and yields are subject to change based upon market conditions and availability. If bonds are sold prior to maturity, you may receive more or less than your initial investment. Holding bonds to term allows redemption at par value. There is an inverse relationship between interest