Bespoke Stock Scores — 5/3/22
Daily Sector Snapshot — 5/3/22
B.I.G. Tips – 50 bps Hike Coming Right Up
Asset Class Performance
The S&P 500 (SPY) is down nearly 4% since the last FOMC meeting on March 16th when the Fed lifted off of the “zero bound” by hiking rates 25 basis points. As we approach the second rate hike of this cycle tomorrow, below is a snapshot of recent asset class performance using our key ETF matrix. For each ETF, we show its total return since the close on the date of the last FOMC meeting (3/16) as well as its total return since February 19th, 2020, which was the stock market’s closing high prior to the start of the COVID pandemic.
Starting with performance since the Fed hiked rates for the first time back in March, we’ve seen across-the-board declines in US equities with the exception of a few sectors. Small-caps and the Nasdaq have been hit hardest since the March rate hike, while the Dividend ETF (DVY) has managed to post a small gain. Communication Services and Financials have been the hardest hit sectors with declines of 8%+, while Energy and Consumer Staples are both up more than 5%. Outside of the US, not one country ETF is up since the Fed hiked rates, and Germany and China are both down ~10%. The China ETF (ASHR) is down more than any ETF in our matrix since the first rate hike, but the 20+ Year Treasury ETF is right on its heels with a decline of 10.1%. Even gold and silver are now down since 3/16, while energy and agricultural commodities are in the green.
As asset prices have fallen in 2022, we’ve seen quite a few areas of financial markets really start to give up post-COVID gains. The S&P 500 has still posted a total return of nearly 28% since pre-COVID, but the small-cap Russell 2,000 is up less than 15% at this point. Looking at US sectors, Energy is up the most since 2/19/20 with a gain of 61%. Materials and Technology are still up 40%+, while Industrials and Financials are up just 18%. Two sectors — Utilities and Communication Services — have posted total returns of less than 10% since the pre-COVID high.
Outside of the US, India and Canada are both solidly green since the pandemic began, but countries like Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, and Spain are all in the red. Commodity ETFs have been some of the best since the pandemic, although USO (oil) specifically is actually down 14% since the close on 2/19/20.
Treasury ETFs are down on a total return basis since pre-COVID, with TLT down the most at 15%. The only bond ETF that has offered some protection post-COVID is the inflation-protected TIP, which is up 8.42%. Click here to learn more about Bespoke’s premium financial markets research.
Bond Market Massively Oversold
The sell-off in bond prices over the last six months has been extreme to say the least. There are a number of ways we could highlight the carnage for bond investors, but one way is to look at how far bond indices are trading below their 200-day moving averages. As shown below, the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Market Total Return index is currently 8.5% below its 200-day moving average.
Going back to 1988 when daily price data begins, the 200-DMA spread is currently 2x more negative than any prior extreme oversold reading. Click here to learn more about Bespoke’s premium financial markets research.
Chart of the Day: New Low in 52-Week Lows
Bespoke’s Morning Lineup – 5/3/22 – Tepid Follow Through
See what’s driving market performance around the world in today’s Morning Lineup. Bespoke’s Morning Lineup is the best way to start your trading day. Read it now by starting a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium. CLICK HERE to learn more and start your trial.
“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” – Lee Iacocca
Below is a snippet of content from today’s Morning Lineup for Bespoke Premium members. Start a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium now to access the full report.
Futures have been trading on either side of the flatline this morning and most of the overnight session as investors look to digest Monday’s volatility. US Treasury yields are modestly lower along with crude oil prices, while bitcoin is either modestly higher or lower depending on when you look. In economic data, Germany had some better than expected data related to employment, and this morning in the US we’ll get updates on Factory Orders, JOLTS, and Durable Goods.
In today’s Morning Lineup, we recap overnight events in Asia and Europe (pg 4), economic data in China and Europe (pg 5), and a lot more.
That was quite a reversal in the S&P 500 yesterday! After trading down over 1% heading into the final hour of trading, the market got an early start on a ‘turnaround Tuesday’ and rallied nearly 2% into the close. By the time the closing bell rang, the S&P 500 was up over half of a percent.
Reversals like Monday’s always feel great in the moment, but do they really mean anything in terms of the market’s future direction? Since the early 1990s, yesterday was just the 17th time that the S&P 500 was down at 3 PM but rallied by more than 1.5% in the final hour of trading to finish the day in positive territory. The two most recent occurrences were this past January (1/24) and before that December 2018 (12/27/18). After that, you have to go back to October 2011 to find the most recent occurrence. The chart below shows the S&P 500 on a long-term basis going back to 1995, and we have included red dots to show the day of every prior reversal like yesterday when the S&P 500 was down at 3 PM, rallied more than 1.5% in the last hour, and then closed in positive territory.
Looking at the various occurrences, there appears to be little in the way of a clear trend. While there were multiple occurrences during the dot-com bust and the financial crisis, there were also a number of occurrences just after the March 2009 low and in the years since.
Start a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium to read today’s full Morning Lineup.
Daily Sector Snapshot — 5/2/22
Bespoke Market Calendar — May 2022
Please click the image below to view our May 2022 market calendar. This calendar includes the S&P 500’s average percentage change and average intraday chart pattern for each trading day during the upcoming month. It also includes market holidays and options expiration dates plus the dates of key economic indicator releases. Click here to view Bespoke’s premium membership options.
Near Record Consistency for the US Dollar in April
The US dollar performed incredibly strong in the month of April, gaining a total of 4.7%. In addition, there were only three trading days in which the US Dollar Index traded lower, which constitutes a monthly positivity rate of 86%. Notably, this is the third-highest positivity rate on record (since 1971), falling short of just July 1975 and May of 2012. In this week’s Bespoke Report, we conducted a deep dive into the dollar’s recent strength. You can access this report by becoming a paid subscriber today. Click here to view Bespoke’s premium membership options.
The month where the Dollar Index experienced the highest consistency of positive returns was in May 2012 when it finished higher on just under 87% of the month’s trading days. During that month, the Dollar Index recovered after falling 175 basis points between the end of 2011 and the start of May. In May alone, it rallied 542 basis points, more than erasing the YTD losses heading into the month. Economic weakness in Europe and concerns over Greece being able to make its debt payments also caused a rotation into dollar-denominated assets.
In July of 1975, the Dollar Index traded higher on 86.4% of the month’s trading days. Back then, the US was emerging from a recession as the economy was beginning to show signs of strength. Inflation was running hot, which caused short-term interest rates to rise and attracted foreign investors, thus boosting demand for the dollar.
Last month, demand for the Dollar moved consistently higher as higher yields attracted foreign investors. In addition, weakness in the Yen attracted foreign capital as well. With just three down days during the month, the Dollar Index was up on 85.7% of the month’s trading days.
In November of 1978, the daily positivity rates for the US Dollar Index hit 80%. The dollar had experienced weakness leading up to November, shedding 13.9% of its value on a YTD basis. Rates continued to tick higher amidst a high inflationary environment.
As mentioned in our Conference Call Recaps, strength in the US dollar acts as a headwind to Corporate America, as constant selling prices in foreign countries leads to less favorable currency conversions. So, how have equity markets performed during and after strong months for the dollar? In May 2012, the S&P 500 lost 6.3% but gained 4.0% in the following month. Three and six months out, the index was up 7.3% and 8.1%, respectively. In July 1975, the S&P 500 traded down by 6.8% and proceeded to lose another 2.1% in the following month. Three months out, the S&P 500 was up just 33 basis points. However, six months out, the index had gained 13.6%. Lastly, in November 1978, the S&P 500 gained just 1.7% after trading down by 9.2% in the previous month. In the following month, the index gained 1.5%. Three and six months later, the index was up 1.7% and 4.6%, respectively. For the sake of comparison, in April of this year, the S&P 500 shed 8.8% of its value, so weakness in equities during months where the Dollar Index has been very consistent to the upside is not necessariliy out of the ordinary.