Stocks Fall on Weakness in Chipmakers and Renewed US-Iran Hostilities

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is down -0.31%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) (DIA) is up +0.16%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is down -1.51%.  September E-mini S&P futures (ESU26) are down -0.29%, and September E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQU26) are down -1.47%.  Stock indexes are mostly lower today as a sell-off in South Korean…


Stocks Fall on Weakness in Chipmakers and Renewed US-Iran Hostilities

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is down -0.31%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DOWI) (DIA) is up +0.16%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is down -1.51%.  September E-mini S&P futures (ESU26) are down -0.29%, and September E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQU26) are down -1.47%. 

Stock indexes are mostly lower today as a sell-off in South Korean chipmakers weighed on technology stocks and crude oil prices jumped amid renewed US-Iran hostilities.  South Korea’s Kospi Index closed down more than -8% today after SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics plunged more than -10% on concerns that the artificial intelligence boom has become overextended.  On the positive side, energy producers are moving higher with crude oil prices up sharply.

More News from Barchart

An escalation in hostilities in the Middle East is weighing on market sentiment, with WTI crude oil (CLQ26) up more than +3% today after the US, over the weekend, launched fresh missile attacks against Iran, targeting Iranian air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, and missile and drone capabilities.  Meanwhile, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks at targets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.  Iran also attacked two vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

The outlook for strong Q2 earnings, which will begin this week, is a bullish factor for stocks.  Forecasts compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence suggest Q2 earnings may increase by +23%, close to Q1’s blowout earnings of +30%, which was more than double the +12% analysts had expected.  AI spending is expected to account for most of earnings, with AI infrastructure stocks set to contribute nearly 60% of the S&P 500’s earnings-per-share growth in Q2. 

The markets are discounting a 36% chance of a +25 bp rate hike at the next FOMC meeting on July 28-29.

Overseas stock markets are lower today.  The Euro Stoxx 50 is down -0.06%.  China’s Shanghai Composite tumbled to a 3-month low and closed down -2.06%.  Japan’s Nikkei-225 Stock Average fell to a 1-month low and closed down -1.92%.

Interest Rates

September 10-year T-notes (ZNU6) today are down -4 ticks, and the 10-year T-note yield is up +2.2 bp to 4.583%.  T-notes are under pressure from today’s +3% jump in WTI crude oil, which raises inflation expectations.  Losses in T-notes are contained, as today’s slide in stocks has boosted safe-haven demand for government debt. 

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