EQUITY MARKETS JUMP ON THE WEEK AS THE FED’S KEY INFLATION NUMBER DROPS AND AS THE QUARTER AND MONTH COME TO A CLOSE

 

 

Weekly Market Update — March 31, 2023

Oh Oh

  • This was a good week for equity investors, as all the major indices made significant strides and capped off a very strong quarter as well
  • When the week was over, the smaller-caps led the way as the Russell 2000 jumped +3.9%, followed by the S&P 500’s gain of 3.5%, NASDAQ’s jump of 3.4% and the DJIA’s gain of 3.4%
  • Even better than the weekly numbers for equity investors was the fact that this week’s positive momentum pushed the four major indices into positive territory for the year, with NASDAQ up over 16% and the DJIA squeaking out a modest +0.4% gain
  • The PCE Price Index slowed to 5.0% year-over year growth in February from 5.3% in January while the core-PCE Price Index (the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge) dropped to 4.6%
  • All 11 S&P 500 sectors gained ground this this week, led by Energy (+6.2%), Consumer Discretionary (+5.6%), and Real Estate (+5.2%) while Communication Services (+1.5%) brought up the rear
  • The 2-yr Treasury note yield rose to 4.06% and the 10-year Treasury rose 11 basis points to 3.47%
  • The U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.6% to 102.52
  • New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said Friday that the central bank is steadfast in its commitment to bring down inflation but is watching what is happening in the world of finance.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said it’s granting California the legal authority to require that half of all heavy-duty truck sales in the state be fully electric by 2035.
Weekly Market Performance

Close Week YTD
DJIA 33,274 +3.2% +0.4%
S&P 500 4,109 +3.5% +7.0%
NASDAQ 12,222 +3.4% +16.8%
Russell 2000 1,803 +0.5.% +2.3%
MSCI EAFE 2,092 +4.0% +7.7%
*Bond Index 2,099.64 +0.57% +3.05%
10–Year Treasury Yield 3.47% +0.10% -0.4%

*Source: Bonds represented by the Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond TR USD. This chart is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the performance of any specific security. Past performance cannot guarantee future results.

Stock Markets Produce Very Solid Returns

Friday brought the end of the week, the end of the month and the end of the 1st quarter. Looking at just the weekly returns, the major equity indices delivered very solid gains, despite it being a mostly quiet week in terms of economic data and news.

When the week was over, it was the smaller-caps outperforming the larger caps as the Russell 2000 posted a big gain relative to the healthy gain for the DJIA. Further, value stocks outperformed growth stocks by a little bit, as West Texas Intermediate prices leapt more than 9% to close north of $70/barrel.

Markets

And while equity investors were happy to end the week on an up note, the big news was that the tech-heavy NASDAQ rose more than 16% for the first quarter, whereas the S&P 500 moved up 7%. But the even bigger news was that the four major indices crossed into positive territory for the YTD and three of the four crested a purely-psychological threshold as:

  • The DJIA crossed 33,000
  • The S&P 500 crossed 4,000
  • NASDAQ crossed 12,000

Of the economic news received this week, most was mixed, including that:

  • The U.S. core (excluding food and energy) personal consumption expenditure (PCE) price index for February coming in at 4.6%
  • The final estimate of fourth-quarter 2022 gross domestic product growth was revised slightly lower to 2.6%
  • Pending home sales edged slightly up last month
  • The advanced report for international trade in goods showed a $91.6 billion deficit in February
  • The FHFA Housing Price Index rose 0.2% in January following a 0.1% decline in December
  • The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index rose 2.5% in January following a 4.6% increase in December
  • The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index for March hit 104.2
  • The weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index rose 2.9% while refinancing applications rose 5.0%
  • Initial jobless claims increased by 7,000 to 198,000
  • February Personal Income rose 0.3%
  • March University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment dropped

GDP Up 2.6% in 4th Quarter of 2022

On Thursday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2022. For perspective, in the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.2%.

This is the “third” GDP estimate released and it is based on more complete source data than were available for the “second” estimate issued last month. In the second estimate, the increase in real GDP was 2.7%. The revision primarily reflected downward revisions to exports and consumer spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, were revised down.

CHART 2

“The increase in real GDP primarily reflected increases in private inventory investment, consumer spending, nonresidential fixed investment, federal government spending, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by decreases in residential fixed investment and exports. Imports decreased.

The increase in private inventory investment was led by manufacturing (mainly petroleum and coal products) as well as mining, utilities, and construction (led by utilities). The increase in consumer spending reflected an increase in services that was partly offset by a decrease in goods. Within services, the increase was led by health care as well as housing and utilities. Within goods, the leading contributor to the decrease was “other” durable goods (mainly jewelry). Within nonresidential fixed investment, increases in structures and intellectual property products (mainly software) were partly offset by a decrease in equipment. The increase in federal government spending was led by nondefense spending. The increase in state and local government spending primarily reflected an increase in the compensation of state and local government employees.

Within residential fixed investment, the leading contributors to the decrease were new single-family construction and brokers’ commissions. Within exports, a decrease in goods (led by nondurable goods excluding petroleum) was partly offset by an increase in services (led by travel as well as transport). Within imports, both goods (led by durable consumer goods) and services (led by transport) decreased.”

Pending Home Sales Index Up

The National Association of Realtors reported that “Pending Home Sales” grew in February for the third consecutive month. Further, three U.S. regions posted monthly gains, while the West declined — but all four regions saw year-over-year decreases in transactions.

The Pending Home Sales Index – a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings – improved 0.8% to 83.2 in February. Year-over-year, pending transactions dropped by 21.1%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.

“After nearly a year, the housing sector’s contraction is coming to an end. Existing-home sales, pending contracts and new-home construction pending contracts have turned the corner and climbed for the past three months.”

 

 

 

CHART 3“The affordable U.S. regions — the Midwest and South — are leading the recovery. Mortgage rates have improved in recent weeks after the federal government guaranteed the status of most mortgages amidst uncertainty in the financial market. While access to commercial mortgage loans could become increasingly difficult, residential mortgage loans are expected to be more readily available.”

Modest Growth in Texas Manufacturing But Outlook Worsens

On Monday, the Dallas Fed reported that “Texas factory activity expanded slightly in March after contracting in February. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, moved up from -2.8 to 2.5, a reading suggestive of a modest increase in output.”

CHART 4

Further, other measures of manufacturing activity showed mixed signals this month, including:

  • The new orders index was negative for a 10th month in a row and came in at -14.3, little changed from February.
  • The growth rate of orders index was also negative and largely unchanged, at -15.2.
  • The capacity utilization index returned to positive territory, moving up six points to 2.3.
  • The shipments index pushed down from -5.0 to -10.5.

Perceptions of broader business conditions continued to worsen in March

The general business activity index slipped two points to -15.7. The company outlook index remained negative but rose four points to -13.3. The outlook uncertainty index came in at 22.0, down slightly from February but still elevated.

Labor market measures suggest a resumption of employment growth and continued lengthening of workweeks. The employment index shot up 11 points to 10.4 after dipping below zero last month. Twenty-four percent of firms noted net hiring, while 14 percent noted net layoffs. The hours worked index edged down to 2.6, a reading slightly below average.

Price and wage pressures receded in March, though wage growth remained elevated relative to average. The raw materials prices index retreated five points to 20.3, falling further below its series average of 27.9. The finished goods prices index dropped from 15.8 to 7.0, falling below its series average of 9.0 for the first time since 2020. The wages and benefits index inched down two points to 30.5.

Expectations regarding future manufacturing activity were mixed in March. The future production index remained positive but fell eight points to 13.5, signaling well-below-average output growth is expected over the next six months. The future general business activity index pushed further negative, from -2.9 to -11.2. Most other measures of future manufacturing activity remained positive but moved lower this month.

Sources

dallasfed.orgnar.realtorbea.govmsci.comfidelity.comnasdaq.comwsj.commorningstar.com;

 

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