Fast food for thought
Insights and research on global events shaping the markets
SVB failure - the knock-on effect on US regional banks The KBW index of US regional banks lost nearly 18% of its value last week, following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
Stocks pulled back sharply over the week, as investors absorbed more hawkish talks from Jerome Powell and signs that the Fed still had work to do in cooling inflation. The S&P 500 Index fell on Friday to its lowest intraday level since January 5 as the selling accelerated after the index broke both its 100-day and 200-day moving averages. Financials led the declines and contributed to the pronounced weakness in value stocks.
After US rebound, global markets follow suit. The bond market takes another hit, while commodities underperformed compared to other major asset classes. Here are ten stories to remember from February 2023.
Main US equity benchmarks closed the week higher and regained some ground following their worst weekly decline in two months. Energy and materials shares outperformed. Economic reports were mixed. US durable goods orders posted their steepest decline since April 2020. The ISM Manufacturing PMI ticked higher in February for the 1st time since May (although it remained in contraction territory at 47.7) while services PMI fell slightly but less than consensus expectations and still indicated moderate expansion (55.1).
Chinese car exports on the rise, the Dow is down year-to-date, while inflation numbers came in higher than expected. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
Several upside inflation and growth surprises in the US pushed the S&P 500 Index to its worst weekly loss since early December. At its close on Friday, the index had surrendered roughly 35% of the rally that began in October, but it remained up 3.4% year to date. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now in negative territory for the year, however. Growth stocks fell only modestly more than value shares.
US debt due to explode, hedge funds cover their short tech stocks, while Tesla stocks see huge trading volumes. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
US equities ended mixed as investors weighed some healthy growth and profit signals against worries that inflation trends might surprise on the upside. Fears that the Fed would need to raise short-term interest rates more than previously expected caused US Treasury yields to increase and fostered a rise in the U.S. dollar, taking an especially large toll on oil prices and energy stocks. US CPI rose 0.5% in January, as expected, versus a revised 0.1% increase in December.
The 60/40 portfolio rising from its ashes, as the US economy continues to show resilience. Meanwhile, inflation-friendly stocks continue to enjoy superior performances. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite lost 1.1% and 2.4%, respectively, in what was their worst week since December. Energy stocks were the notable upside outlier and communication services shares the prominent laggard. Shares of Google parent Alphabet lost roughly USD 100 billion in market capitalization on Wednesday and fell roughly 10% for the week after Reuters reported that Google’s new artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot, Bard, mistakenly identified the first satellite to take a picture of an exoplanet in its first public demonstration on Monday.
Investing with intelligence
Our latest research, commentary and market outlooks