Welcome to intervention Wednesday.
The Bank of England has halted, at least for now, soaring gilt yields via some temporary bond buying. Stock futures pared some losses, but are still in the red, with the S&P 500
SPX
in the grips of its longest losing streak since February 2000.
With the bad news seemingly nonstop, one might be hoping for a little good news down the pipeline. Our call of the day from Jefferies says to expect a “second wind” from consumers, which can’t hurt related stocks.
“Although U.S. average hourly earnings (5.2% y-y) are flatlining, real wage growth is
still negative. Our base case is that this will improve as CPI (gasoline) runs its course
and the consumer will experience a ‘second wind’. Consumer confidence is already
bouncing from a record low,” said a team led by Jefferies’ global equity strategist Sean Darby in a note on Wednesday.
“With capex intentions rolling over, metal and oil prices relapsing and inventories
rising, a significant portion of U.S. GDP is now moving into recession territory,” added Darby. “Paradoxically, the consumer might be getting an idiomatic ‘second wind’ or extra spurt of energy.”
Rising costs of living have disproportionately hit consumer sentiment, with global surveys at record levels. But as those household costs start to reverse, “there still may be some capacity for marginal spending, particularly drawing into the all-important Christmas season,” said Darby.
Another reason markets could see a consumer “surprise” relates to Jefferies nonconsensus theme from earlier this year, when they suggested that though wage rises excite investors in the short run, “the true multiplier for consumption comes from increased labor’s share of income or profits over the long run.”
That was steadily declining for the past 30 years until 2018.
“What has happened is the share of income has actually moved up from
the lows and the postpandemic recovery has returned the income share back to its
original trend. The move in income is probably being understated since profits were
exceptionally high last year and wages are sticky on the downside,” said Darby.
Meanwhile, 2023 earnings per share revisions for the S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary Index are starting to improve. They remain bullish on that sector.
In short, they still favor the consumer, but caution that hotel and leisure stocks in the S&P 500 could be a “double-edged sword.” Darby notes that the hotels, restaurant and leisure segment is especially sensitive to changes in wealth effects and share of income growing. It’s also one sector the Fed would like to see cool off, he adds.
The markets
Stock futures
ES00
NQ00
are lower, with tech set to bear the brunt as a down day for Apple sets up. The dollar
DXY
is up — with the pound
GBPUSD
and the euro
EURUSD
lower — bond yields
BX:TMUBMUSD02Y
TY00
are dropping, with U.K. 10-year yields
BX:TMBMKGB-10Y
tumbling on that Bank of England move. Oil prices are slightly up
CL
and bitcoin
BTCUSD
is trading at just over $18,000.
Read: Why a rising 10-year Treasury yield is rattling financial markets
The buzz
Biogen
BIIB
is soaring 43% in premarket after the pharmaceutical group and partner Eisai
JP:4523
said their experimental Alzheimer’s drug slowed the disease’s progression in a large, late-stage study. Eisai shares didn’t trade in Japan due to overwhelming buy orders. Biogen got at least one analyst upgrade.
Apple
AAPL
stock is down after reportedly backing off plans to boost production of its latest iPhones this year due to weak demand. Shares of suppliers Taiwan Semi
TW:2330
and Hon Hai
TW:2317
took a hit in Asia.
And some Apple News users received an obscene and racist push notification Tuesday owing to a hack.
More Fed speakers are en route, with Chair Jerome Powell at 10:15 a.m. Eastern, followed by Gov. Michelle Bowman, Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin and Chicago Fed President Charles Evans. Data ahead includes advance trade in goods, followed by pending home sales.
Opinion: The Fed is missing a crucial turning point in its fight against inflation
The White House is reportingly considering an exit of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen after the midterms.
Russia has declared victory over widely condemned elections in eastern Ukraine and stepped up nuclear threats. Also Moscow has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, while the Nord Stream 1 pipeline continues to leak gas, a potential environmental disaster, after suspected sabotage.
Best of the web
Airport and airline workers worldwide speaking up about ‘ridiculous’ conditions
The 90 km journey that changed the course of Russia’s war in Ukraine
The chart
Reaction to the Bank of England’s bond buying move is pouring in and it makes for some dazzling charts.
The tickers
These were the top-searched tickers on MarketWatch as of 6 a.m. Eastern:
| Ticker | Security name |
| TSLA | Tesla |
| GME | GameStop |
| AAPL | Apple |
| AMC | AMC Entertainment |
| NIO | NIO |
| APE | AMC Entertainment preferred shares |
| BBBY | Bed Bath & Beyond |
| AMZN | Amazon.com |
| DWAC | Digital World Acquisition Corp. |
| TWTR |
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