U.S. Markets
Stocks moved higher in June as investors looked past accelerating inflation and the Fed’s pivot on monetary policy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.07 percent, but the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 2.22 percent. The Nasdaq Composite led, gaining 5.49 percent.[1]
Inflation Report
The May Consumer Price Index came in above expectations. Prices increased by 5 percent for the year-over-year period—the fastest rate in nearly 13 years. Despite the surprise, markets rallied on the news, sending the S&P 500 to a new record close and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite higher.[2]
Fed Pivot
The Fed indicated that two interest rate hikes in 2023 were likely, despite signals as recently as March 2021 that rates would remain unchanged until 2024. The Fed also raised its inflation expectations to 3.4 percent, up from its March projection of 2.4 percent. This news unsettled the markets, but the shock was short-lived.[3]
News-Driven Rally
In the final full week of trading, stocks rallied on the news of an agreement regarding the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and reports that banks had passed the latest Federal Reserve stress tests.
Sector Scorecard
Industry sector performance was mixed. Gains were realized in Communication Services (+2.96 percent), Consumer Discretionary (+3.22 percent), Energy (+1.92 percent), Health Care (+1.97 percent), Real Estate (+3.28 percent), and Technology (+6.81 percent). Losses were suffered in Consumer Staples (-1.95 percent), Financials (-3.84 percent), Industrials (-3.34 percent), Materials (-5.92 percent), and Utilities (-2.78 percent).[4]
What Investors May Be Talking About in July
Second-quarter earnings season is near, and investors will see whether corporate America can build upon its first-quarter results.
Earnings are expected to increase 61 percent, in part driven by a nearly 20 percent growth in sales. In the first quarter, earnings rose 52 percent on an 11 percent increase in sales.[5]
First-quarter earnings didn’t move the market, so it’s uncertain whether second-quarter numbers will be a catalyst.
But if earnings miss the mark, analysts may find themselves evaluating stock valuations over the next few months.
World Markets
Overseas markets were mixed in June, with the MSCI EAFE Index falling 0.33 percent.[6]
European markets, however, edged higher. France picked up 0.93 percent, Germany tacked on 0.71 percent, and the U.K. rose 0.21 percent.[7]
In the Pacific Rim, Australia was among the standouts, gaining 2.11 percent. Hong Kong lost 1.11 percent, and Japan dropped 0.53 percent.[8]
Indicators
Gross Domestic Product: The final reading of first-quarter GDP growth was unchanged at 6.4 percent.[9]
Employment: Nonfarm payrolls increased by 559,000, dropping the unemployment rate to 5.8 percent. The leisure and hospitality sector experienced the largest gain, with 292,000 jobs added.[10]
Retail Sales: Retail sales declined 1.3 percent in May as consumers shifted their spending from goods to services such as airline travel.[11]
Industrial Production: Output at America’s factories, mines, and utilities rose 0.8 percent. It was the third consecutive month of expanded output.[12]
Housing: Housing starts rose 3.6 percent as the high cost of materials hampered activity.[13]
Existing home sales dropped for the fourth consecutive month, sliding 0.9 percent in May. Inventory shortages and declining affordability continue to weigh on the market.[14]
Sales of new homes fell 5.9 percent as the median sales price rose to a record $374,400.[15]
Consumer Price Index: The prices of consumer goods surged in May, hitting levels not seen in almost 13 years. The CPI rose 0.6 percent from April 2021.[16]
Durable Goods Orders: Orders for long-lasting goods rose 2.3 percent, which represented the largest month-over-month gain since July 2020.[17]
The Fed
Following its June meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee indicated that two interest rate hikes in 2023 were likely. The Fed also raised its inflation expectations to 3.4 percent, up from its March projection of 2.4 percent.[18]
However, Fed officials continue to maintain that price increases will be transitory even though there has been no indication of when or by how much the Fed may begin tapering its monthly bond purchases.[18]
| MARKET INDEX | Y-T-D CHG | June 2021 |
| DJIA | 12.73% | -0.07% |
| NASDAQ | 12.54% | 5.49% |
| S&P 500 | 14.41% | 2.22% |
| BOND YIELD | Y-T-D | June 2021 |
| 10 YR TREASURY | 0.52% | 1.44% |
Sources: Yahoo Finance, June 30, 2021
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All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a market-weighted index of all over-the-counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is a market-cap weighted index composed of the common stocks of 500 leading companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX®) is a key measure of market expectations of near-term volatility conveyed by S&P 500 stock index option prices. NYSE Group, Inc. (NYSE:NYX) operates two securities exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and NYSE Arca (formerly known as the Archipelago Exchange, or ArcaEx®, and the Pacific Exchange). NYSE Group is a leading provider of securities listing, trading and market data products and services. The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX) is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange and the preeminent trading forum for energy and precious metals, with trading conducted through two divisions – the NYMEX Division, home to the energy, platinum, and palladium markets, and the COMEX Division, on which all other metals trade. The MERVAL Index (MERcado de VALores, literally Stock Exchange) is the most important index of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. The MICEX 10 Index is an unweighted price index that tracks the ten most liquid Russian stocks listed on MICEX-RTS in Moscow. The BSE SENSEX (Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index), also-called the BSE 30 (BOMBAY STOCK EXCHANGE) or simply the SENSEX, is a free-float market capitalization-weighted stock market index of 30 well-established and financially sound companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The Nifty 50 (NTFE 50) is a well-diversified 50-stock index accounting for 13 sectors of the Indian economy. It is used for a variety of purposes such as benchmarking fund portfolios, index-based derivatives and index funds. Established in January 1980, the All Ordinaries is the oldest index of shares in Australia. It is made up of the share prices for 500 of the largest companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. The MSCI World Index is a free-float weighted equity index that includes developed world markets and does not include emerging markets. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization index consisting of indices in more than 25 emerging economies. The SSE Composite Index is an index of all stocks (A shares and B shares) that are traded at the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Nikkei 225 (Ticker: ^N225) is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). The Nikkei average is the most watched index of Asian stocks. The Hang Seng Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted stock market index that is the main indicator of the overall market performance in Hong Kong. The Mexican Stock Exchange, commonly known as Mexican Bolsa, Mexbol, or BMV, is the only stock exchange in Mexico. The S&P/TSX Composite Index is an index of the stock (equity) prices of the largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) as measured by market capitalization. The DAX 30 is a Blue-Chip stock market index consisting of the 30 major German companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The CAC-40 Index is a narrow-based, modified capitalization-weighted index of 40 companies listed on the Paris Bourse. The FTSEurofirst 300 Index comprises the 300 largest companies ranked by market capitalisation in the FTSE Developed Europe Index. The U.S. Dollar Index measures the performance of the U.S. dollar against a basket of six currencies. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, or a guarantee of future results. MarketingPro, Inc. is not affiliated with any person or firm that may be providing this information to you. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional.
Citations.
1. The Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2021
2. CNBC.com, June 10, 2021
3. The Wall Street Journal, June 16, 202
4. Sectorspdr.com, May 31, 2021
5. FactSet.com, June 4, 2021
6. MSCI.com, June 30, 2021
7. MSCI.com, June 30, 2021
8. MSCI.com, June 30, 2021
9. CNBC.com, June 24, 2021
10. The Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2021
11. The Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2021
12. MarketWatch.com, June 15, 2021
13. CNBC.com, June 16, 2021
14. CNBC.com, June 22, 2021
15. FoxBusiness.com, June 23, 2021
16. The Wall Street Journal.com, June 10, 2021
17. CNBC.com, June 24, 2021
18. The Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2021