After slipping last week, U.S. stock futures are edging higher to start the trading week, with Treasury yields little changed as markets remain in “wait-and-see” mode regarding the timing of accelerated tightening by the Fed after last weeks sharply higher inflation readings. Investors also prepare for a busy week of quarterly earnings in the retail sector with results from WMT, LOW, TGT and HD among those expected this week as earnings season wraps up.
In Asian markets, The Nikkei Index gained +0.56% to 29,776, the Shanghai Index fell -5 points to 3,533, and the Hang Seng Index advanced +0.25% to 25,390, In Europe, the German DAX is up about +0.1% at 16,100, while the FTSE 100 is little changed at 7,340.
Stocks finished Friday near the highs, but for the week, the S&P 500 500 fell 0.3%, the Dow fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq fell 0.7%, as each snapped their 5-week winning streaks amid heightened inflation fears. Before the bell today, the November Empire State Manufacturing Index arrives, with economists predicting a small rise from the month before in the only main data point on the schedule today.
The dollar is steady, oil prices are lower and Bitcoin/crypto assets are looking higher. Overall, it looks like a strong start to the trading week, but will gains hold?
Events Calendar for Today
8:30 AM ET Empire Manufacturing for November…est. 21.2
Earnings Calendar:
Earnings Before the Open: ACM, AYRO, BFLY, CMAX, CVSI, DMRC, DNA, GOED, JAGX, KALA, OEG, ONDS, PTN, RAIL, RMBL, SEAT, TLS, TSN, URGN, VVNT, WE, YOU
Earnings After the Close: AAP, ASTG, AGIL, ATHX, AXON, BIOC, BKYI, BODY, CMP, COMS, COOK, CSPR, DM, EDR, ETON, FPAY, GLAD, IDEX, INVO, JJSF, LCID, LFG, MARK, MIRM, NRDY, PLBY, POWW, PRCH, RAX, RXT, SGBX, SNDX, TALK, UAVS, VTSI, XL, XSPA, ZEV
Other Key Events:
BTIG Digital Health Forum $virtual, 11/15
Stifel 2021 Healthcare Conference $virtual, 11/15-11/17
Wolfe Industrial Growth & Technology Conference 2021 $virtual, 11/15
Macro Up/Down Last
Nymex -1.00 79.79
Brent -1.16 81.01
Gold -1.90 1,863.00
EUR/USD -0.0002 1.1443
JPY/USD -0.03 113.86
10-Year Note +0.006 1.554%
World News
China Oct Industrial O/P higher: 3.5% y/y vs 3% consensus; China Oct Industrial Production higher: 10.9% vs 10.8% consensus; China Oct Retail Sales higher: 4.9% y/y vs 3.5% consensus
ECB’s Lagarde said this weekend that conditions for hike in rates unlikely to be met next year; GDP still expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels by year end; price pressures to normalize as supply bottlenecks unwind; no evidence of negotiated wages
Hackers compromised a Federal Bureau of Investigation $FBI email system on Saturday and sent tens of thousands of messages warning of a possible cyberattack, according to the agency and security specialists. Jayson Albano reports.
Sector News Breakdown
**Consumer**
Tesla $TSLA shares slipping -2%; CEO Elon Musk on Sunday asked Bernie Sanders on Twitter whether the U.S. senator wants him to sell more shares after Sanders demanded the wealthy pay their “fair share” of taxes. “Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word,” Musk tweeted. Meanwhile, “The Big Short” investor Michael Burry tweeted that “Musk doesn’t need cash, he just wants to sell Tesla
Macy’s $M, Nordstrom $JWN and Signet Jewelers $SIG among mall-based retailers that are enjoying a revival on expectations consumers will spend a record $851 billion this holiday season, a 9.5% jump from last year, Barron’s reported, citing the National Retail Federation
**Energy**
Negotiators from almost 200 countries clinched a deal that seeks to keep the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement alive, breaking new ground in the fight against climate change but punting the hardest decisions into the future. After two weeks of often fraught United Nations COP26 talks, delegates agreed to reduce the use of coal
**Financials**
S&P Global $SPGI won U.S. antitrust approval to buy IHS Markit $INFO to create a financial data giant spanning everything from bond ratings and commodities prices to tracking trade flows across the world after the Justice Department cleared the $39 billion deal
**Healthcare**
Regeneron $REGN announces $3B share buyback plan
Pfizer $PFE strong R&D makes stock a good long-term bet, according to Barron’s. Notes two years ago, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla asked investors to take a big gamble on the research-and-development operation, and that bet is looking smarter than ever
**Industrials & Materials**
Deere $DE and union officials reach a third preliminary contract agreement on a contract in a bid to end a four-week-old strike; the previous offer included 10% pay raises, a signing bonus of $8,500, made workers eligible for health insurance sooner, and maintained no-premium health insurance coverage.
The United States said late Friday it will open talks with Japan over tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Japan last week asked the United States to abolish the “Section 232” tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in 2018.
**Technology, Media & Telecom**
American Tower Corp. $AMT is said to near an agreement to acquire CoreSite Realty $COR for about $10B in an all-cash deal according to a Bloomberg report saying they could announce the acquisition of the data center operator as soon as this week. The report comes after Reuters reported last week that CoreSite was exploring options after getting a takeover approach.
Walt Disney $DIS stock tumbled to near a one-year low this week following high-profile misses in its streaming and theme-parks segments according to Barron’s, which could make for an attractive entry point for patient investors
CrowdStrike $CRWD initiated at underweight with a $247 target at Morgan Stanley saying the firm’s early leadership position is becoming increasingly challenged
Shopify $SHOP downgraded to Hold from Buy at Loop Capital
