US Stock Markets Ended August 23, 2019

Bob Carey
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US Stock Markets Ended August 23, 2019

Posted Under: Weekly Market Commentary

Equities started last week positive and looked to coast into the weekend until mid-day Friday when China decided to levy additional tariffs on $75b worth of U.S. goods and President Trump responded with additional US trade threats. This raised the geopolitical and global GDP growth risks which sent the S&P 500 down over 75 points and the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling 600 points. Concerns of lackluster global GDP growth have taken over equity markets, the latest affair was a 30-Year German Bund auction with negative interest rates. Despite the global backdrop, U.S. economic reports continue to resilience. Initial jobless claims, continuing jobless claims and home sales all were reported as expected. The Conference Board US Leading Indicator Index beat expectations for July with a 0.5% gain. Meanwhile, June's leading indicator was revised from -0.3% up to -0.1%. Earnings season for 2Q19 wound down with only 22 companies in the S&P 500 Index reporting last week. There were a slew of retail announcements including The Gap Inc., Nordstrom Inc., Target Inc., Home Depot Inc., Lowes Inc., L Brands Inc. and TJX Companies. The headliner was Target Inc. which soared nearly 24% last week after announcing earnings, same store sales and guidance all beat estimates. Further, Target announced their comparable digital sales grew 34%, bolstering the markets confidence in their digital order future. The only retail name listed above that was down last week was L Brands Inc. which owns Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works. LB was down over 12% as they announced lingerie revenue was down 'mid-single digits in Q2' and their gross margins decreased significantly. This likely means LB deeply discounted their goods and still couldn't sell them. Looking ahead to next week, tariff news will surely grab headlines and will likely determine the near-term profits in equity markets. This could give those with a longer-term view an entry opportunity into equities if they can stomach the likely near-term volatility.

Posted on Monday, August 26, 2019 @ 8:35 AM • Post Link	Share:
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These posts were prepared by First Trust Advisors L.P., and reflect the current opinion of the authors. They are based upon sources and data believed to be accurate and reliable. Opinions and forward looking statements expressed are subject to change without notice. This information does not constitute a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security.

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