Monday, August 31, 2026

Tuesday Watch

Around X:

  • @Business
  • @ZeroHedge
  • @WallStEngine
  • ANTHROPIC SIGNS $35B CLOUD DEAL WITH NVIDIA-BACKED LAMBDA: WSJ. $NVDA will supply the chips and is leasing the underlying 700MW Texas data-center campus from $HUT, while Lambda will provide the compute to Anthropic. Hut 8 had already disclosed 15-year leases covering the entire campus, which it said could represent a ~$20B facility, but hadn’t named the tenant. Anthropic also signed a separate $45B deal earlier this month with NVIDIA-backed Nscale for NVIDIA compute capacity in West Virginia.
Night Trading 
  • Asian equity indices are -.5% to +.5% on average. 
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 66.5 -.25 basis point. 
  • China Sovereign CDS 35.25 +.25 basis point.
  • China Iron Ore Spot 99.15 USD/Metric Tonne -.21%. 
  • Crude Oil 86.34/bbl. +.68% 
  • Gold 4,493.0 USD/t oz. +.25%. 
  • Swiss Franc/Offshore Chinese Renminbi Cross 8.30 -.09%.
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 34.23 -.04%.
  • Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk Off Index 130.2 +.3%.
  • US 10-Year Yield 4.78% +3.0 basis points.
  • Japan 30-Year Yield 4.18% +4.0 basis points.
  • Volatility Index(VIX) futures 16.6 +.1%.
  • Euro Stoxx 50 futures -.17%. 
  • S&P 500 futures +.05%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures -.05%.
Morning Preview Links

BOTTOM LINE: Asian indices are mostly lower, weighed down by consumer discretionary and transport shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to weaken into the afternoon, finishing modestly lower.  The Portfolio is 50% net long heading into the day.

Stocks Lower into Final Hour on Rising Fed Rate-Hike Odds, Mideast War-Induced Inflation Fears, Technical Selling, Consumer Discretionary/Transport Sector Weakness

Economic/Market Gauges:

  • North American Investment Grade CDS Index 50.4 +.4%
  • BofA Private Credit Proxy Index 74.9 +1.5% 
  • Bloomberg US Securitized MBS/ABS/CMBS Avg. OAS .30 +2.0 basis points
  • BofA Global Financial Stress Indicator -.21 -1.0 basis point
  • European Financial Sector CDS Index 53.9 unch.
  • Emerging Market CDS Index 138.3 +.3%
  • Israel Sovereign CDS 53.4 -.5%
  • Bloomberg Global Trade Policy Uncertainty Index 1.1 unch.
  • US Morning Consult Daily Consume Sentiment Index 86.3 -1.2
  • Citi US Economic Surprise Index 17.1 -4.1
  • Citi Eurozone Economic Surprise Index 82.2 -5.4
  • Citi Emerging Markets Economic Surprise Index 20.2 -3.8
  • S&P 500 Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(485 of 500 reporting) +52.1% -.1 percentage point
  • S&P 500 Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 396.37 +4.03:  Growth Rate +20.8% +1.3 percentage points, P/E 19.5 -.2
  • S&P 500 Current Year Estimated Profit Margin 16.29% +1.0 basis point
  • NYSE FANG+ Current Quarter EPS Growth Rate YoY(9 of 10 reporting) +133.3% unch.
  • NYSE FANG+ Blended Forward 12 Months Mean EPS Estimate 966.61 +12.10: Growth Rate +86.4% +2.3 percentage points, P/E 19.3 -.2
  • Bloomberg US Financial Conditions Index 1.33 +6.0 basis points
  • US Yield Curve 40.75 basis points (2s/10s) -3.25 basis points
  • Bloomberg Industrial Metal Index 180.2 +.2%
  • Dutch TTF Nat Gas(European benchmark) 70.5 euros/megawatt-hour +5.2%
  • US Recession Within 6 Months Probability(3M/18M Forward Yld Curve Spread) 12.3 -.3 percentage point
  • US Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q3 Forecast +4.6% unch.
  • US 10-Year T-Note Yield 4.75% +4.0 basis points
  • 1-Year TIPS Spread 2.15 +7.0 basis points
  • Highest target rate probability for Oct. 28th FOMC meeting: 57.5% (+4.8 percentage points) chance of 3.75%-4.0%. Highest target rate probability for Dec. 9th meeting: 40.2%(+.7 percentage point) chance of 4.0%-4.25%. (current target rate is 3.5-3.75%)
Overseas Futures:
  • Nikkei 225 Futures: Indicating -587 open in Japan 
  • China A50 Futures: Indicating -156 open in China
  • KOSPI 200 Futures: Indicating -16 open in South Korea 
  • DAX Futures: Indicating -40 open in Germany
Portfolio:
  • Higher: On gains in my energy/tech sector longs, index hedges and emerging market shorts
  • Disclosed Trades: None
  • Market Exposure: 50% net long

Bear Radar

Style Underperformer:

  • Small-Cap Growth -1.0%
Sector Underperformers:
  • 1) Airlines -2.9% 2) Gambling -2.4% 3) Social Media -1.5%
Stocks Falling on Unusual Volume: 
  • ADUR, ABNB, AFRM, HMY, ESTC, GENB, AUGO, ANF, OOMA, TREE, GPCR, ERO, WYNN, CLX, ARCT, PAYS, BURL, DPC, TTWO, HWM, DQ, PINS, GCT, BRVE, LPTH, REAX, VCX, HLF, PCG and EIX
Stocks With Unusual Put Option Activity:
  • 1) RCL 2) HWM 3) LI 4) GRRR 5) GCT
Stocks With Most Negative News Mentions:
  • 1) EIX 2) PCG 3) PINS 4) TTWO 5) HWM
Sector ETFs With Most Negative Money Flow:
  • 1) SMH 2) KRE 3) XLI 4) XBI 5) XLV

Bull Radar

Style Outperformer:

  • Large-Cap Growth -.4%
Sector Outperformers:
  • 1) Coal +2.6% 2) Oil Service +1.6% 3) Cyber Security +1.1%
Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume:
  • TITN, GPRK, ASST, METC, CHA, SUJA, ASND, XE, STDN, BBAR, PICS, TSLA, RBLX, SAIC, CRWD, ULTA, HELE, GME, PBR, CNH, SLB and TS
Stocks With Unusual Call Option Activity:
  • 1) GPRO 2) LITX 3) COPX 4) RCL 5) PRMW 
Stocks With Most Positive News Mentions:
  • 1) MOBX 2) GME 3) ALVO 4) SAIC 5) DE 
Sector ETFs With Most Positive Money Flow:
  • 1) VGT 2) IGV 3) NUSC 4) XLF 5) XLB
Charts: 

Tomorrow's Earnings/Economic Releases of Note; Market Movers

Earnings of Note 
Company/Estimate 

Before the Open:
  • (MDT)/1.39 
After the Close: 
  • (CRDO)/1.17
  • (DELL)/4.91
  • (GTLB)/.18
  • (MDB)/1.62
  • (PANW)/.98 
Economic Releases 

10:00 am EST

  • The ISM Manufacturing Index for August is estimated to fall to 55.2 versus 55.6 in July.
  • The ISM Prices Paid for August is estimated to fall to 70.5 versus 71.1 in July.
  • Construction Spending MoM for July is estimated unch. versus a -.1% decline in June.
  • JOLTS Job Openings for July is estimated to fall to 7332K versus 7359K in June. 

10:30 am EST

  • Dallas Fed Services Activity for Aug. is estimated to rise to 8.0 versus 6.6 in July. 

Afternoon

  • The Omdia Total Vehicle Sales report for Aug. is estimated to fall to 16.3M versus 16.33M in July.  

Upcoming Splits

  • (RUSHA) 3-for-2
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The Fed's Barr speaking, Atlanta Fed GDPNow Q3 update, weekly ADP employment change report, IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index for Sept., weekly US retail sales reports, API weekly crude oil stock report, (UNP) investor meeting and the (CENT) investor meeting could also impact global trading tomorrow.
US Equity Market Hours
  • 9:30 am - 4:00 pm EST

Mid-Day Market Internals

NYSE Composite Index:

  • Volume Running -23.3% Below 100-Day Average 
  • Nasdaq/NYSE Volume Ratio 15.1 -1.9
  • 1 Sector Rising, 10 Sectors Declining
  • 31.4% of Issues Advancing, 66.1% Declining 
  • TRIN/Arms .64 -13.5%
  • Non-Block Money Flow -$233.6M
  • 25 New 52-Week Highs, 99 New Lows
  • 57.7% (-2.4%) of Issues Above 200-day Moving Average
  • Average 14-Day RSI 49.1 -4.4
Polymarket: 
  • Will China invade Taiwan by June 30th 2027? 9.0% +1.0 percentage point
  • Strait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by September 30th 3.0% -4.0 percentage points
  • Iran agrees to end enrichment of uranium by Sept. 30th 3.0% unch.
  • Israel withdraws from Lebanon by September 30th 1.0% -1.0 percentage point
  • US Invades Iran before 2027 16.0% +3.0 percentage points
  • US announces end of Iranian blockade by September 30th 20.0% -3.0 percentage points
Other
  • Bloomberg Global Risk-On/Risk-Off Index 129.5 +.03%
  • Global Monitor Iran Instability Index 58.0 +4.0
  • Strait of Hormuz Oil Tanker Traffic Curtailed Estimate 90.0% unch.
  • US High-Yield Tech Sector OAS Index 431.5 -1.25 basis points
  • Bloomberg Cyclicals/Defensives Index 272.8 +.1%
  • Morgan Stanley Growth vs Value Index 148.4 +.1%
  • CNN Fear & Greed Index 50.0 (NEUTRAL) -4.0
  • 1-Day Vix 7.8 -23.7%
  • Vix 15.3% +5.9%
  • Total Put/Call .87 +2.4%