Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wednesday Watch

Evening Headlines 
Bloomberg:
  • Singapore Shows Asia How To Crack Down on Housing Bubble. Singapore, the city-state that banned chewing gum to curb litter, is showing the rest of Asia how to cool a housing bubble. The government this year ramped up efforts to bring down property prices that surged to a record, adopting some of its strictest measures, including a cap on debt at 60 percent of a borrower’s income, higher stamp duties on home purchases and an increase in real-estate taxes. The combination and timing of the curbs is the most comprehensive among governments battling housing bubbles, according to Vishnu Varathan, an economist at Mizuho Bank Ltd.
  • China’s Stocks Fall Most in Three Weeks on Economic Concerns. China’s stocks fell the most in three weeks after JPMorgan Chase & Co. advised reducing holdings and companies linked to Shanghai’s free-trade zone tumbled on concern valuations are excessive. Shanghai International Port (Group) Co. and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Development Co. plunged more than 7 percent after more than doubling since Aug. 22. Aluminum Corporation of China Ltd. and Jiangxi Copper Co., the nation’s biggest producers of aluminum and copper, led declines for metal producers. Cosco Shipping Co. and China Eastern Airlines Corp. slumped at least 4 percent. The Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) slid 1.6 percent to 2,196.94 at 10:46 a.m., heading for the biggest loss since Sept. 26.
  • Asian Stocks Swing Between Gains, Losses on U.S. Impasse. Asian stocks swung between gains and losses as U.S. lawmakers resumed talks to avoid a default ahead of tomorrow’s deadline to raise the debt ceiling. Li & Fung Ltd., a supplier of toys and clothes to Wal-Mart Stores Inc., fell 0.9 percent in Hong Kong. Japan Tobacco Inc., Asia’s largest listed cigarette maker, dropped 3.1 percent on a report it may raise prices after an increase in the nation’s sales tax. GungHo Online Entertainment Inc. jumped 17 percent in Tokyo after the game developer and its parent SoftBank Corp. agreed to buy 51 percent of Finland’s Supercell Oy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed at 141.36 as of 11:23 a.m. in Tokyo, after swing between gains and losses of 0.2 percent.
  • Rebar Falls in Shanghai With Chinese Stocks on Economic Outlook. Steel reinforcement-bar futures in Shanghai fell as Chinese stocks dropped the most in three weeks on concern the nation’s economy is losing momentum. Rebar for delivery in January on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell by as much as 0.7 percent to 3,581 yuan ($587) a metric ton before trading at 3,586 yuan at 10:35 a.m. local time. Prices have dropped 10 percent this year.
  • Rubber Drops from Two-Week High as U.S. Debt Deadline Looms. Rubber retreated from the highest level in more than two weeks as the deadlined loomed for U.S. lawmakers to reach a deal on raising the debt limit and avoiding a default. The contract for March delivery dropped as much as 1.2 percent to 267.5 yen a kilogram ($2,715 a metric ton) on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange and was at 268.6 yen at 11:09 a.m. in Tokyo. The most-active contract ended at 270.8 yen yesterday, the highest settlement since Sept. 26. Prices have fallen 11 percent this year.
  • Putin Builds North Korea Rail to Circumvent Suez Canal. Vladimir Putin is inching closer to his goal of turning Russia into a major transit route for trade between eastern Asia and Europe by prying open North Korea, a nuclear-capable dictatorship isolated for half a century. 
  • Draghi Turns Judge on Europe Banks as ECB Studies Balance Sheets. The European Central Bank is sizing up just how tough it wants to get with the region’s lenders. Policy makers at the Frankfurt-based ECB will this week try to agree on the ground rules of its three-pronged probe into the health of the 130 banks it will start supervising next year. The process will stress-test balance sheets for exposure to sovereign debt as well as push institutions to admit to more of their bad debt than they have before, according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
  • CME(CME) Boosts Rate Swap Margin 12%. “CME Clearing is closely monitoring the developments related to the U.S. reaching its debt ceiling,” the Chicago-based company said in a notice to members posted on its website today. “Anticipating possible market moves specific to this event, CME will increase margin for all” over-the-counter interest-rate swaps.
Wall Street Journal:
  • House GOP Abandons Its Proposal. In Senate, Reid and McConnell Resume Their Talks. Last-minute protests from conservatives in the House created a day of delay and confusion in Congress's efforts to avoid a U.S. debt default, as Republican leaders failed to craft a GOP budget proposal that could muster enough votes to pass.
  • SunTrust(STI) Eliminating 800 Mortgage Employees in Next Several Months. SunTrust Banks Inc. will eliminate 800 mortgage employees as a refinancing boom that boosted many banks' loan volumes comes to a screeching halt amid rising interest rates. The Atlanta bank will cut the positions over the next several months and expects attrition to account for some of the reductions, Sue Mallino, a SunTrust spokeswoman, said in a statement on Tuesday. "Like many financial institutions, we are adjusting our staffing in the mortgage business to reflect current market conditions, particularly the reduced volume of mortgage loan refinancing," Ms. Mallino said.
Fox News:
  • House cancels vote on budget, focus turns to Senate. House Republicans abruptly cancelled plans to take up a revised budget proposal Tuesday evening after leaders struggled to round up votes, leading Senate negotiators to resume bipartisan talks in hopes of reaching a deal before Thursday's debt ceiling deadline.
  • Fast-food CEO says Obama 'wrong,' health law is hurting job creation. Andy Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants Inc. which is the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, told Megyn Kelly on “The Kelly File,” that his company and others will choose to hire part-time employees instead of full-time employees because of increased costs from the health care law.
CNBC:
Zero Hedge:
Business Insider:
Washington Post: 
  • Visits to federal health-care Web site off 88%. The number of visitors to the federal government’s HealthCare.gov Web site dropped 88 percent between Oct. 1 and Oct. 13, according to a new analysis of America’s online use, while less than half of 1 percent of the site’s visitors successfully enrolled for health insurance the first week. The new numbers on the new health-care law — released by Kantar US Insights and based on an assessment conducted by the nonpartisan research firm Millward Brown Digital — provide a partial snapshot of how the federal health-care exchange has fared since it launched at the start of the month. 
NY Times:
  • Export Fair in China Loses Steam. With nearly as much floor space as five McCormick Places in Chicago, the sprawling Canton Fair, which opened in Guangzhou Tuesday morning, is a monument to China’s industrial versatility and export prowess. But although the 12 million square feet of exhibits still offer products as varied as wheelbarrows and Segway knockoffs, the autumn session of the fair hints at the broader malaise now afflicting exporters across China and other East Asian nations
  • Italian Prime Minister Calls Populism a Threat to Stability in Europe. With European parliamentary elections less than eight months away, Prime Minister Enrico Letta of Italy on Monday warned that the rise of angry populism poses the greatest threat to stability on the Continent and could undermine critical efforts to build and strengthen the euro zone’s political and financial institutions.
The Federalist:
Reuters:
  • CSX(CSX) sees better 2013, posts higher profit. CSX Corp posted a higher quarterly profit as its non-coal business did well and the railroad increased prices. Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX, the first of the big railroads to report quarterly results, earned $463 million or 46 cents a share, up from $455 million or 44 cents a share, last year.
Telegraph:
Commercial Times:
  • Formosa Epitaxy Sees Lower LED Chip Price Next Year. Industry average selling price may drop -10% next year, following a similar decline this year, citing Formosa Epitaxy Chairman Chien Feng-Jen.
Evening Recommendations 
BMO Capital:
  • Rated (WFM) Outperform, target $70. 
  • Rated (UNFI) Outperform, target $83.
  • Rated (TFM) Outperform, target $60.
  • Rated (SWY) Outperform, target $38.
  • Rated (CASY) Underperform, target $66.
  • Rated (SUSS) Outperform, target $60.
  • Rated (FWM) Outperform, target $28.
Night Trading
  • Asian equity indices are -.50% to +.25% on average.
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 136.0 -3.0 basis points.
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 106.5 -3.0 basis points. 
  • FTSE-100 futures +.12%.
  • S&P 500 futures +.49%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures +.35%.
Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note

Company/Estimate
  • (CMA)/.71
  • (PNC)/1.62
  • (USB)/.75
  • (NTRS)/.77
  • (ABT)/.51
  • (KEY)/.22
  • (MAT)/1.11
  • (SWK)/1.38
  • (BK)/.58
  • (BLK)/3.88
  • (BAC)/.20
  • (PEP)/1.17
  • (STJ)/.89
  • (GWW)/3.04
  • (EBAY)/.63
  • (XLNX)/.52
  • (IBM)/3.96
  • (KMI)/.30
  • (SNDK)/1.33
  • (AXP)/1.22
  • (STLD)/.24 
Economic Releases
10:00 am EST
  • The NAHB Housing Market Index for October is estimated to fall to 57 versus 58 in September.
2:00 pm EST
  • Fed Beige Book
Upcoming Splits
  • None of note
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The Fed's George speaking, Fed's Fisher speaking, Fed's Pianalto speaking, Eurozone CPI, UK Unemployment and the weekly MBA mortgage applications report could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by technology and real estate shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open modestly higher and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing mixed. The Portfolio is 25% net long heading into the day.

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