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Megacaps Hit All-Time High in Defensive Stock Tilt: Markets Wrap

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Megacaps Hit All-Time High in Defensive Stock Tilt: Markets Wrap
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) logo is displayed on the trading floor in New York, U.S. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)

Megacap companies rallied to a record as traders turned to defensive shares after the latest round of economic data suggested a slowdown in the labor-market recovery.

The NYSE FANG+ Index of pandemic darlings such as Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. climbed 1.3%. Real-estate and utility firms in the S&P 500 rose, while energy and financial stocks fell. The benchmark gauge of American equities almost wiped out its gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped.

U.S. companies added fewer jobs than expected in August, ADP Research Institute data showed. While manufacturing expanded at a stronger-than-estimated pace, supply-chain bottlenecks were accompanied by labor constraints. Those figures came before Friday’s payrolls data, with economists expecting a deceleration from the rapid gain in the prior month and a drop in the unemployment rate.

“The private payrolls numbers have been all over the map during the pandemic, and often not the strongest indicator of how the rest of the jobs report will play out,” said Mike Loewengart, managing director of investment strategy at E*Trade Financial. “With so much pressure on improvement on the labor-market front coming from the Fed, this could send a signal that jobs growth is stagnating. That’s likely a good thing for the markets though, as it means easy-money policy continues.”

Megacaps Hit All-Time High in Defensive Stock Tilt: Markets Wrap

For Linda Duessel, senior equity strategist at Federated Hermes, it’s still too early to get bearish on the market. While more Wall Street voices are predicting a pullback soon, she told Bloomberg TV Wednesday that the “unbelievable” landscape of strong earnings and fiscal stimulus means stocks can run higher for longer.

Meantime, Citigroup Inc.’s Tobias Levkovich is sticking to his bearish call for stocks. Underpinning his view are stretched valuations and a planned tax rise that will hurt corporate profits.

Some corporate highlights:

  • Netflix Inc. rallied after saying the sitcom “Seinfeld” would begin streaming on Oct. 1.
  • Chinese stocks listed in the U.S. rose for a third straight day, rebounding from a selloff fueled by Beijing’s sweeping regulatory crackdown.
  • Workhorse Group Inc. tumbled after a news report that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into the electric-truck startup.

The Treasury 10-year note’s yield has scope to rise to 1.90% in the coming months, a level it hasn’t exceeded since January 2020, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. technical strategist Jason Hunter. He cited the “aggressive rally that created extreme overbought conditions” as one of the reasons for his prediction. The benchmark bond rate is currently around 1.3%.

Here are some key events to watch this week:

  • U.S. factory orders, durable goods, trade balance, initial jobless claims Thursday
  • U.S. jobs report Friday

For more market analysis, read our MLIV blog.

Megacaps Hit All-Time High in Defensive Stock Tilt: Markets Wrap

Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

  • The S&P 500 was little changed as of 4 p.m. New York time
  • The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.2%
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%
  • The MSCI World index rose 0.3%

Currencies

  • The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2%
  • The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1838
  • The British pound was little changed at $1.3768
  • The Japanese yen was little changed at 110.05 per dollar

Bonds

  • The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined one basis point to 1.30%
  • Germany’s 10-year yield advanced one basis point to -0.37%
  • Britain’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to 0.69%

Commodities

  • West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.4% to $68.24 a barrel
  • Gold futures were little changed

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