Monday, November 13, 2017

Tuesday Watch

Evening Headlines
Bloomberg:
  • Australian Business Conditions Surge to Highest on Record. Australian business conditions surged to the highest on record, reinforcing signs of a strengthening labor market and pickup in investment. The sentiment index jumped seven points to 21 in October and was driven by spikes in sales and profitability gauges, according to a National Australia Bank Ltd. survey of more than 400 firms conducted in the last week of the month. The business confidence index was unchanged at a revised 8.
  • Eastern EU Economic Growth Seen Speeding Up on Consumer Spending. Economic growth in the European Union’s eastern members probably picked up in the third quarter as rising wages propelled consumer spending. Four of the region’s six countries releasing third-quarter gross domestic product data on Tuesday will report accelerating annual growth rates, raging from 3.4 percent in Slovakia to 6.2 percent in Romania, according to Bloomberg surveys. Growth in the Czech Republic was unchanged at 4.7 percent and in Hungary it was 3.7 percent, according to estimates.
  • Stocks in Asia Open Mixed Ahead of China Data. Equity markets in Asia fluctuated at the open ahead of a deluge of economic data due in China. U.S. stocks edged up overnight, the dollar was flat and benchmark Treasury yields held recent gains as investors awaited clues on monetary policy and tax reform. Japanese stock benchmarks swung between gains and losses, halting a slump in Tokyo that began Thursday afternoon. Australia’s stocks fell, while futures in Hong Kong were little changed. Short-term U.S. Treasury yields climbed ahead of key U.S. economic data this week. The pound remained weak amid renewed political pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May. Bitcoin clawed back some losses after extending its slump from last week’s record high to as much as 29 percent. The Topix index was little changed as of 9:26 a.m. in Tokyo, while the Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 0.2 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.8 percent and the Kospi index in Seoul was little changed. Hang Seng Index futures fell 0.1 percent.
  • IEA Sees U.S. Shale Surge as Biggest Oil and Gas Boom in History. The supply surge from U.S. shale oil and gas will beat the biggest gains seen in the history of the industry, the International Energy Agency predicted. By 2025, the growth in American oil production will equal that achieved by Saudi Arabia at the height of its expansion, and increases in natural gas will surpass those of the former Soviet Union, the agency said in its annual World Energy Outlook. The boom will turn the U.S., still among the biggest oil importers, into a net exporter of fossil fuels.
Wall Street Journal:
MarketWatch.com: 
Business Insider:
Night Trading 
  • Asian equity indices are -.5% to +.5% on average.
  • Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 79.25 -.25 basis point. 
  • Asia Pacific Sovereign CDS Index 16.25 +.25 basis point.
  • Bloomberg Emerging Markets Currency Index 72.49 +.04%.
  • S&P 500 futures -.1%.
  • NASDAQ 100 futures -.04%.
Morning Preview Links

Earnings of Note
Company/Estimate

  • (AAP)/1.22
  • (DKS).,26
  • (HD)/1.82
  • (IGT)/.24
  • (KLIC)/.39
  • (SSYS)/.34
  • (TJX)/1.00
  • (BZH)/.53
Economic Releases 
6:00 am EST
  • The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index for October is estimated to rise to 104.0 versus 103.0 in September.
8:30 am EST
  • PPI Final Demand MoM for October is estimated to rise +.1% versus a +.4% gain in September.
  • PPI Ex Food and Energy MoM for October is estimated to rise +.2% versus a +.4% gain.
Upcoming Splits
  • (UFPI) 3-for-1
Other Potential Market Movers
  • The Fed's Bullard speaking, Eurozone Industrial Production report, China Retail Sales report, German GDP report, UK Retail Sales report, weekly US retail sales reports, UBS Transport/Industrials Conference, UBS Healthcare Conference, Stifel Healthcare Conference, Morgan Stanley Consumer/Retail Conference, Scotiabank Transport/Industrials Conference, JP Morgan Services Investor Conference, Goldman Sachs Industrials Conference, BofA Merrill Financials Conference, Needham Networking/Security Conference and the Morgan Stanley Chemicals/Ag Conference could also impact trading today.
BOTTOM LINE:  Asian indices are mostly higher, boosted by industrial and financial shares in the region. I expect US stocks to open mixed and to rally into the afternoon, finishing modestly higher.  The Portfolio is 100% net long heading into the day.

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