Weekly Update – August 14, 2023
The Week on Wall Street
Positive inflation data failed to lift stocks from their August doldrums last week as economic data and a ratings downgrade soured investor sentiment.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.62%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slipped 0.31%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 1.90% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, rose 0.50%.1,2,3
Tech Weighs on Stocks
Stocks struggled last week, beginning on a strong note ahead of key inflation data and selling off mid-week in response to a downgrade of the banking sector by credit rating agency Moody’s and news of a steep drop in China’s exports. Emblematic of the week, stocks jumped to big gains following Thursday’s better-than-expected inflation report, only to evaporate as bond yields rose amid an auction of 30-year Treasury bonds.
Stocks have had difficulty sustaining traction with the loss of the technology’s leadership, which has propelled gains this year. The combination of higher yields and earnings that failed to validate tech’s elevated valuations has dragged the sector and the larger market.
Subdued Inflation
July’s inflation data reflected only moderate price pressures. Consumer prices increased by a modest 0.2%, which aligned with market expectations. In comparison, the annual inflation rate came in at 3.2%, slightly below consensus estimates–though higher than June’s annual increase of 3.0%. Core CPI (excludes food and energy) was particularly encouraging, rising at the slowest rate since October 2021.4
Producer prices painted a more mixed picture, coming in a bit higher than expected, rising 0.3% versus the expected 0.2% increase, though the year-over-year increase was just 0.8%. Core producer prices’ 12-month increase of 2.4% tied for the lowest since January 2021.5
THIS WEEK: KEY ECONOMIC DATA
Tuesday: Retail Sales.
Wednesday: Housing Starts. Industrial Production. FOMC Minutes.
Thursday: Index of Leading Economic Indicators. Jobless Claims.
THIS WEEK: COMPANIES REPORTING EARNINGS
Tuesday: The Home Depot, Inc. (HD)
Wednesday: Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO), Target Corporation (TGT), The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX)
Thursday: Walmart, Inc. (WMT), Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT), Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST)
Friday: Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW), Deere & Company (DE)
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1. The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2023
2. The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2023
3. The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2023
4. CNBC, August 10, 2023
5. CNBC, August 11, 2023