Market Update

Weekly Jobless Claims Down 5,000, Lowest Level Since 1968

Barry Adams
07 Apr, 2022
New York City

Seasonally adjusted weekly initial claims of unemployment were 166,000 in the week ending April 2, the lowest since November 1968. The claims declined 5,000 from the previous week's claims of 171,000, revised down 31,000 The 4-week moving average was 170,000, down 8,000 from the previous week's revised average. The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.1% in the previous week.

Stocks Weak, Dollar Gains, Yields Rise After Fed Minutes

Barry Adams
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

U.S. stock indexes in steady decline touched the lows just ahead of the release of the monetary policy meeting minutes. Indexes trimmed losses after the release of the Fed's plan to shrink a bloated portfolio of U.S. bonds but the Nasdaq Composite led the losers with more than 2% loss. Pre-earnings rally was on hold as the dollar advanced to a 11-month high and the U.S. 10-year yield rose to 2.6%.

Fed Plans to Shrink $9 Trillion Holdings and Considers Higher Rate Increases

Brian Turner
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

Fed officials are leaning towards a higher rate increases and have agreed on a plan to shrink holdings of $9 trillion of U.S. bonds. After years of denying rising inflation as transitory, Fed officials are ready to roll over $60 billion of U.S. treasury bonds and $35 billion of mortgage securities a month phased over three months beginning in May starting with the shortest term holdings.

U.S. Bans New Investments in Russia, Sanctions on Putin's Adult Daughters

Barry Adams
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

U.S. ramps up pressure on Russian banks and state enterprises by placing a full block on the U.S. dollar denominated transactions. Moreover, President Biden's administration also placed personal sanctions on two adult daughters of President Putin, Prime Minister Mishustin and former president Medvedev. Biden's executive order also ban all new investments in Russia by Americans.

Simply Good Foods Lifts Sales Outlook

Scott Peters
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

The Simply Good Foods said fiscal second quarter ending in December increased 28.7% to $296.7 million and net income in the quarter was $18.5 million compared to a loss of $26.2 million in a year ago period. Gross profit margin declined to 36.6% from 39.1%. Full fiscal year sales increase outlook was revised higher to a range of 13% to 15% from 12% to 14% estimated in three months ago.

Total Mortgage Volume Plunges 41%, Average Rate at 4.9%

Hossain Akhtar
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

Rising interest rates are wreaking a havoc in mortgage industry and may indicate a slowing housing market in the coming months. Total mortgage volume declined another 6% last week and plunged 41% from a year ago. Applications dropped 10% in the week and plunged 62% from a year ago. The average 30-year contract interest rate increased to 4.9% last week from 3.36% a year ago.

Movers: Spirit, Frontier, JetBlue, Rivian, Intel, Simply Good Foods

Barry Adams
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

Stocks of Spirit Airlines, Frontier Group, and JetBlue turned lower after the unsolicited bid raised uncertainty for at least few months. Rivian gained 1.6% after the EV maker said it is on track to meet its production goal of 25,000 units in the year. Simply Good Foods gained 4% after the healthier snack maker lifted sales outlook. Intel fell 1% after it suspended its operations in Russia.

Tech Stocks Lead Losers and Bond Yields at New 3-Year High

Barry Adams
06 Apr, 2022
New York City

U.S. stock futures are pointing to another loss of at least 1% at the opening as bond yields continue to march upwards. 10-year U.S. bond is trading at 2.65% ahead of the release of minutes of meetings this afternoon. Tech stocks are leading the losers and energy stocks are in focus ahead of the Congressional hearing today. Oil inched higher to $103.30 a barrel after dipping in Tuesday.

JetBlue's Higher Offer May Not Sway Spirit's Board

Boris Petrov
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

JetBlue Airways has made an unsolicited $3.63 billion bid for Spirit Airlines. The all-cash offer values the discount carrier at roughly 40% higher than the current merger agreement with Frontier at $2.9 billion. The Justice Department is currently suing JetBlue for its alliance with American Airlines. A Spirit-Frontier merger will build a nationwide network of a ultra low-cost service.

Nasdaq Drops 2.2%, Mortgage Rate Crosses 5%

Barry Adams
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

U.S. indexes fell 1% and Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.2% after a dovish Fed Governor said that the central bank needed an aggressive approach in tackling inflation. 10-year U.S. bond closed at 2.55%, a 3-year high, and 5-year at 2.70%. Inflation worries drove the market sentiment and tech stocks took the hit. The 30-year mortgage rate crossed 5% for the first time since 2011 and two days in 2018.

MarketAxess Sank 10% After Monthly Volume Data Release

Scott Peters
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

MarketAxess Holdings dropped 9% after the fixed income trading platform reported its total credit monthly average daily volume fell 3% from a year ago. The combined daily U.S. high grade and high yield volume fell 6% but total credit trading volume in the month increased to $894.6 billion, second best monthly record.

Carvana Plunged 9% on Cautious Research Note

Scott Peters
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

Carvana plunged 9% after an RBC Capital analyst downgraded the stocks and highlighted that the company is expanding at a faster pace than the sales growth. The online auto retailer is expected to sell about 550,000 vehicles in 2022 against the expanded capacity of 3.3 million. Moreover, the recent Adesa car auction service may face integration risks.

Farfetch's $200 Million Minority Stake in Neiman to Expand Marketplace

Scott Peters
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

Farfetch Ltd agreed to take a minority stake of $200 million in Nieman Marcus. The investment will be used to the retailer in expanding its online capabilities and re-plarform and imporve mobile capabilities of Bergdorf Goodman. In addition, Neiman and Bergdorf will join Farfetch Marketplace.

Movers: Twitter, Peabody Energy, James Hardie, Carnival

Barry Adams
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

Twitter extended gains for the second day after the social media company said it has appointed Elon Musk on its board a day after he declared passive holding of 9%. Peabody Energy extended its weeklong advance after the European Union is looking to place a ban on Russian coal. Carnival Corp said it had the busiest week ending on March 28.

GM, Honda Partnership to Deliver EVs in 2027

Hossain Akhtar
05 Apr, 2022
New York City

General Motors and Honda Motor announced a partnership to manufacture electric vehicles using the battery technology developed by GM. The partnership plans to use solid state battery technology and deliver the vehicles in 2027 at a price lower than $30,000. Yesterday, Tesla announced a 69% surge in EV sales in the first quarter and doubled its 2021 sales to 936,000 units.