Economic Events & Stock Market News

[Aarroncikk]

Welcome fourth quarter earnings season. This season is important - not only because investors are keen to know if the positive stock market sentiment post Trump elections will be reflected in delivery of corporate earnings / profits, but also because it will set the tone for corporate America's expectations of future earnings under Trump regime and provide guidance on the sanity of market valuations

Financials and Energy will definitely be the stars this season as Trump policy expectations of lower regulation, higher rates under his regime, OPEC deal put these sectors in a sweet spot. However, other sectors like technology, healthcare, consumer staples, industrials, telecoms and materials are also expected to deliver earnings growth this year.

[Abnormal Returns]

After a post-election surge in December, homebuilder confidence pulled back more than expected to kick off the year. While economists were forecasting the NAHB homebuilder sentiment survey to come in at a level of 69 this month, the actual reading came in two points lower at 67, and down three points from December’s originally reported reading of 70. We would note that last month’s initial reading was also revised down one point, so the m/m decline was just two points. Looking at the chart below, even after this month’s decline, sentiment remains above every other reading of this expansion prior to December.

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The good news for US workers is that according to the Fed, labor market conditions remained tight in the majority of the districts. Employment growth ranged from slight to moderate and most Districts indicated that wages increased modestly. A couple of Districts mentioned layoffs, but even in those Districts, as in other regions, most responding firms were said to have added employment, on net. District reports cited widespread difficulties in finding workers for skilled positions; several also noted problems recruiting for less-killed jobs. Wages in some Districts were pushed up a bit by increases in the states’ minimum wages and most Districts said wage pressures had increased. The Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Atlanta Fed districts reported further tightening in their labor markets over the period, with wage pressures likely to rise and the pace of hiring to hold steady or increase.

[AgustinKasp]

The Fed also said most districts said non-auto retail sales expanded, but that several districts noted holiday sales were disappointing. New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Dallas reported disappointing or slugglish consumer spending or retail spending through November and December.

But the most troubling news revolves around the threat to corporate margins because despite the "modest, moderate" growth, margin pressures were said to be building as input prices rose faster than final goods prices. Cost increases were reported for coal, natural gas, and selected building and manufacturing materials. At the same time, retailers’ selling prices were mixed, but on balance were flat or down amidst competitive discounting.