Market Update – August 9 – Defensive Stock Markets

Treasuries put in a good day, finding a solid bid as poor Chinese trade data elevated fears over global growth again. Also, there was weakness in the regional banking sector after Moody’s downgraded 10 small and medium sized banks. Fedspeak supported too after Harker and Barkin indicated the FOMC could probably be patient, though more data will be needed to make sure. Stock markets across Asia were mostly under pressure as yesterday’s bout of risk aversion lingered. Yields continued to decline and Bonds are also higher in Europe and the US, while European and US futures are finding buyers after yesterday’s sell off. Falling wages and the speculation of additional stimulus measures for China are also adding support.

Overnight: China faces deflation as data for July showed that both consumer and producer prices dropped versus July 2022. CPI was down -0.3% y/y, the first decline since February 2021. PPI contracted -4.4% y/y, which was the 10th consecutive month of negative annual rates. It was the first time since November 2020 that both consumer and producer prices were in negative territory and the numbers are a further sign that both consumers and businesses are struggling, with plunging demand for exports and weak consumer spending weighing on the economy. The data will add to pressure on officials to do more to boost activity.

  • FX – USD Index corrected from yesterday’s highs and is at 102.334 as risk appetite improved. EURUSD sideways at 1.0970, Cable retests at 1.2800.
  • Stocks – Wall Street ended in the red but off of early lows. The US100 declined -0.79%, while the US30 was down -0.45%, with the US500 falling -0.42%. Financials and materials underperformed. The JPN225 closed with a -0.5% loss, Hang Seng and CSI 300 are also in the red. AMC rose nearly 3% after hours, while it has risen about 26% so far this year. AMC said that the current quarter was off to a strong start, driven by box-office hits such as Barbie and Oppenheimer, after posting a surprise profit and beating second-quarter revenue estimates.
  • Commodities – USOil spiked to $82.62.
  • Gold –  was 0.3% higher at $1,930.18.

Today: Disney earnings on tap.

Key Mover: USOIL retests 10-month resistance, while it has fully recovered the week’s losses and is currently settled at 82.70.

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Andria Pichidi

Market Analyst

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