Market Summary: The long and the short of it.
US Markets: Equity markets opened up pessimistically in morning trading and dove into the red. Investors regained their courage on the back of the Federal Reserve’s Chairmen Jerome Powell’s testimony to congress. The Chairman said the U.S. Central bank is done cutting interest rates for the moment and sees a “sustained expansion” ahead. The Wall Street Journal reported during the afternoon session that the U.S.- China trade negations have hit another snag over China’s agricultural purchases from U.S. farmers and once again the markets hit the sell button. However, the trading day was salvaged by a big jump in Walt Disney (DIS) shares, Disney closed at 148 for a gain of +7.32%. The S&P 500 closed out trading at 3,094, for a gain of +0.07%, while the New York Composite (NYA) closed out trading at 13,385, for a loss of -0.02%.
Of note in Wednesday’s market action, traditionally defensive/cautious market sectors such as utilities, real estate, and consumer staples ended sharply higher, while cyclical sectors, such as financials, energy, and materials, lagged. Also of note, as stocks reach record highs, the SMART money flow indicator is not chasing the markets higher.
US Treasuries: Bonds were bid again today driving down yields, with the long-end of the yield curve notably outperforming. The 10-year bond closed out at 1.87, for a loss of -2.04%, while the 30-year bond closed at 2.35.
Gold and Silver did very little in the precious metals markets and finished the day at $1461 and $16.87 an ounce respectively. Crude Oil (WTI) extended gains from the previous session after the industry reported a fall in U.S. crude stockpiles. Oil ended at $57.63 a barrel, for a gain of +0.89%
European markets finished lower on Wednesday with shares in Germany leading the region. The DAX was down -0.40%, while France’s CAC 40 was off -0.21% and the UK’s FTSE 100 dipped -0.19%.
Asian markets were higher yesterday with shares in China leading the region. The Shanghai Composite pushed up +0.19%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose +0.09% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up +0.03%.
South & Central American markets finished mixed as of the most recent closing prices. Brazil’s Bovespa was off -0.65%. Shares in Mexico were unchanged with the IPC at 43,098.66.
Cryptocurrencies had another sleepy day in trading. Bitcoin ended the day at 8,795, for a slight loss of -0.24%.
The fear gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) spiked in trading and ended at 13.00, for a rise of +2.52%.