Evening Headlines
Bloomberg:
- Hong Kong Leader Leung Jeered by Democracy Protesters. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was jeered by
pro-democracy demonstrators at a ceremony to hoist the Chinese flag as
the city entered the sixth day of protests seeking free elections.
Leung arrived by boat at Golden Bauhinia Square to mark the 65th
anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The site
is near the main protests in Admiralty, where organizers estimated more
than 100,000 people gathered last night to demand Leung
step aside and China drop plans to vet candidates in a leadership
election planned for 2017.
- Yahoo(YHOO) Restricted in China as Hong Kong Protests Spur New Control. Users
trying to access Yahoo! Inc.’s (YHOO) main website from mainland China
faced disrupted service yesterday as the government sought to restrict
the flow of information amid student-led protests in Hong Kong. The
www.yahoo.com site was inaccessible in some parts of the country,
according to Greatfire.org, a group that monitors Internet censorship.
The pattern suggested a “man-in-the-middle attack,” in which an attacker
intercepts data that Internet
users exchange with Yahoo’s servers, the group said.
- Putin Reserve Rubles Vanish in Crimea Grab. After proclaiming in 2007 that the ruble was
poised to become a haven for global investors, the Russian leader has
watched it fade, a victim of his nation’s stagnating economy since the
land grab in Ukraine. Now so much money is leaving Russia that its
central bank is considering temporary capital controls, according to two
officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
- French Policy Stupor Sends Bearish Equity Bets Soaring. French stocks have beaten euro-area stocks for six years. Options traders are betting 2014 will be different.
With a budget deficit poised to rise and economic growth running at
half the region’s rate, investor sentiment on the CAC 40 Index (CAC) is
deteriorating. Options protecting against swings in the equity gauge cost the most since April 2013 relative to the Euro Stoxx 50 Index,
data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- China Factory Gauge Unchanged as Manufacturing Subdued. China’s manufacturing stayed subdued
last month as an official gauge was unchanged, with the world’s
second-largest economy weighed down by a property slump. The
government’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (CPMINDX) was at 51.1 in
September, the same as August’s reading and compared with the 51.0
median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of economists.
Readings above 50 signal expansion.
- Sydney Homes Costing More Than New York Spurs RBA Review. To
see why Australia’s central bank has shifted its stance on home-lending
curbs, look no further than Sydney’s inner city where a one-bedroom
apartment sold at the weekend for 35 percent more than its last price in
2012. The 54-square-meter (581-square-foot) property in Surry Hills
was purchased by an investor for A$647,000 ($565,931), said Con
Fotaras, a sales consultant at Belle Property Surry Hills who brokered
the transaction. “It’s really hard to put a price on a property at the
moment,” he said of a Sydney market where the median home price is
higher than in New York.
- Rajan Warns Ultra-Low Rates May Distort With No Benefits. Indian central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan warned that near-zero interest rates in developed markets
may be distorting asset prices without creating any real gain in
economic activity. “We have had ultra-low interest rates for close to six
years, and at some point you have dug a hole so deep in terms of
asset prices that any attempt to get out of this has an
immediate effect on asset prices,” Rajan said in an interview
with Bloomberg TV India. While that may be worth the price to
spur the economy, if it doesn’t respond “then you may have
incurred the cost of distorted asset prices without the gain of
real activity.” The debate remains inconclusive, he said.
- Asian Stock Index Retreats on U.S. Confidence, Hong Kong.
Asian stocks fell, with the benchmark index heading for a fourth day of
losses, after consumer confidence in the U.S. unexpectedly declined and
Hong Kong braced for bigger protests as Chinese holidays started. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) slid 0.1 percent to 140.20 as of 9:02 a.m. in Japan after retreating to a four-month low
yesterday.
- Platinum Slides to 5-Year Low as Demand Wanes After Strike Ends. Platinum sank to the lowest level
since 2009 as a surge in the dollar curbed investor interest,
extending the first quarterly loss this year spurred by the resumption of output in South Africa after a strike. Gold held losses near a nine-month low. The metal for immediate delivery fell as much as 1.2
percent to $1,285.50 an ounce, the lowest price since Oct. 5,
2009, extending a retreat from a 10-month high of $1,519.68 in
July. It traded at $1,287 by 8:34 a.m. in Singapore, according
to Bloomberg generic pricing.
- Rising U.S. Crude Exports Move Closer to 1957 Record. U.S.
oil exports, which in July reached the highest level since 1957, are
set to climb to a record by the end of 2014 as producers find ways
around a four-decade restriction on crude leaving the country. The U.S.
sent 401,000 barrels a day abroad in July, 54,000
shy of the record set in March 1957, according to data compiled
by the Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department’s statistical unit. While Canada accounted for 93 percent of the shipments, Italy, Singapore and Switzerland also took U.S. oil. Coupled with Alaskan oil bound for Asia, total U.S. exports will reach 1 million barrels a day by the middle of 2015, according to Citigroup Inc. (C)
- Mosquito Virus That Walloped Caribbean Spreads in U.S. A
mosquito-borne virus that can cause debilitating joint pain lasting for
years has spread to the continental U.S. after infecting hundreds of
thousands of people in the Caribbean and Central America. The virus
is called Chikungunya, an African name meaning “to become contorted.”
While the illness, first identified in Tanzania in 1952, has long
bedeviled Africa and Asia, the
only recorded cases in the U.S. before July involved patients who
contracted the virus abroad.
Wall Street Journal:
- Ukraine Forces Repel Two Fresh Assaults on Donetsk's Airport. Airport Has Become Center of Battles in Recent Days Despite Sept. 5 Truce. Ukrainian forces repelled two fresh assaults by pro-Russia rebels on
the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk on Tuesday, a military
spokesman said, as fighting for the strategic site showed no sign of
ending despite a cease-fire signed nearly a month ago. European
Union diplomats, meanwhile, decided to keep sanctions on Russia in place
while the truce deal is still being implemented. The spokesman, Col....
- Italy's Economic Woes Highlight Dilemma for European Central Bank. Weak Eurozone Inflation, Falling Prices in Italy Put Pressure on ECB to Act.
- Brazil Leader Regains Edge in Election Polls. Two new electoral polls show Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
widening her lead over her main challenger in a likely second-round
runoff, surveys that disappointed many investors who hope for the
incumbent's ouster. The leader would get 49% of the vote in a
head-to-head showdown with Socialist Party candidate Marina Silva in
late October, said a survey released Tuesday by polling firm Datafolha.
Ms. Silva would capture...
- SEC Grants Citigroup Waivers, Easing Hedge-Fund Curbs. Restrictions Would Have Crimped Some Banking, Including Selling Hedge-Fund Investments to Individuals.
Fox News:
- CDC confirms first case of Ebola in US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on
Tuesday that a patient being treated at a Dallas hospital has tested
positive for Ebola, the first case diagnosed in the United States. The patient left Liberia on September 19 and arrived in the United
States on September 20, CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden told reporters at a
press conference Tuesday. It’s the first patient to be diagnosed with
this particular strain of Ebola outside of Africa.
MarketWatch.com:
Zero Hedge:
Business Insider:
Reuters:
Obama takes on coal with first-ever carbon limits
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20130919_ap_0f857b20e0c144a5a1e1b9dddc9f9d72.html#YRThyDOhArykUeYy.9Brazil cuts 2014 GDP growth forecast, keeps fiscal goal
Evening Recommendations
Night Trading
- Asian equity indices are -.50% to unch. on average.
- Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 99.0 -2.5 basis points.
- Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 71.5 -1.75 basis points.
- NASDAQ 100 futures -.08%.
Morning Preview Links
Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate
Economic Releases
8:15 am EST
- The ADP Employment Change for September is estimated to rise to 205K versus 204K in August.
9:45 am EST
- Final US Manufacturing PMI for September is estimated at 57.9 versus a prior estimate of 57.9.
10:00 am EST
- ISM Manufacturing for September is estimated to fall to 58.5 versus 59.0 in August.
- ISM Prices Paid for September is estimated to fall to 57.0 versus 58.0 in August.
- Construction Spending for August is estimated to rise +.5% versus a +1.8% gain in July.
10:30 am EST
- Bloomberg
consensus estimates call for a weekly crude oil inventory build of
+925,000 barrels versus a -4,273,000 barrel decline the prior week.
Gasoline inventories are estimated to fall by -661,110 barrels versus a
-414,000 barrel decline the prior week. Distillate supplies are
estimated to fall by -88,890 barrels versus a +823,000 barrel gain the
prior week. Finally, Refinery Utilization is estimated to fall by -.73%
versus a +.4% gain the prior week.
Afternoon:
- Total Vehicle Sales for September are estimated to fall to 16.8M versus 17.45M in August.
Upcoming Splits
Other Potential Market Movers
- The
Eurozone PMI, weekly MBA Mortgage Applications report, (ADSK) investor
day, (GM) business conference call and the (CP) investor day could also
impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE: Asian
indices are mostly lower, weighed down by industrial and technology
shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing modestly lower. The Portfolio is 25% net long heading into the day.
Broad Equity Market Tone:
- Advance/Decline Line: Substantially Lower
- Sector Performance: Almost Every Sector Declining
- Market Leading Stocks: Underperforming
Equity Investor Angst:
- Volatility(VIX) 16.07 +.56%
- Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 144.59 -.30%
- Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 8.16 -.49%
- S&P 500 Implied Correlation 56.91 +2.89%
- ISE Sentiment Index 72.0 -20.0%
- Total Put/Call 1.14 +29.55%
Credit Investor Angst:
- North American Investment Grade CDS Index 64.59 -3.56%
- European Financial Sector CDS Index 63.42 -6.13%
- Western Europe Sovereign Debt CDS Index 30.17 -.89%
- Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt CDS Index 71.42 -2.45%
- Emerging Market CDS Index 285.87 +1.92%
- China Blended Corporate Spread Index 318.07 +2.19%
- 2-Year Swap Spread 24.75 unch.
- 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -10.50 -.5 basis point
Economic Gauges:
- 3-Month T-Bill Yield .02% +2.0 basis points
- China Import Iron Ore Spot $77.50/Metric Tonne -.26%
- Citi US Economic Surprise Index 17.90 -7.0 basis points
- Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index -20.30 -6.0 points
- 10-Year TIPS Spread 1.97 +2.0 basis points
Overseas Futures:
- Nikkei Futures: Indicating +22 open in Japan
- DAX Futures: Indicating -30 open in Germany
Portfolio:
- Slightly Lower: On losses in my biotech/medical/retail sector longs
- Disclosed Trades: Added to my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges
- Market Exposure: Moved to 25% Net Long
Bloomberg:
- Russia Weighs Capital Controls in Case Net Outflows Intensify. Russia’s central bank is weighing the introduction of
temporary capital controls if the flow of money out of the country
intensifies, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the
discussions. Such measures would be preventative and used only if
net outflows rise significantly, the people said, who asked not to be
identified because no decision has been made. They didn’t give a
timeline or a level that may force such a move, saying they are looking
at all possible scenarios. The ruble weakened to a record low today, breaching the level where the regulator steps in to support the currency.
- Russia Loan Market Shut Down by Sanctions Squeeze Funding. Russian
companies are facing a
squeeze in funding as sanctions targeting industries smother
lending to all borrowers, including those that aren’t
blacklisted. “As long as those sanctions measures remain in force, one
anticipates there will be very little international lending,” Philip
Hanson, an associate fellow at the Chatham House research group in
London, said yesterday by telephone. “They’d rather just play safe
and avoid the risk.” Syndicated loans plunged 53 percent this quarter
from a
year earlier to $2.68 billion, the lowest level in at least five
years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Coal miner
Siberian Anthracite’s $250 million deal was the only
international one signed this month, the smallest number for any
September since at least 2008.
- Oops Japan Did It Again? Sales-Tax Spurs Recession Debate. Weak
industrial production data
from Japan today raises concern that the world’s third-largest economy
may be back in recession, challenging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s growth
strategy. Output -- a key component of the Coincident Index (JNCICCOI)
that’s used by the Cabinet Office to determine peaks and troughs in the
business cycle -- unexpectedly fell in August. It’s now dropped
in three of the five months since an increase in the sales tax
in April.
- German Unemployment Unexpectedly Rises as Risks Increase.
German unemployment unexpectedly rose for a second month as seasonal
factors combined with economic risks from the Ukraine crisis to a
faltering euro-area recovery. The number of people out of work
climbed a seasonally adjusted 12,000 to 2.92 million in September, the
Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. Economists forecast a
decline of 2,000, according to the median of 27 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey.
- Commodities Head for Biggest Quarterly Loss Since 2008. Corn futures tumbled to a five-year
low, gold is the cheapest since January and copper extended this
year’s decline as raw materials headed for their worst quarter
since 2008. The Bloomberg Commodity Index fell as much as 1.4 percent today, the biggest intraday loss since June 2013.
U.S. corn inventories before the start of this year’s harvest were
bigger than analysts forecast, the government said today. Holdings in
bullion-backed exchange-traded products are near the lowest in
five years amid waning investor demand.
- Euro’s Worst Quarter Since 2010 Leaves It at Two-Year Low. The euro dropped to the lowest
level in two years against the dollar as slowing inflation
boosted the case for the European Central Bank to add further monetary stimulus to avert deflation.
The 18-nation currency headed for its worst quarter since 2010 amid the
ECB’s moves to swell its balance sheet and cut borrowing costs to spur
growth. Russia’s ruble slumped after Bloomberg News reported the central
bank is weighing capital controls, and the Canadian dollar weakened as
the nation’s economy stalled. The U.S. dollar has climbed this quarter
as the Federal Reserve considers raising interest rates.
ZeroHedge:
Business Insider:
@fxmacro:
Reuters:
Telegraph:
Style Underperformer:
Sector Underperformers:
- 1) Hospitals -2.24% 2) Gold & Silver -2.21% 3) Alt Energy -1.90%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume:
- PGP, WAC, PDFS, FDUS, WPPGY, CNW, DWA, THRM, ST, LANC, BWA, AMBA, TEL, USLV, AGIO, WTI, DLPH, HTWR, MGA, IRM, SGEN PNK, LPL, ALV, AAOI, ELGX, HAR, CAR and WAC
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
- 1) DHR 2) ZQK 3) FSL 4) LYB 5) F
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
- 1) TEL 2) MOS 3) CHTR 4) THRM 5) ADBE
Charts:
Style Outperformer:
Sector Outperformers:
- 1) Computer Hardware +1.04% 2) Utilities +.79% 3) Internet +.72%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
- MOVE, TK, AMAG, VIMC, EBAY, CTAS, CENX and INVN
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
- 1) MTH 2) CORN 3) OWW 4) EBAY 5) DHR
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
- 1) JNJ 2) CNP 3) MOVE 4) AAPL 5) GOOG
Charts:
Evening Headlines
Bloomberg:
- Hong Kong Protesters Block Roads as Leaders Set Deadline. Tens of thousands of protesters filled streets in Hong Kong through
the night to press for open elections and the resignation of Chief
Executive Leung Chun-ying, as student leaders set an Oct. 1 deadline for
their demands to be met. While their numbers had thinned this
morning, demonstrators remained in the main protest area near government
headquarters in the Admiralty district, as well as in Causeway Bay and
Mong Kok. Main roads through the central business district remain closed
and some bus routes have been suspended, the government said in a
statement late yesterday.
- Islamic State Shells Hit Turkey Amid Syria Border Fight. Turkish
tanks deployed along the border with Syria as shells fired by Islamic
State militants landed inside Turkey, injuring five people including two
soldiers. One of the mortar shells hit near the border crossing of
Mursitpinar, close to a group of journalists and Turkish security
forces, CNN-Turk said. Another shell landed near a refugee camp, about a
kilometer inside
Turkey. Regular explosions and gunfire could be heard from Turkish
territory as Turkish troops returned fire, state-run Anadolu Agency
said.
- China Factory Gauge Falls From Initial Reading as Growth Slows. A Chinese manufacturing gauge fell from an initial reading a week ago
as a property slump weighs on the world’s second-largest economy. The
Purchasing Managers’ Index from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics
for September was at 50.2, lower than the flash reading of 50.5 and
unchanged from August. Numbers
above 50 signal expansion.
- Japan’s Output Unexpectedly Slumps as Retail Sales Rise. Japan’s
output unexpectedly fell while stronger retail sales and an improving
job market showed resilience in the world’s third-biggest economy as
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe weighs another sales-tax increase.
Industrial production declined 1.5 percent in August from July, compared
with the median estimate of 31 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News
for a 0.2 percent
gain. Retail sales increased 1.9 percent from the previous month, as the
jobless rate slid to 3.5 percent.
- Asian Stocks Slide on Hong Kong as Kiwi Drops With Crude.
Asian stocks fell, with the regional index headed for its biggest
monthly drop since May last year amid concern over tensions in Hong Kong
and after an unexpected decline in Japanese factory output. New
Zealand’s dollar dropped to near a one-year low as crude oil declined. The
MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.6 percent by 10:01 a.m. in Tokyo,
pushing it down 5.1 percent in September. Japan’s Topix (TPX) index lost
0.9 percent, trimming its quarterly gain.
- Iron Ore Heads for Record Run of Quarterly Losses as Glut Builds.
Iron ore will complete a third straight quarterly decline today to post
the longest losing run on record as a slowdown in China’s economy curbs
demand growth in the largest buyer and worsens a global surplus. Ore
with 62 percent content delivered to Qingdao, China lost 17 percent
this quarter to $77.97 a dry metric ton, the lowest price since
September 2009, according to data from Metal Bulletin Ltd. That follows a
19 percent drop between April and June and 13 percent retreat in the
first three months. Thesteel-making ingredient is headed for the longest
stretch of
quarterly losses since the data series began in 2009.
- Gluts Spur Investor Exit Signaling Prolonged Price Slumps. Investors are betting that the worst isn’t over for commodity prices that already are the lowest in five years. About
$873 billion was pulled from U.S. exchange-traded products backed by
raw materials this month, the most since April, data compiled by
Bloomberg show. Expanding surpluses, a surging dollar and slowing growth
in China helped send the Bloomberg Commodity Index to the lowest since
2009, reversing first-half gains fueled by a polar vortex and dead pigs
in the U.S., and escalating tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Wall Street Journal:
- China President Xi Jinping Faces Stark Choices Over Hong Kong Protests. Beijing
Wary of Conjuring Memories of Tiananmen Square. Massive democracy
rallies in Hong Kong have offered Chinese President Xi Jinping stark
choices between concession and crackdown, either of which pose problems
for his government—and his own political standing. Throughout the
weekend and into Monday, protesters, mostly students, confronted police
and halted business activity in parts of Hong Kong, and as dawn broke
Tuesday remained spread along major thoroughfares. Police fired tear gas
and pepper spray to disperse the thousands of students gathered outside
government headquarters on Sunday, but the protesters regrouped and
re-emerged in greater numbers, choking off roadways in the heart of the
city.
- The Obama-Military Divide. What should senior
officers do if experience tells them that the president's plan to defeat
ISIS is unworkable without U.S. combat troops?
CNBC:
Zero Hedge:
Business Insider:
Evening Recommendations
Night Trading
- Asian equity indices are -1.25% to unch. on average.
- Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 101.50 +2.5 basis points.
- Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 73.25 +4.0 basis points.
- NASDAQ 100 futures -.04%.
Morning Preview Links
Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate
Economic Releases
9:00 am EST
- ISM Milwaukee for September is estimated to rise to 61.0 versus 59.63 in August.
- S&P/CS 20 City MoM for July is estimated unch. versus a -.2% drop in June.
9:45 am EST
- Chicago Purchasing Manager for September is estimated to fall to 62.0 versus 64.3 in August.
10:00 am EST
- Consumer Confidence for September is estimated to rise to 92.5 versus 92.4 in August.
Upcoming Splits
Other Potential Market Movers
- The
China Manufacturing PMI, German Unemployment Change, weekly US retail
sales reports, (INTU) investor day, (MCO) investor day and the (TK)
investor day could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE: Asian
indices are mostly lower, weighed down by industrial and technology
shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open modestly lower and to rally into the afternoon, finishing mixed. The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the day.
Broad Equity Market Tone:
- Advance/Decline Line: Lower
- Sector Performance: Almost Every Sector Declining
- Volume: Slightly Below Average
- Market Leading Stocks: Performing In Line
Equity Investor Angst:
- Volatility(VIX) 16.33 +9.97%
- Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 144.99 +.19%
- Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 8.26 +6.44%
- S&P 500 Implied Correlation 56.62 +9.35%
- ISE Sentiment Index 79.0 -3.66%
- Total Put/Call .87 -22.32%
Credit Investor Angst:
- North American Investment Grade CDS Index 66.75 +3.72%
- European Financial Sector CDS Index 67.08 +6.28%
- Western Europe Sovereign Debt CDS Index 30.44 +8.40%
- Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt CDS Index 71.99 +4.14%
- Emerging Market CDS Index 279.16 +5.93%
- China Blended Corporate Spread Index 311.26 +.13%
- 2-Year Swap Spread 24.75 +2.25 basis points
- TED Spread 22.75 +.25 basis point
- 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -10.0 -1.5 basis points
Economic Gauges:
- 3-Month T-Bill Yield .00% unch.
- Yield Curve 192.0 -3.0 basis points
- China Import Iron Ore Spot $77.70/Metric Tonne -1.15%
- Citi US Economic Surprise Index 24.90 -2.0 basis points
- Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index -14.30 +2.9 points
- 10-Year TIPS Spread 1.95 -6.0 basis points
Overseas Futures:
- Nikkei Futures: Indicating -25 open in Japan
- DAX Futures: Indicating -1 open in Germany
Portfolio:
- Slightly Higher: On gains in my tech sector longs, index hedges and emerging markets shorts
- Disclosed Trades: Covered some of my (IWM)/(QQQ) hedges, then added them back
- Market Exposure: 50% Net Long
Bloomberg:
- HK Protesters Vow More to Come Unless Leader Leung Quits. Pro-democracy protesters vowed to press ahead with demonstrations
unless Hong Kong’s top official steps down, with thousands of people
surrounding government offices after violent clashes paralyzed the city
center. Protesters dressed in black have gathered in the
Admiralty district to demand free elections, while blocking a main road
into the central business area. Rallies in the shopping neighborhoods of
Causeway Bay and Mong Kok are picking up after a lull in the morning,
leading banks to shut branches and deterring tourists.
- Merkel Says EU, U.S. May Be Facing Long Ukraine Crisis. Chancellor
Angela Merkel invoked the 40-year history of communist East Germany as
showing that the European Union and the U.S. may be in for a long haul
in their face-off with Russia over its actions in Ukraine. “I don’t see
any change at the moment regarding Russia’s position,” Merkel said
at a joint news conference with Finland’s Prime Minister Alexander Stubb
today in Berlin. “I’m from former East Germany. Weneeded 40 years to
overcome East
Germany. Sometimes in history one has to be prepared for the
long haul, and not ask after four months if it still makes sense
to keep up our demands.”
- Ukraine Army Sees Worst Day Since Truce as Battles Flare. Ukraine’s
army endured its deadliest day since signing a cease-fire with
pro-Russian militants 3 1/2 weeks ago, threatening to unravel a truce
that calmed the six-month conflict in the nation’s east. Nine Ukrainian servicemen were killed in attacks during the
last 24 hours, including an assault by a separatist tank on a
government armored personnel carrier near the airport of
Donetsk, the combat zone’s largest city, military spokesman
Andriy Lysenko said today. Twenty-seven soldiers were wounded as
troops repelled two “powerful” storming attempts by rebel
fighters, killing 50 militants, he said. The rebels do not
release casualty figures.
- Russia’s RTS Slides Into Bear Market as Sistema Tumbles.
Russia’s dollar-denominated RTS (RTSI$) Index entered a bear market as a
court ruling restricting AFK Sistema from receiving dividend payments
from its OAO Bashneft unit wiped a quarter off the holding’s value. The
RTS dropped 2.6 percent to 1,126.21 by the close in Moscow, the lowest
since April 25 and taking its decline from a June 24 high to 21 percent.
The benchmark Micex Index (INDEXCF) fell 1.8 percent to 1,408.28.
Sistema, controlled by the billionaire placed under house arrest in a
probe into alleged money laundering, tumbled 25 percent to 12.68 rubles.
The stock has lost 65 percent since Vladimir Evtushenkov’s Sept. 16
detention.
- Ibovespa Leads World Losses as Real Tumbles After Poll. The Ibovespa plunged the most among
global stock benchmarks while the real slumped to a 13-month low
after a poll showed increased support for President Dilma Rousseff’s re-election bid. The Ibovespa declined 3.4 percent to 55,283.69 at 12:52 p.m. in Sao Paulo, set for the biggest decline since July 2013.
State-controlled oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro SA contributed the
most to the gauge’s decline, tumbling as much as 8.9 percent. The real fell 1.1 percent to 2.4466 per U.S. dollar,
the most among 31 major currencies tracked by Bloomberg.
Traders are paring bets on the chances a new government
will be elected next month and jump-start economic growth after
the country fell into a recession in the first half of the year.
- Europe Stocks Fall as Banks Drop Amid Hong Kong Protests.
A decline in bank shares led European stocks lower, with HSBC Holdings
Plc weighing on the benchmark index amid pro-democracy protests in Hong
Kong. HSBC and Standard Chartered Plc slid more than 1.5 percent each as
they shuttered some Hong Kong branches as protesters stayed on the
streets after clashes with police. Commerzbank AG fell 4.2 percent after
a person with knowledge of the matter said the lender faces a U.S.
inquiry into whether it broke anti-money-laundering laws. Balfour Beatty
(BBY) Plc slid to its lowest price in more than 10 years after
signaling the outlook for construction earnings has worsened. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slid 0.4 percent to 340.99 at the close of trading, paring losses of as much as 0.9 percent.
- Nickel Poised for Bear Market as Prices Head for Quarterly Loss.
Nickel was poised to fall into a bear market after prices tumbled this
quarter on signs an ore-export ban by the world’s biggest producer
hasn’t depleted supplies as fast as forecast. The metal in London retreated as much as 2.5 percent today and is down 12 percent this quarter.
Indonesia introduced restrictions on shipments in January, sending
prices to the highest in more than two years. Nickel has since plunged
as
analysts from Credit Suisse Group AG to Citigroup Inc. said the
shortfall will be less than expected. London Metal Exchange
stockpiles are at the highest in records going back to 1979.
- Bond Warnings Rise as ’94 Parallels Seen in Fed-CPI Split. For
bond investors who are
convinced a lack of inflation will keep the Federal Reserve from
upending Treasuries when it begins to raise interest rates, there’s one
parallel in history that suggests they still have cause for concern.
The last time consumer-price increases were slowing before the Fed
started increasing borrowing costs was in 1994 -- when Treasuries lost
3.3 percent in what was then the biggest selloff on record. At the time,
Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan shocked the
financial world by doubling the benchmark rate to 6 percent,
even though inflation was at a seven-year low of 2.5 percent.
- Hedge Funds Score With Small-Cap Shorts in Russell Drop. Hedge
funds are finally getting
something right in the equity market. Large speculators tracked by the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission have pushed short sales on the
Russell 2000 Index (RTY) of the smallest shares to the highest in more
than three years, just as the gauge is poised for its worst quarterly
return since 2011. Bearish bets rose since March in the index, whose companies have a median value that’s 4 percent the size of
Standard & Poor’s 500 Index stocks.
- California College Students Must Now Consent Before Sex. Colleges in California that receive state funding must bolster
policies on campus sexual assault under laws signed yesterday, the first
in the U.S. requiring students give consent before they have sex.
The bill, signed by Governor Jerry Brown, requires public universities
and private colleges that get financial grants to mandate students agree
verbally or through some other
affirmative signal before having sex.
CNBC:
ZeroHedge:
Business Insider:
Telegraph:
Nikkei:
- Keidanren Says Further Yen Weakening Would Hurt Japan. Sadayuki
Sakakibara, head of Japan's business lobby Keidanren, said further
weakening of the yen would have a negative impact on the Japanese
economy. Sakakibara said a weak yen would increase gasoline and raw
materials prices boosting costs for households and small businesses.
Style Underperformer:
Sector Underperformers:
- 1) Gaming -2.41% 2) Steel -1.92% 3) I-Banks -1.32%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume:
- CVEO, TXTR, PTY, JNS, ELGX, PGP, CMTL, ADHD, SBRA, POWL, ATW, SGEN, PBR, BHP, CSWC, MDP, CTRP, BGC, GDOT, CMCM, AVY, CM, PHI, INVN, AME, RUBI, WMS, RPTP and XLS
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
- 1) DHI 2) OPK 3) ADSK 4) TXN 5) ADBE
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
- 1) MDC 2) AIG 3) WFC 4) TXTR 5) RDC
Charts:
Style Outperformer:
Sector Outperformers:
- 1) Hospitals +.46% 2) Utilities +.24% 3) Biotech +.21%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
- BAGL, ATHL, TIBX, AMAG, DWA, AGIO, NI, CLVS, GPRO, CONN, AMBA and LPI
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
- 1) TSN 2) TIBX 3) RUSL 4) ARIA 5) AGN
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
- 1) ECA 2) NI 3) ATHL 4) TIBX 5) DWA
Charts:
Weekend Headlines
Bloomberg:
- Netanyahu to Push Iran as Worse Threat Than Islamic State. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will urge world leaders to keep up
the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program even as they confront the
threat of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Netanyahu,
addressing the United Nations General Assembly today, will expand on his
Sept. 22 remarks mocking “esteemed commentators in the West” who say
“the major powers need to go easy on Iran’s nuclear program so that Iran
will fight” Islamic
State, according to aides familiar with his speech. They asked
not to be identified because it hasn’t been delivered.
- Turkey Wants Secure Syria Zone as Militants Strike Kurds. Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said setting up a “secure zone” inside
Syria is necessary to help refugees return after they fled Islamic
State’s onslaught against Kurdish areas into Turkey. Erdogan’s
remarks to the World Economic Forum in Istanbul may anger Kurdish
officials, who accuse him of siding with Islamic State against the Kurds
in Syria to justify creating a
buffer zone that would smother the autonomous region there. The
Turkish government denies supporting Islamic State or any
militant group.
- Ukraine Warns of Renegade Rebel Attacks Threatening Cease-Fire. Ukraine
warned that groups beyond the control of rebel leaders in the country’s
east were continuing attacks on government forces, undermining a truce
that has mostly held since it was signed this month. Two autonomous rebel units, “Zarya” and “Don,” fired
from long-range artillery at the Ukrainian army near Shchastya,
a town 15 kilometers north of Luhansk, regional Governor
Hennadiy Moskal said Sept. 27 on his website. Ukrainian troops
repelled an attack on the Donetsk airport yesterday, according
to military spokesman Andriy Lysenko.
- Commerzbank Said to Face U.S. Laundering Controls Probe.
Commerzbank AG (CBK), the German lender seeking to resolve a probe into
Iran sanctions violations, also faces a U.S. inquiry into whether it
broke anti-money-laundering laws, according to a person with knowledge
of the situation.
- Hong Kong Dollar, Stocks Slide Amid Protest Crackdown.
Hong Kong’s stocks fell to a two-month low, its currency dropped and
equity-market volatility surged amid the biggest police crackdown on
protesters since the city returned to Chinese rule. The benchmark
Hang Seng Index sank 1.3 percent as of 9:50 a.m. in Hong Kong to the
lowest intraday level since July 18 as developers and retailers tumbled.
The MSCI Hong Kong Index headed for its biggest drop in a year, while a
gauge of stock volatility jumped 15 percent, poised for the steepest
surge since February. The city’s currency slid 0.03 percent to
HK$7.7602 per greenback.
- Asia Stocks Fall, Led by Hong Kong, as Dollar Climbs.
Asian stocks dropped, led by a rout in Hong Kong, after clashes between
police and pro-democracy protesters in the Chinese city. The dollar
extended gains and the cost of insuring debt against default jumped
after U.S. economic data bolstered the outlook for higher interest
rates. The Hang Seng Index lost 2.3 percent by 11:22 a.m. in Tokyo, erasing its gain for the year and dragging the MSCI Asia
Pacific Index to a 0.7 percent decline.
- Iron Ore Seen Weak by Albanese as High-Cost Mines Face Pain. Iron
ore prices that fell to a
five-year low this month are seen staying weak for a sustained period as
supply exceeds demand and China’s economy slows, according to Tom
Albanese, former head of Rio Tinto Group. High-cost producers are
facing a “pain point” at prices of about $80 a metric ton, Albanese,
chief executive officer of London-based Vedanta Resources Plc (VED),
said in interviews with Bloomberg Television and a reporter today. While
low-cost
producers would still be able to make good money in iron ore,
there will be closures of higher-cost mines over time, he said.
- Nickel Poised to Enter Bear Market on Path to Quarterly Loss.
Nickel fell, heading for a bear market, on concern that demand will
slow in China, the biggest metals user, and after Philippine lawmakers
clarified last week they won’t seek an ore-export ban for at least seven
years. The metal in London retreated as much as 2.5 percent and is
down 13 percent this quarter. Profits at industrial companies in
China fell last month for the first time in two years as a
slowdown deepens, data showed Sept. 27.
- Hedge Funds Raise Bullish Cocoa Bets on Ebola Concerns.
Hedge funds raised bullish bets on cocoa before prices climbed to the
highest since 2011 on concern that the deadly Ebola disease will disrupt
supplies from West Africa, which produces 70 percent of global supply.
Money managers raised their net-long positions by the most
in 16 weeks.
- Warren Calls For Hearings on New York Fed Allegations. U.S.
Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a congressional investigation into
allegations that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had been too
deferential to the institutions it regulated. “Congress must hold oversight hearings on the disturbing issues raised by today’s whistle-blower report when it returns
in November -- because it’s our job to make sure our financial
regulators are doing their jobs,” Warren, a Massachusetts
Democrat and member of the Senate Banking Committee, said in a
statement today.
- Fisher Says Fed Must Weigh Wage Pressures in Setting Rate Policy. The
Federal Reserve mustn’t “fall behind the curve” as it weighs when to
start raising interest rates, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher said,
citing strengthening U.S. growth and building wage-price pressures.
Fisher, a vocal advocate for tighter monetary policy to
protect against inflation, also said today that two soon-to-be-released
economic reports from his Fed district would “knock
your socks off.”
Wall Street Journal:
Fox News:
- US 'understimated' rise of ISIS, Obama says. President Obama acknowledged Sunday that U.S. intelligence officials
"underestimated" the threat posed by the Islamic State and overestimated
the Iraqi army’s capacity to defeat the militant group.
CNBC:
Business Insider:
Reuters:
Wirtschaftswoche:
- Ifo's Sinn Urges Germany to Act Against ECB ABS Purchases.
Germany should take legal moves to oppose the European Central Bank's
purchase of asset-backed securities, Hans-Werner Sinn, head of the Ifo
economic institute, says in preview of guest editorial to be published
in the coming edition. ECB would exceed its treaty-restricted monetary
mandate with the planned purchases, Sinn said.
Night Trading
- Asian indices are -.75% to +.25% on average.
- Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 99.0 +4.5 basis points.
- Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 69.25 +4.0 basis points.
- NASDAQ 100 futures -.25%.
Morning Preview Links
Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate
Economic Releases
8:30 am EST
- Personal Income for August is estimated to rise +.3% versus a +.2% gain in July.
- Personal Spending for August is estimated to rise +.4% versus a -.1% decline in July.
- The PCE Core for August is estimated unch. versus a +.1% gain in July.
10:00 am EST
- Pending Home Sales for August are estimated to fall -.5% versus a +3.3% gain in July.
10:30 am EST
- Dallas Fed Manufacturing Activity for September is estimated to rise to 10.5 versus 7.1 in August.
Upcoming Splits
Other Potential Market Movers
- The
Eurozone Consumer Confidence report, China HSBC Manufacturing PMI,
Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance Conference, Johnson Rice Energy
Conference, (NI) investor day and the (F) investor day could also impact
trading today.
BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by commodity
and financial shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open
modestly lower and to maintain losses into the afternoon. The Portfolio
is 50% net long heading into the week.
