Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:   

• China Issues Rules for Securities Ventures by Foreign Firms.

• Hedge Funds Throw Record Bets on Rising Gasoline Prices.

• Mexican Banks Are Said to Have Been Targeted in Cyber Attack.

• Sainsbury Considers Buying Asda From Walmart.

Wall Street Journal:

• Metal Buyers Race to Secure Supplies Ahead of Tariff Decision.

Barron's:

• Had bullish commentary on (MNR), (CTL), (ALLY), (NFLX), (DIS), (KRE), (BBT), (ESV) and (BTI).

CNBC: 

• Sprint, T-Mobile set to announce a $26 billion merger, with John Legere at the helm

• Trump administration is likely to extend steel and aluminum tariff exemptions beyond May 1, sources say.

• Connecticut is going after hedge funds for more money to fill its budget gap.

• 5G could change the video game industry forever.

• How to download a copy of everything Instagram knows about you — and how to delete it.

Zero Hedge:

• Clapper Busted Leaking Dossier Details To CNN's Jake Tapper, Lying To Congress About It.  

• "This Won't End Well" - Speculators Have Never Been More Short Bonds... Ever.

• 800,000 People To Flee New York & California In Next Three Years.

• One Year Later: Illinois On The Verge Of Downgrade To Junk; Its Residents $5 Billion Poorer.

• "There's Crack And Heroin Everywhere" - Homeless Set Up Shooting Gallery Inside SF BART Station.

• Mystery Group Of "Wealthy Donors" And Soros Spends $50 Million For "Private Trump-Russia Investigation"

• Here Are The "Missing" Strzok-Page Texts The DOJ Handed Over To Congress.  

• Socialist Dystopia: Venezuelans Assaulted By Police Outside Socialist Health Ministry.

• "Canada Is In Serious Trouble" Again, And This Time It's For Real.

• Breakaway Bounce In Techs Truncated As Strong Stats Stir Sellers. (graph)

Weekly Scoreboard*

S&P 500 2,669.91 -.01%*

The Weekly Wrap by Briefing.com.

 
Indices

• DJIA 24,311.10 -.62%

• NASDAQ 7,119.80 -.37%

• Russell 2000 1,556.24 -.5%

• S&P 500 High Beta 42.51 -1.07%

• Goldman 50 Most Shorted 143.06 +.22%

• Wilshire 5000 27,677.30 -.15%

• Russell 1000 Growth 1,379.88 -.21%

• Russell 1000 Value 1,194.41 +.07%

• S&P 500 Consumer Staples 520.27 +.46%

• Vanda Cyclicals-Defensives 1.6098 -1.41%
  

• NYSE Technology 1,787.42 -1.05%

• Transports 10,549.40 -.28%

• Utilities 708.68 +2.54%

• Bloomberg European Bank/Financial Services 96.50 -.41%

• MSCI Emerging Markets 47.17 +.28%

• HFRX Equity Hedge 1,283.60 -.68%

• HFRX Equity Market Neutral 1,013.70 -.26%

Sentiment/Internals

• NYSE Cumulative A/D Line 315,113 -.35%

• Bloomberg New Highs-Lows Index -49 +48

• Bloomberg Crude Oil % Bulls 48.6 -17.6%

• CFTC Oil Net Speculative Position 728,131 +2.98%

• CFTC Oil Total Open Interest 2,596,578 +4.7%

• Total Put/Call .86 -10.2%

• OEX Put/Call .21 -78.57%

• ISE Sentiment 96.0 +16.47%

• NYSE Arms .99 -4.76%

• Volatility(VIX) 15.49 -7.82%

• S&P 500 Implied Correlation 42.07 +6.18%

• G7 Currency Volatility (VXY) 7.19 +.14% 

• Emerging Markets Currency Volatility (EM-VXY) 8.33 +1.96%

• Smart Money Flow Index 16,565.57 -2.19%

• ICI Money Mkt Mutual Fund Assets $2.792 Trillion -.05%

• ICI Domestic Equity Mutual Fund/ETFs Weekly Flows -$2.416 Billion

• AAII % Bulls 36.9 -2.3%

• AAII % Bears 25.6 -12.6%

Futures Spot Prices

• CRB Index 201.39 -.26%

• Crude Oil 68.04 -.4%

• Reformulated Gasoline 212.0 +1.69%

• Natural Gas 2.77 +1.06%

• Heating Oil 214.69 +1.48%

• Gold 1,325.20 -.87%

• Bloomberg Base Metals Index 207.14 -4.21%

• Copper 305.30 -2.84%

• US No. 1 Heavy Melt Scrap Steel 353.33 USD/Metric Tonne unch.

• China Iron Ore Spot 65.54 USD/Metric Tonne -1.87%

• Lumber 571.30 +4.0%

• UBS-Bloomberg Agriculture 1,026.58 +.91%

Economy

• Atlanta Fed GDPNow Forecast +2.0% unch.

• ECRI Weekly Leading Economic Index Growth Rate 3.5% +10.0 basis points
  

• Philly Fed ADS Real-Time Business Conditions Index .2760 -.54% 

• US Economic Policy Uncertainty Index 15.58 -78.61%

• S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 162.90 +.43%

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index 46.0 +16.8 points

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index -83.40 +6.5 points

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 8.70 +2.6 points

• Fed Fund Futures imply 65.8% chance of no change, 34.2% chance of 25 basis point hike on 5/2

• US Dollar Index 91.54 +1.42%

• MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index 1,692.30 -1.12%

• Bitcoin/USD 9,191.20 +8.24%

• Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 137.60 -.11%

• Yield Curve 47.75 -2.75 basis points
  

• 10-Year US Treasury Yield 2.96% unch.

• Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet $4.333 Trillion -.29%

• U.S. Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 23.66 -1.81%

• Illinois Municipal Debt Credit Default Swap 242.12 -7.38%

• Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 117.0 -1.75 basis points

• Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap Index 12.94 -.13%
  

• Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt CDS Index 40.49 -6.88%
  

• Israel Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 55.33 -.09%

• South Korea Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 44.59 -7.27%

• Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 129.41 -4.66%

• iBoxx Offshore RMB China Corporate High Yield Index 149.44 +.20%

• 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.17% +3.0 basis points

• TED Spread 55.5 -.5 basis point

• 2-Year Swap Spread 25.0 -3.25 basis points

• 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -9.0 -1.0 basis points

• N. America Investment Grade Credit Default Swap Index 60.56 +.23%

• America Energy Sector High-Yield Credit Default Swap Index 405.0 -2.25%

• European Financial Sector Credit Default Swap Index 56.40 -1.22%
  

• Emerging Markets Credit Default Swap Index 140.16 +.17%
  

• CMBS AAA Super Senior 10-Year Treasury Spread to Swaps 177.0 +2.0 basis points
  

• M1 Money Supply $3.643 Trillion -.21%

• Commercial Paper Outstanding 1,056.40 -.8%

• 4-Week Moving Average of Jobless Claims 229,250 -750

• Continuing Claims Unemployment Rate 1.3% unch.
  

• Average 30-Year Mortgage Rate 4.58% +11.0 basis points

• Weekly Mortgage Applications 398.50 -.23%

• Bloomberg Consumer Comfort 57.50 -.6 point

• Weekly Retail Sales +2.8% -20.0 basis points

• Nationwide Gas $2.80/gallon +.05/gallon

• Baltic Dry Index 1,375.0 +7.34%

• China (Export) Containerized Freight Index 744.06 -.84%

• Oil Tanker Rate(Arabian Gulf to U.S. Gulf Coast) 17.50 unch.

• Rail Freight Carloads 274,873 -.44%

Best Performing Style

• Mid-Cap Value +.3%

Worst Performing Style

• Small-Cap Growth -1.0%

Leading Sectors

• Homebuilders +4.8%

• Retail +4.0%

• REITs +3.0%

• Utilities +2.4%

• Oil Service +1.9%

Lagging Sectors

• Industrials -3.3% 

• Defense 3.6%

• Robotics -4.1%

• Gaming -5.8%

• Coal -6.3%

Weekly High-Volume Stock Gainers (12)

• CMG, FFKT, SC, DRNA, HSII, SJW, ELOX, SANM, VVC, WAB, BOX and CNNE

Weekly High-Volume Stock Losers (25)

• CAT, MAS, JOE, SWK, CVNA, IRBT, GPK, CR, TER, MAN, ARCH, TREE, MRCY, FCX, LMAT, LKQ, HF, AXE, SPB, CASA, ABCD, MGLN, AKRX, SKX and CLW

Weekly Charts

ETFs

• High-Volume Gainers

• High-Volume Losers

Stocks

• High-Volume Gainers

• High-Volume Losers

*5-Day Change

Stocks Slightly Higher into Final Hour on Earnings Optimism, Lower Long-Term Rates, Technical Buying, Retail/Transport Sector Strength

Broad Equity Market Tone:

• Advance/Decline Line: About Even
  

• Sector Performance: Mixed
  

• Volume: Around Average

• Market Leading Stocks: Performing In Line
  

Equity Investor Angst:

• Volatility(VIX) 15.72 -3.2%

• Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 137.59 -.11%

• Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 8.33 -1.65%

• S&P 500 Implied Correlation 41.7 +6.6%

• ISE Sentiment Index 99.0 -12.39%
  

• Total Put/Call .88 +6.0%

• NYSE Arms .98 -8.8%

Credit Investor Angst:

• North American Investment Grade CDS Index 60.17 -.5%
  

• America Energy Sector High-Yield CDS Index 404.0 -1.05%

• European Financial Sector CDS Index 56.45 +.82%

• Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 117.0 +1.5 basis points
  

• Asia Pacific Sovereign Debt CDS Index 11.92 -3.68%

• Emerging Market CDS Index 140.55 -1.77%
  

• iBoxx Offshore RMB China Corporate High Yield Index 149.44 +.11%

• 2-Year Swap Spread 25.0 -1.0 basis point

• TED Spread 55.25 +2.0 basis points

• 3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -9.0 +1.25 basis points

Economic Gauges:

• Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 73.64 +.32%
• 3-Month T-Bill Yield 1.81% unch.
  

• Yield Curve 48.0 -2.0 basis points

• China Iron Ore Spot 65.54 USD/Metric Tonne unch.

• Citi US Economic Surprise Index 46.0 +7.3 points

• Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index -83.40 +1.0 point

• Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 8.7 -.4 point

• 10-Year TIPS Spread 2.17 -1.0 basis point
  
• 92.0% chance of Fed rate hike at June 13 meeting, 92.3% chance at August 1 meeting

Overseas Futures:

• Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating +13  open in Japan 
• China A50 Futures: Indicating +48 open in China

• DAX Futures: Indicating +24 open in Germany

Portfolio: 

• Slightly Higher: On gains in my retail/medical sector longs

• Disclosed Trades: None

• Market Exposure: 75% Net Long