Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Wednesday Watch

Evening Headlines
Bloomberg:
  • Economists at Odds With Bond Traders on Global Inflation Outlook. Wall Street economists are clashing with Wall Street traders over whether inflation is poised to awaken around the world after a long slumber. From Morgan Stanley to Bank of America Corp. there’s a growing chorus of economists siding with Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s “best guess” that price pressures will soon gain momentum, paving the way for the Fed and other key central banks to continue unwinding ultra-loose monetary policy in a gradual fashion.
  • China Throws Lifeline to Developers Hitting Record Wall of Debt. Chinese developers facing a looming wall of debt repayments have been thrown a lifeline by regulators easing access to offshore financing. That won’t solve all their problems. The nation reported the deepest slowdown in new home sales in almost three years on Tuesday, as local authorities have rolled out curbs to cool runaway prices and President Xi Jinping urges citizens to end their speculation on housing.
  • Late-Cycle Market Means Wait to Sell Stocks, Morgan Stanley. As the developed world approaches the final stages of an upturn in the economy and financial markets, investors for now should remain invested in equities and avoid the temptation to sell during pullbacks, according to Morgan Stanley. "Without a doubt, most major asset classes look rich versus history," Morgan Stanley strategists including Serena Tang and Andrew Sheets, wrote in a 40-page plus report on "how the bull market will end." However, "equities can still get richer into end-of-cycle," they concluded.
  • U.S. Equity Declines to Spread to Asia; Oil Drops. Asian stocks look set to follow losses in U.S. equities as signs of oversupply in some commodities dragged down energy and raw-materials shares, while investors awaited tax plan details and inflation data. Equity-index futures signaled declines at the start of Wednesday trading in Japan, China and Hong Kong. Australian shares tracked losses on the S&P 500 Index. A Bloomberg commodities gauge dropped the most in six months and crude oil extended declines after the International Energy Agency cut its forecast for demand and cautioned the global market will remain oversupplied. Strong growth in Germany and Italy buoyed the euro, while the dollar touched a three-week low and Treasuries climbed. Nickel led declines in commodities. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index declined 0.5 percent. Futures on Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid 0.5 percent. FTSE China A50 futures lost 0.3 percent and contracts on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 0.2 percent.
Wall St. Journal: 
MarketWatch.com:
CNBC:
Night Trading 
  • Asian equity indices are -.75% to -.25% on average.
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 79.75 +.5 basis point. 
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 15.75 -.5 basis point.
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 72.30 -.02%.
  • S&P 500 futures -.30%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures -.26%.
Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate

  • (JASO)/.19
  • (TGT)/.86
  • (PLCE)/2.46
  • (CSCO)/.60
  • (HI)/.58
  • (LB)/.30
  • (NTAP)/.69
  • (NTES)/3.26
Economic Releases 
8:30 am EST
  • The CPI MoM for October is estimated to rise +.1% versus a +.5% gain in September.
  • The CPI Ex Food and Energy MoM for October is estimated to rise +.2% versus a +.1% gain in September.
  • Real Avg. Weekly Earnings YoY for Oct.
  • Empire Manufacturing for November is estimated to fall to 25.1 versus 30.2 in October.
  • Retail Sales Advance MoM for October are estimated unch. versus a +1.6% gain in September.
  • Retail Sales Ex Autos MoM for October are estimated to rise +.2% versus a +1.0% gain in September.
  • Retail Sales Ex Autos and Gas for October are estimated to rise +.3% versus a +.4% gain in September.
10:00 am EST
  • Business Inventories for Sept. are estimated unch. versus a +.7% gain in August.
10:30 am EST
  • Bloomberg consensus estimates call for a weekly crude oil inventory decline of -1,736,300 barrels versus a +2,237,000 barrel gain the prior week. Gasoline supplies are estimated to fall by -1,059,800 barrels versus a -3,312,000 barrel decline the prior week. Distillate inventories are estimated to fall by -2,052,100 barrels versus a -3,359,000 barrel decline the prior week. Finally, Refinery Utilization is estimated to rise +.71% versus a +1.5% gain prior.
4:00 pm EST
  • Net Long-Term TIC Flows for September.
Upcoming Splits
  • (UFPI) 3-for-1
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The Fed's Evans speaking, Japan Industrial Production report, Eurozone Trade Balance report, weekly MBA Mortgage Applications report, Morgan Stanley Tech/Media/Telecom Conference and the Jefferies Healthcare Conference could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE:  Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by industrial and financial shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open modestly lower and to rally into the afternoon, finishing mixed.  The Portfolio is 100% net long heading into the day.

Stocks Modestly Lower into Final Hour on Tax Reform Worries, Oil Decline, Yen Strength, Commodity/Construction Sector Weakness

Broad Equity Market Tone:
  • Advance/Decline Line: Modestly Lower
  • Sector Performance: Mixed
  • Volume: Above Average
  • Market Leading Stocks: Performing In Line
Equity Investor Angst:
  • Volatility(VIX) 11.72 +1.91%
  • Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 139.40 +.87%
  • Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 8.14 -.49%
  • S&P 500 Implied Correlation 19.77 +19.17%
  • ISE Sentiment Index 93.0 +4.49%
  • Total Put/Call .90 -1.1%
  • NYSE Arms 1.57 +50.7%
Credit Investor Angst:
  • North American Investment Grade CDS Index 57.07 +1.34%
  • America Energy Sector High-Yield CDS Index 371.0 +2.03%
  • European Financial Sector CDS Index 52.95 +1.98%
  • Western Europe Sovereign Debt CDS Index 3.87 +1.04%
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt CDS Index 15.88 -2.82%
  • Emerging Market CDS Index 193.82 +.55%
  • iBoxx Offshore RMB China Corporate High Yield Index 145.34 +.04%
  • 2-Year Swap Spread 18.5 -1.0 basis point
  • TED Spread 19.0 -.25 basis point
  • 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -46.50 +2.5 basis points
Economic Gauges:
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 72.32 unch.
  • 3-Month T-Bill Yield 1.24% +4.0 basis points
  • Yield Curve 69.0 -2.75 basis points
  • China Import Iron Ore Spot $63.17/Metric Tonne +1.58%
  • Citi US Economic Surprise Index 37.40 -.6 point
  • Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 60.90 +3.1 basis points
  • Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 12.30 -.8 point
  • 10-Year TIPS Spread 1.90 -1.0 basis point
  • 100.0% chance of Fed rate hike at Jan. 31 meeting, 100.0% chance at March 21 meeting
Overseas Futures:
  • Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating -40 open in Japan 
  • China A50 Futures: Indicating -26 open in China
  • DAX Futures: Indicating +9 open in Germany
Portfolio: 
  • Slightly Higher: On gains in my retail/tech sector longs
  • Disclosed Trades: None
  • Market Exposure: 100% Net Long

Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
  • Germany Puts Euro-Area Economy in Line for Best Growth in Years. The euro-area economy maintained its solid pace of expansion in the third quarter, keeping it on track for its best annual performance in a decade. Gross domestic product rose 0.6 percent in the period, unchanged from a flash estimate, the European Union’s statistics office said Tuesday. In Germany, the region’s largest economy, expansion accelerated to 0.8 percent, while Italy’s picked up to 0.5 percent.
  • One57 Foreclosure Shatters Price Dreams at Billionaires' Tower. When a full-floor penthouse at Manhattan’s One57 sold at a foreclosure auction, it didn’t just settle an international mortgage gone bad. The deal also set a new price standard for the Billionaires’ Row tower that once stood as a symbol of unlimited extravagance. The 6,240-square-foot condo spanning the skyscraper’s 79th floor sold for $36 million last week to an unidentified buyer, the highest of five bidders in addition to the lender. The price was 29 percent less than the $50.9 million that Nigerian businessman Kolawole Akanni Aluko paid for the apartment when he bought it new in 2014.
Wall Street Journal: