After several weeks of dismal performance, equities shook off their worries and rallied enthusiastically on solid quarterly earnings giving the S&P 500 its biggest weekly gain of the year. For the week, the S&P 500 gained 4.12%, the Dow grew 2.59%, and the Nasdaq surged 5.29%, erasing much of their losses from previous weeks.[1. http://goo.gl/S8Alos]
Last week, we discussed some of the factors behind the recent pullback; what changed in a single week? Fundamentally, very little. However, investors regained their optimism on the reminder that many companies are still doing quite well in the economic recovery. Traders also took the opportunity to buy the dip, which added buying pressure, pushing markets up.
Markets are fundamentally forward-looking, and while global growth fears remain, investors are looking at the earnings growth picture, and realizing that the picture looks reasonably good. Not great, to be sure, but so far, S&P 500 firms are reporting 4.1% year-over-year earnings growth on 4.7% revenue growth, with about 41% of the S&P 500 firms reporting as of October 24.[2. http://www.zacks.com/commentary/35010/q3-earnings-weak-growth-guidance] If we leave out the struggling Finance sector, earnings growth jumps to 5.5%. These results are largely in line with performance in recent quarters, though earnings growth is below the four-quarter average, largely because of weak performance in the Finance and Technology sectors.[3. http://www.zacks.com/commentary/35010/q3-earnings-weak-growth-guidance] All told: Firms seem to be holding their own and turning profits, despite some weak demand issues.
Does this mean that the pullback is over? Hard to say. Markets are responding more to perception and noise than they are to fundamental factors right now. That means that more turbulence – and perhaps downward movement – can be expected in coming weeks. On the other hand, if earnings and economic fundamentals continue to look good, we may see a continuation of the rally.
Looking ahead, earnings reports from the energy and healthcare sectors will dominate this week; the two sectors represent opposite sides of the market. Healthcare was one of the big success stories of the year, while energy companies have struggled with declining oil prices.[4. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/energy-health-care-earnings-to-dominate-week-2014-10-26] While analysts expect weak results from many energy firms, they will be paying close attention to forward guidance; if energy leaders foresee a weak global economic environment, investors could respond with another attack of the nerves.
The week ahead is also heavy in economic data, with the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee meeting and a first look at Q3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Fed is widely expected to announce the end of quantitative easing at this week’s meeting; analysts also expect the formal announcement at the end of the meeting to signal a more cautious Fed and their desire to let economic data decide future policy moves.[5. http://www.ft.com/fastft/226072/post-226072]
Altogether, a big week ahead. We’ll keep you informed.
ECONOMIC CALENDAR:
Monday: Pending Home Sales Index, Dallas Fed Mfg. Survey
Tuesday: Durable Goods Orders, S&P Case-Shiller HPI, Consumer Confidence
Wednesday: EIA Petroleum Status Report, FOMC Meeting Announcement
Thursday: GDP, Jobless Claims
Friday: Personal Income and Outlays, Employment Cost Index, Chicago PMI, Consumer Sentiment
HEADLINES:
Notes: All index returns exclude reinvested dividends, and the 5-year and 10-year returns are annualized. Sources: Yahoo! Finance and Treasury.gov. International performance is represented by the MSCI EAFE Index. Corporate bond performance is represented by the DJCBP. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.
Jobless claims remain close to 14-year low. Jobless claims inched higher last week, but stayed below pre-recession levels, suggesting that the labor market is firming up. The four-week moving average of claims, considered to be a less volatile measure, fell to the lowest level since May 2000.[6. http://www.cnbc.com/id/102113600]
New home sales at six-year high. Purchases of new single-family homes rose to a multi-year high in September, though revisions to August numbers suggest sales remain on a lower trend. Single-family home sales tend to be volatile, but lower mortgage rates could spur more sales.[7. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/24/us-usa-economy-housing-idUSKCN0ID1HX20141024]
European Central Bank fails 25 in stress test. The ECB failed 25 Eurozone lenders during a series of financial health tests. Though banks have improved markedly since last year’s tests, a few still have to raise more capital to protect against another potential financial crisis.[8. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/26/us-eu-banks-idUSKBN0IF0BF20141026]
Inflation indicator remains tame. Overall consumer prices rose a tepid 0.1% in September after falling 0.2% in August. Year over year, headline inflation is up 1.7%, indicating that inflation remains soft and is giving the Federal Reserve breathing room to manage interest rates.[9. http://online.barrons.com/mdc/public/page/9_3063-economicCalendar.html ]
