Market Update
French President Macron Loses Control of Parliament, Historic Gains for Far Right and Left Groups
Bridgette Randall
20 Jun, 2022
Frankfurt
French President Emanuel Macron's party and allies lost their absolute majority in the National Assembly after the second and final round of election.
Grinding war in Ukraine, a sharp jump in food and energy prices and general voter discontent drove many to parties on the far right and far left.
The coalition led by president Macron, Ensemble!, won 245 of 577 legislative seats, leading all other parties and coalitions, according to a report released by the French interior ministry .
President Macron won a second term in April and will be the first president without a parliamentary majority since 2000 putting his legislative agenda of business and pension reforms in jeopardy.
Voters showed little interest in the legislative election and about 53% abstained from voting in the second round.
President Macron's centrist alliance enjoyed a substantial majority of 350 seats in 2017 but parties on the hard-let and the hard-right were successful in shrinking that to 245 in the latest election on June 19.
The latest parliamentary election results are highly unusual in France where the seating president generally enjoys a majority in parliament and governs with a free hand.
Macron is not known for sharing power or consulting with other parties as he governed top-down in the first term and largely used parliament as a president's rubber-stamp turning off voters.
Moreover, Macron's first term was marred by several crises starting with the "yellow vest" protests in rural France and spreading nationwide against the fuel tax in 2018, followed by coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and Ukraine war in 2022.
France holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months till the end of June and that also distracted him during the last week of election.
Far-right National Party led by Marine Le Pen increased from a handful 8 seats to 89 and an alliance of leftist parties Nupes led by Jean-Luc Melenchon won 131 seats becoming the largest opposition party.
Historic gains for the parties on the left and right are going to force Macron's second term with more participation from the parliament.
European Markets Advance In Cautious Trading
Bridgette Randall
20 Jun, 2022
New York City
European markets rebounded after falling sharply in the previous week.
The DAX index gained 0.1% to 13,189.19, the CAC-40 index advanced 0.2% to 5,896.14, and the FTSE 100 index rose 1.5% to 7,117.38.
French President Emmanuel Macron's party and allies lost their absolute majority in the National Assembly after the second and final round of election.
The coalition, Ensemble!, won 245 of 577 legislative seats, leading all other parties and coalitions but fell short of the absolute majority, according to a report released by the French interior ministry .
President Macron won a second term in April and will be the first president without a parliamentary majority since 2000 putting his legislative agenda of business and pension reforms in jeopardy.
ECB President Christine Lagarde reaffirmed the central bank's commitment in raising rates two times this summer and fighting the widening interest rate spreads in the region.
The central bank will "ensure that inflation stabilizes at our 2% target over the medium term," Lagarde said while addressing the European Parliament in Brussels.
German producer prices in May surged a record 33.6% after rising at 33.5% in April, according to the latest data released by Destatis in Germany.
On a monthly basis, prices rose 1.6% after rising 2.8% in April, the report noted.
Airbus SE increased 0.95% to 95.01 euros on news that the aviation company has entered into talks with Qatar Airways to resolve A 350 passenger plane legal and safety dispute.
Valneva SE rose 25.2% to 9.96 euros after the U.S. based Pfizer agreed to acquire a 8.1% stake in the French specialty vaccines maker for 90.5 million euros.
SThree jumped 6.4% to 339.50 pence after the specialty staffing company said profit in the full-year ending in November is expected to be ahead of expectations by 5%.
Revenues in the first-half increased 25% to 203.1 million pounds and revenues in Germany rose 22%, in the U.S. increased 21%, and in the Netherlands surged 41%.
S&P 500 Logs Worst Weekly Loss Since March 2020, Oil Drops 6%
Barry Adams
17 Jun, 2022
New York City
Stocks closed higher in volatile trading but ended down after a tumultuous week.
Investors cheered on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve took strong action and lifted rates more than advertised but a day after reality of higher rates began to set in.
The Fed's 75-basis-point rate hike is the most aggressive step since 1994 but the Fed is still lagging behind by a wide margin when inflation is running near 9% and showing no sign of ebbing.
The Fed is also powerless in changing the trajectory of energy prices and in eliminating pandemic related supply chain disruptions.
In addition, most companies are raising prices more than cost increases fueling inflation higher.
In other words, the Fed's rate action may not impact inflation rooted in energy prices by much but most likely will slowdown the economy and increase unemployment rate.
The Fed can only impact demand and hope that lower demand will trend inflation downward but will not be able to root it out completely.
This outcome is not what investors were looking for when they were cheering for the larger and faster rate hikes.
The Fed is in a tough spot because fighting elevated inflation while keeping the economic engine humming is a delicate balance with many factors outside its control.
Skeptical investors are opting that the Fed may pursue faster rate hikes in future but that will certainly slow the economy faster too turning the Fed's expectation of 1.7% economic growth in 2022 largely out of reach.
Historically, the Fed has never managed to tame inflation above 6% without dipping the economy into a recession, meaning a profit recession and lower stock valuations.
Only time will tell if we will end up in a recession, soft landing, or just a slow down, but one thing is sure, rising rates almost always lower stock valuations.
At least today, tech stocks were in favor after a week of selling and bargain hunters were ready to add more stocks.
The yield on 10-year notes declined a fraction to 3.23% but mortgage rates remained elevated, inching closer to 6%.
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates jumped to 5.78% for the week ending June 16, an increase of more than half a percentage point and the largest increase on a weekly basis since 1987, according to the survey conducted by Freddie Mac.
Mortgage rates have jumped little more than two-and-a-half percentage points from the beginning of the year and jumped from 2.93% a year ago.
Oil prices dropped to a four-week low on the growing prospects of economic recession and the U.S. dollar rose against a basket of currencies.
Russia's oil exports are going to increase in 2022 despite Western sanctions and European blockade, according to Tass news agency quoting deputy energy minister Pavel Sorokin.
In addition, oil from Venezuela is expected to reach refineries in Italy and Spain as early as next month, adding more oil supplies in the international markets.
Futures of crude oil declined 6.5% to $109.95 a barrel and natural gas fell 6.1% to $7.00 a unit.
The S&P 500 declined 0.6% to 3,674.98 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.4% to 10,798.90.
For the week, the S&P 500 fell 5.8% and registered its worst weekly loss since March 2020.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 4.8% in the week.
Tech stocks led the rebound in trading and Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft rose between 1.0% and 1.5%.
Home Depot, Intel, JPMorgan, and 3M dropped to their new 52-week lows today.
Kroger Co declined 7.7% to $46.20 after the food retailer said sales in the first quarter ending May 21 rose 4.1% to $44.6 billion from a year ago.
Earnings increased to $664 million or 90 cents a share from $140 million or 18 cents in the same period.
The retailer guided comparable sales in the fiscal 2022 to increase between 2.5% and 3.5% and said in the quarter repurchased $665 million of its shares.
Kroger stock fell after the retailer said higher inflation is forcing more customers to select store branded items.
Mortgage Rates Jump to 5.78%, the Largest Weekly Jump Since 1987
Brian Turner
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates jumped to 5.78% for the week ending June 16, an increase of more than half a percentage point and largest increase on a weekly basis since 1987, according to the survey conducted by Freddie Mac.
Mortgage rates have jumped little more than two-and-a-half percentage points from the beginning of the year and jumped from 2.93% a year ago.
Industrial Production Increased 0.2% in May
Brian Turner
17 Jun, 2022
New York City
Total industrial production increased 0.2% in May and output has increased in every month of the year so far, with an average monthly gain of nearly 0.8%, according to the latest data released by the Federal Reserve.
Manufacturing output declined 0.1% after three months when growth averaged nearly 1%.
In May, the indexes for utilities and mining rose 1.0% and 1.3%, respectively.
Capacity utilization increased in May to 79.0% from 78.9% in April, the Fed statement noted.
Stocks Rebound Lacking Direction On Wall Street
Barry Adams
17 Jun, 2022
New York City
Stocks lacked direction and investors struggled to digest the impact of rising rates and Fed's ability to tame inflation without dipping the economy into a recession.
The mood on Wall Street reversed a day after the Fed raised rates at a faster pace than advertised before as investors began to digest the implications of higher rates faster.
The 75 basis points rate increase also accompanied the Fed lowering economic growth rate estimate to 1.7% for the current year from the previous estimate of 2.8% in March and increasing the jobless rate to 3.7% from 3.5%.
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates jumped to 5.78% for the week ending June 16, an increase of more than half a percentage point and largest increase on a weekly basis since 1987, according to the survey conducted by Freddie Mac.
Mortgage rates have jumped little more than two-and-a-half percentage points from the beginning of the year and jumped from 2.93% a year ago.
Total industrial production increased 0.2% in May and output has increased in every month of the year so far, with an average monthly gain of nearly 0.8%, according to the latest data released by the Federal Reserve.
Manufacturing output declined 0.1% after three months when growth averaged nearly 1%.
In May, the indexes for utilities and mining rose 1.0% and 1.3%, respectively.
Capacity utilization increased in May to 79.0% from 78.9% in April, the Fed statement noted.
The S&P 500 declined 0.6% to 3,644.98 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.1% to 10,657.90.
For the week, the S&P 500 is down 3.3% and the Nasdaq Index 2.01%.
Tech stocks led the mild rebound in early trading.
Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft rose between 1.0% and 1.5%.
Home Depot, Intel, JPMorgan, and 3M dropped to their new 52-week lows today.
European Markets Down 3% Weekly, Record High Inflation
European markets advanced and crude oil prices stabilized as investors shook off worries of rising rates and elevated inflation.
Market indexes advanced after crude oil prices stabilized above $115 a barrel and European natural gas prices declined 1.4% to $122.34 a unit.
Stocks opened higher but lacked direction and continued to trade in a tight range and positive bias after the Chinese cabinet vowed to support economic recovery through several measures.
Investors also took in strides the latest moves by the central banks in the UK. and Switzerland.
The DAX index gained 1.1% to 13,104.29, the CAC-40 index advanced 0.5% to 5,917.74, and the FTSE 100 index rose 0.5% to 7,078.28.
For the week, the DAX index declined 2.98%, the CAC-40 fell 2.47%, and the FTSE 100 index eased 3.3%.
Euro zone inflation rose to a record high of 8.1% in May on an annual basis, according to the final data released by the eurostat today.
The Swiss National Bank raised its key lending rate by 50 basis points to -0.25% and revised higher its inflation outlook for the year on Wednesday.
In 2022, the Swiss economy is estimated to grow at 2.5% and inflation at 2.8% before cooling down to 1.9% in 2023 and 1.6% in 2024.
The SNB noted in a statement that the unemployment is likely to remain low and "mortgage lending and residential property prices have risen further in recent quarters.
The SNB will continue to monitor developments on the mortgage and real estate markets closely."
On Thursday, the Bank of England lifted its key lending rate by 25 basis points to 1.25% and said inflation is likely to reach above 11% in the next few months.
The central bank noted that not all inflation is driven by the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruptions but pricing strategies of goods and services providers are also playing a role.
Banco Santander SA gained 2.7% to 2.71 euros after the Spanish bank appointed H
European Indexes Close Down 3%, May Inflation at Record High 8.1%
Bridgette Randall
17 Jun, 2022
New York City
European markets advanced and crude oil prices stabilized as investors shook off worries of rising rates and elevated inflation.
Market indexes advanced after crude oil prices stabilized above $115 a barrel and European natural gas prices declined 1.4% to $122.34 a unit.
Stocks opened higher but lacked direction and continued to trade in a tight range and positive bias after the Chinese cabinet vowed to support economic recovery through several measures.
Investors also took in strides the latest moves by the central banks in the UK. and Switzerland.
The DAX index gained 1.1% to 13,104.29, the CAC-40 index advanced 0.5% to 5,917.74, and the FTSE 100 index rose 0.5% to 7,078.28.
For the week, the DAX index declined 2.98%, the CAC-40 fell 2.47%, and the FTSE 100 index eased 3.3%.
Euro zone inflation rose to a record high of 8.1% in May on an annual basis, according to the final data released by the eurostat today.
The Swiss National Bank raised its key lending rate by 50 basis points to -0.25% and revised higher its inflation outlook for the year on Wednesday.
In 2022, the Swiss economy is estimated to grow at 2.5% and inflation at 2.8% before cooling down to 1.9% in 2023 and 1.6% in 2024.
The SNB noted in a statement that the unemployment is likely to remain low and "mortgage lending and residential property prices have risen further in recent quarters.
The SNB will continue to monitor developments on the mortgage and real estate markets closely."
On Thursday, the Bank of England lifted its key lending rate by 25 basis points to 1.25% and said inflation is likely to reach above 11% in the next few months.
The central bank noted that not all inflation is driven by the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruptions but pricing strategies of goods and services providers are also playing a role.
Banco Santander SA gained 2.7% to 2.71 euros after the Spanish bank appointed H
S&P 500 Down 3% and Nasdaq Drops 4% On Fed Worries
Barry Adams
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
Stocks on Wall Street plunged led by large declines in tech stocks on rising pessimism about the economic outlook.
The losses on Wall Street reverberated around the world and indexes in Europe fell more than 2% and Asian markets have been on the slide after the U.S. rate hike.
The S&P 500 declined 3.3% to 3,666.78 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 4.1% to 10,646.10.
Investors are skeptical that the Fed will be able to engineer a soft landing as the gap between long term interest rates and inflation remains very large.
Inflation is running above 8% and the yield on 10-year Treasury notes closed at 3.205% today.
Airlines were under pressure after the latest run up in oil prices are expected to trim thin operating margins.
American Airlines declined 8.6% to $12.16, Delta Air dropped 7.6% to $29.53, and United Airlines Holdings fell 8.1% to $34.84.
Travel stocks were also under pressure in today's market selloff.
Hilton Hotels declined 4.9% to $115.92, Hyatt Hotel Corporation fell 5.4% to $77.46, and Las Vegas Sands Corp dropped 4.9% to $31.06.
The leading tech stocks led the decliners.
Apple Inc fell 3.97% to $130.06, Amazon dropped 3.71% to $103.66, Microsoft decreased 2.7% to $244.97, and Alphabet Inc declined 3.4% to 2,132.72.
3M, American Express, Home Depot, Intel, JPMorgan, and Walgreens dropped to their 52-week lows.
Carnival Corp dropped 11.1% to $8.75, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd fell 11.3% to $35.17, and Norwegian Cruise Line declined 11.4% to $10.38.
Futures of crude oil prices rose $1.97 to $117.27 and natural gas declined 3 cents to $7.37 a unit.
Natural gas prices continued to rise in Europe after Russia throttled the supply for the third time in two months.
Russia controlled Gazprom said it will slash flow of natural gas via Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 60% and blamed Siemens for not returning the compressor sent for maintenance.
Siemens said it was "impossible" to return compressors from its Canadian maintenance facility because of sanctions Canada had placed on doing business with Russia.
Gazprom also reported technical difficulties at Portovaya pump station near St Petersburg, Russia and said that the regulator had halted processing of gas at the location.
On June 14, Gazprom halted gas flow to 100 million cubic meters per day from 167 cmpd through Nord Stream 1 pipeline and Italy-based Eni also reported today that natural supplies have been cut by 15% without any explanation.
Gas buyers in Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Netherlands, Poland also lost access to supplies after customers refused to open ruble account with Gazprom as required by the latest decree from the Kremlin.
Natural gas futures surged in trading today 20% before settling near $118 per mega watt hour and extended jump nearly 50% since the beginning of the week.
The DAX index declined 3.0% to 13,038.49, the CAC-40 index plunged 2.4% to 5,886.27, and the FTSE 100 index dropped 3.1% to 7,044.98.
The Bank of England lifted rates by 25 basis points to 1.25%, fifth consecutive rate increase in a row.
The pound dropped 0.5% to $1.235 after the rate decision and rebounded from the earlier losses of 0.8%.
The Bank of England also lifted its inflation outlook to "slightly above 11%" by October on rising energy prices.
The U.K. economy unexpectedly declined 0.3% in April after falling 0.1% in March, the Office of National Statistics had reported a week ago.
The back-to-back monthly economic growth declines were last seen in March and April 2020.
The Swiss National Bank lifted its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points from -0.75% to -0.25%, the first rate increase since 2007.
The SNB also said it is prepared to act in foreign exchange market and defend the Swiss franc if necessary.
Jabil Net Rises 29% On Stable Gross Margins
Scott Peters
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
Jabil Inc the electronics contract manufacturer, said revenues in the fiscal third quarter ending in May increased 15.2% to $8.3 billion.
Net income increased 28.9% to $218 million from a year ago and diluted earnings per share increased to $1.52 from $1.12.
The diversified manufacturing services revenues rose 7% and electronics manufacturing services revenues jumped 23% from a year ago.
Gross margin dropped to 7.4% from 7.8% a year ago and net margin increased to 2.6% from 2.3% a year ago.
Operating cash flow increased to $745 million from $671 million, net cash used in investing activities declined to $616 million from $644 million, and net cash used in financing activities jumped to $639 million from $177 million.
Guidance and Outlook
The company guided fourth quarter revenues between $8.1 billion and $8.7 billion and guided operating income between $367 million to $427 million.
Diluted earnings per share in the fourth quarter are estimated between $1.78 to $2.18.
For the fiscal year 2022, the company guided total revenues of $32.8 billion and core earnings per share $7.45 excluding 8 cents linked to amortization charges and 10 cents related to stock option expenses.
Company and Stocks
Jabil offers electronics manufacturing services and operates 100 locations in 30 countries with over 260,000 employees.
Jabil stock declined today 9.8% to $53.03 and has declined 24.75% in the year so far.
Movers: Abbott, Carnival Cruise, CMC, Jabil, KLA, Revlon, Tesla, Twitter
Barry Adams
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
Stocks declined a day after the Fed lifted rates and trimmed economic growth outlook.
The Nasdaq composite plunged as much as 4% and tech stocks led the decliners. For the year, the index has dropped 32.5%.
The S&P 500 plunged 3.1% in a broad selloff and extended this year's loss deeper in bear market to 23.23%.
Airlines were under pressure after the latest run up in oil prices are expected to trim thin operating margins.
American Airlines declined 9.1% to $12.10, Delta Air dropped 7.6% to $29.53, and United Airlines Holdings fell 8.1% to $34.84.
Travel stocks were also under pressure in today's market selloff.
Hilton Hotels declined 4.9% to $115.92, Hyatt Hotel Corporation fell 5.4% to $77.46, and Las Vegas Sands Corp dropped 4.9% to $31.06.
The leading tech stocks led the decliners.
Apple Inc fell 3.4% to $130.80, Amazon dropped 4.01% to $103.42, Microsoft decreased 2.8% to $244.71, and Alphabet Inc declined 3.3% to 2,136.35.
Carnival Corp dropped 10.1% to $8.85, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd fell 9.9% to $35.77, and Norwegian Cruise Line declined 10.3% to $10.52.
Abbott Laboratories fell 2.7% to $102.50 after the company said it has stopped production of its EleCare specialty formula after wind and rain storms flooded the area and plant located in Sturgis, Michigan.
The company said it has notified FDA and production will be "delayed for a few weeks."
Three days ago the company said it will be importing 1.1 million pounds of powder infant formula to the U.S. from its manufacturing facility in Granada, Spain, beginning this month through this summer.
Commercial Metals Company declined 4.6% to $39.60 after the company said net income in the fiscal third quarter ending in May increased 140% from a year ago to $312.4 from $130.4 million and revenues jumped 25% to $2.03 billion.
Diluted earnings per share jumped to $2.54 from $1.07 a year ago.
Jabil Inc declined 8.4% to $53.97 after the electronics contract manufacturer said revenues in the fiscal third quarter ending in May increased 15.2% to $8.3 billion.
Net income increased 28.9% to $218 million from a year ago and diluted earnings per share increased to $1.52 from $1.12.
KLA Corp declined 3.7% to $311.89 and the company announced a $6 billion stock repurchase program ahead of investors day tomorrow in New York.
The chip equipment maker increased its quarterly dividend 24% to $1.30 a share.
The company also reaffirmed its current June quarter sales between $2.3 billion and $2.55 billion and adjusted earnings per share between $4.96 and $6.03.
The company guided fourth quarter revenues between $8.1 billion and $8.7 billion and diluted earnings per share between $1.78 and $2.18 and full-year revenues near $32.8 billion and core earnings per share $7.45.
Revlon Inc soared 25.3% to $2.81 despite the cosmetic company filing for a bankruptcy protection under the debt of $3.3 billion.
Tesla Inc declined 7.7% to $644.50 and investors worried that the recent fall in stock price may force CEO Elon Musk to raise cash by selling company's share to cover Tesla's stock on margin in financing a deal to buy Twitter Inc.
Twitter Inc decreased 1.0% to $37.60 and Elon Musk in today's meeting with Twitter management and staff is expected to reconfirm his interest in acquiring the social media platform.
Musk had threatened to pull out of the deal and accused the company of withholding information on fake accounts operated by robots.
Housing Starts Declined 14.4% in May, Building Permits Fell 7%
Brian Turner
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
Housing starts in May fell to 1.55 million annual rate , a decline of 14.4% from April's revised estimate of 1.81 million rate and 3.5% lower from the 1.605 million annual rate a year ago.
Building permits in May were at 1,7 million annual rate, a 7% decline from April and housing completion rate was 1.465 million, a 9.1% higher than the rate in April and 9.9% higher than the rate a year ago.
Jobless Claims Decline 3,000 to 229,000
Brian Turner
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
The seasonally adjusted weekly jobless claims for the week ending June 11 were 229,000, a decline of 3,000 from the previous week, the Department of Labor reported today.
Jobless rate held at 0.9% and matched the unrevised rate in the previous week.
U.S., Global Markets Accelerate Declines After U.S., U.K. Brazil, Switzerland Lift Rates
Barry Adams
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
U.S. stocks reversed solid days of Wednesday and accelerated declines after central banks around the world lifted rates.
On Wednesday, the Fed lifted its fed funds target rate range by 75 basis points between 1.5% and 1.75%.
The Fed also lowered its 2022 economic growth outlook to 1.7% from 2.8% in March and unemployment rate to 3.7% from 3.5%.
The Fed's hawkish tone was welcomed by investors on Wednesday but sparked the fears of economic slowdown and higher jobless rates.
Investors around the world interpreted the Fed's willingness to fight inflation as a signal for the looming worldwide slowdown.
Markets around the world plunged after the rate hike.
The S&P 500 declined 2.6% to 3,695.50 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.6% to 10,804.40.
The DAX index declined 3.2% to 13,071.74, the CAC-40 index plunged 2.5% to 5,878.17, and the FTSE 100 index dropped 3.1% to 7,049.01
Brazil, Switzerland, UK Lift Rates
The Bank of England lifted rates by 25 basis points to 1.25%, fifth consecutive rate increase in a row.
The pound dropped 0.78% to $1.2085 after the rate decision.
The Bank of England also lifted its inflation outlook to "slightly above 11%" by October on rising energy prices.
The U.K. economy unexpectedly declined 0.3% in April after falling 0.1% in March, the Office of National Statistics had reported a week ago.
The back-to-back monthly economic growth declines were last seen in March and April 2020.
The Swiss National Bank lifted its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points from -0.75% to -0.25%, the first rate increase since 2007.
The SNB also said it is prepared to act in foreign exchange market and defend the Swiss franc if necessary.
SNB President Thomas Jordan said that the anticipatory rate increase step was taken to stem the inflation spreading from goods and services sectors of the economy that are not affected by the war in Ukraine and pandemic restrictions.
Banco do Brasil lifted its benchmark Selic interest rate as expected by 50 basis points to 13.25%.
The rates were as low as 2% in March 2021 and are now at the highest levels since 2017.
The policy makers estimated an inflation rate of 8.8% in 2022, ahead of its target rate of 3.5%, and 4% in 2023, higher than its policy assumption rate of 3.25%.
U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Rise, Housing Starts Fall
The seasonally adjusted weekly jobless claims for the week ending June 11 were 229,000, a decline of 3,000 from the previous week, the Department of Labor reported today.
Jobless rate held at 0.9% and matched the unrevised rate in the previous week.
U.S. housing starts in May fell to 1.55 million annual rate , a decline of 14.4% from April's revised estimate of 1.81 million rate and 3.5% lower from the 1.605 million annual rate a year ago.
Building permits in May were at 1,7 million annual rate, a 7% decline from April and housing completion rate was 1.465 million, a 9.1% higher than the rate in April and 9.9% higher than the rate a year ago.
European Markets Plunge 2%, ASOS, Boohoo Dop On Falling Sales
Bridgette Randall
16 Jun, 2022
New York City
European markets plunged after the U.S. rate hike was followed by increases in Switzerland and the U.K. and sparked economic recession worries.
The Fed's aggressive rate increase and reiteration of its commitment in fighting inflation stoked fears of looming U.S. recession.
The Fed also lowered its 2022 economic growth outlook to 1.7% from 2.8% and lifted its unemployment projection to 3.7% from 3.5% in March.
The Fed's tough approach to inflation also signaled its readiness to slow down the U.S. economy sparking fears of global economic weakness.
The DAX index declined 2.7% to 13,125.74, the CAC-40 index plunged 1.9% to 5,917.17, and the FTSE 100 index dropped 2.5% to 7,089.01
The Bank of England lifted rates by 25 basis points to 1.25%, fifth consecutive rate increase in a row.
The pound dropped 0.78% to $1.2085 after the rate decision.
The Bank of England also lifted its inflation outlook to "slightly above 11%" by October on rising energy prices.
The U.K. economy unexpectedly declined 0.3% in April after falling 0.1% in March, the Office of National Statistics had reported a week ago.
The back-to-back monthly economic growth declines were last seen in March and April 2020.
The Swiss National Bank lifted its key benchmark rate by 50 basis points from -0.75% to -0.25%, the first rate increase since 2007.
The SNB also said it is prepared to act in foreign exchange market and defend the Swiss franc if necessary.
SNB President Thomas Jordan said that the anticipatory rate increase step was taken to stem the inflation spreading from goods and services sectors of the economy that are not affected by the war in Ukraine and pandemic restrictions.
Roche Holdings declined 1.6% to 302.90 Swiss francs after the pharmaceutical company suffered a setback the development of its crenezumab drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
The pharma company admitted that the development stage drug failed to slow cognitive decline in patients.
ASOS plc plunged 29.2% to 820.78 pence after the online fashion retailer reported sales in the quarter ending May were flat at 983.4 million pounds.
"The net sales were impacted by a significant increase in returns rates in the UK and Europe towards the end of the period, reflecting inflationary pressures on consumers which has a disproportionate impact on profitability," said the retailer.
The company also lowered its gross margin estimate for the year and added "gross margin now expected to be between 150bps and 200bps adverse, as elevated returns are expected to drive higher levels of markdown and a continuation in the negative impact of returns on product mix."
Boohoo Group Plc plunged 11.1% to 57.70 pence after the fashion retailer said March quarter sales declined 8% to 445.7 million pounds.
Gross margins declined 220 basis points to 52.8% from a year ago but rose 240 basis points from the second-half in the previous year.
CapGemini SE dropped 2.1% to 166.0 euros and the French IT services company said it plans to open semiconductor design services centers in several location in Europe.
Automakers were in focus after European passenger car registration declined in May, the tenth monthly decline in a row. However, the pace decline slowed in May.
BMW, Renault, Volkswagen, and Stellantis NV declined between 3% and 5%.
Asian Markets Point Higher, U.S. Historic Rate Hike Pressures Yen
Arjun Pandit
15 Jun, 2022
New York City
Asian markets pointed higher after the U.S. Federal Reserve lifted rates more than previously anticipated and held out for a tougher approach to inflation.
The Federal Reserve raised its key benchmark rate by 75 basis points, higher than previously anticipated 50 basis points, after inflation accelerated in May.
Investors cheered the Fed's aggressive stance on inflation and the largest rate hike since 1994.
In a busy week for central banks, the Bank of England and Swiss National Bank on Thursday are set to announce their rate decision and the Bank of Japan is scheduled to release its policy decision on Friday.
On Wall Street stocks climbed, bond yields fell, and energy prices eased.
The S&P 500 index increased 1.3% to 3,785.83 and the Nasdaq Composite index rose 2.4% to 11,086.37.
Futures of crude oil declined $3.01 to $115.91 a barrel but natural gas increased 27 cents to $7.46 a unit.
The yield on 10-year Treasury notes edged lower to 3.33%.
China Data Shows Optimism, Japan Awaits BOJ Decision
In Wednesday's trading, stocks in China gained but in Japan and India declined ahead of the Fed decision.
The Bank of Japan is scheduled to commence its two-day policy meeting on Thursday and keep its ultra-low interest rate policy intact despite the widening yields with the U.S. bonds.
The latest U.S. rate increase will put additional pressure on rates but the central bank is expected to increase its government bond purchases and leave the rates unchanged near zero.
On Tuesday the Bank of Japan purchased 10-year government bonds for 3 trillion yen or $22 billion to keep bond yields in its target range below 0.25% and said the central bank is prepared to buy more if needed.
In Wednesday's trading, the Nikkei index declined 1.1% to 26,326.16, the Hang Seng Index gained 1.1% to 21,308.21, and the Sensex index eased 0.3% to 52,541.39.
Indexes in China closed higher after industrial production increased in May and retail sales fell less than expected.
Industrial production rose 0.7% in May after falling 2.9% in April and retail sales declined 6.7% after dropping 11.1% in April, the National Bureau of Statistic reported today.
The data were supported by the gradual relaxing of pandemic restrictions.
India's trade deficit widened after imports rose faster than exports.
Merchandise exports in May surged 20.6% to $38.94 billion and imports soared 62.8% to $63.22 billion resulting in a four-fold trade deficit surge to $24.3 billion.
Trade deficit in April was $6.5 billion and energy, coke, coal and gold imports drove the latest surge.
The commerce ministry estimated service exports increased 30% to $23.2 billion and imports soared 45% to $14.4 billion resulting in a trade surplus of $8.9 billion.
Overall exports rose 24% to $62.2 billion and imports surged 59.2% to $77.65 billion resulting in an overall deficit of $15.4 billion compared to the $1.3 billion surplus a year ago.
Rupee edged lower after the release of the latest trade statistics and closed at 78.71 against one dollar.
European Markets Advance After ECB Emergency Meeting
Markets in Europe traded higher after the European Central Bank's policy committee in an emergency meeting announced a plan to tackle widening sovereign bonds yields.
Many investors are worried that diverging yields between Germany and France from Greece and Italy could lead to a debt crisis.
In Wednesday's trading, the DAX index jumped 1.4% to 13,485.29, the CAC-40 index gained 1.4% to 6,030.13, and the FTSE index increased 1.2% to 7,273.41.
The European Central Bank said it plans to release a new tool to tackle widening sovereign bond yields and ease the debt crisis in the currency zone.
The yield on 10-year German Bund trade around 1.60% but the yields on similar maturities of Italian bonds surged above 4% and of Greek bonds hovered near 7%.
The central bank plans to reinvest redemptions from the proceeds of its emergency bond purchasing program in a flexible way.
The central bank set no limit for the purchase amount of bonds.
Banks in Europe advanced after the announcement and the Italian banks rose between 4% and 5%.