Subscribe to the 100% free rdnewsNOW daily newsletter!
sponsored

Market Watch: June 17, 2022

Jun 17, 2022 | 3:39 PM

Big Picture

Markets Tumble as Fed Moves Aggressively With 0.75% Rate Hike

It’s been an anxious week as all eyes have been focused on the Fed and its long-term plan to fight inflation, which reached 8.6% in May, according to data released last Friday.

On Monday, North American markets continued to sell off, putting the S&P 500 in bear market territory, as investors re-examined Friday’s Consumer Price Index data. Faced with the prospects of a significant rate hike by the Fed, investors abandoned riskier assets. The S&P 500 tumbled 3.2%, while 10-year U.S. Treasury yields jumped to 3.350% Monday, up from 3.156% Friday.

By Monday’s close, the Dow plunged 875 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped 151 and 531, respectively. In Canada, the TSX fell back into correction territory, losing 532 points, as energy and materials weighed heavily on the index.

Trading on Tuesday was fairly mixed, with the Dow, S&P 500 and TSX registering modest losses, while the Nasdaq gained 19 points. Meanwhile, the sharp selloff in government bonds continued in both the U.S. and Canada. On Tuesday, U.S. 10-year Treasuries reached 3.482% (its highest close since Spring 2011), while Canadian 10-Year notes hit 3.638%.

As predicted by many analysts, the Fed on Wednesday raised interest rates by 75 basis points, the largest increase since 1994. In a news conference following the announcement, Fed Chair Powell said that another significant hike – either 50 or 75 basis points — seemed likely in July.

U.S. indexes responded positively to the news, staging a modest rally, with 10 of the S&P 500’s 11 sectors ending higher. Key tech names, which have been battered this year, registered solid gains as the Nasdaq jumped 271 points. In Canada, the TSX climbed 63 points, as falling oil prices tempered Wednesday’s gains. In the U.S., government bonds rallied Wednesday as 10-Year Treasuries fell 10 basis points.

Wednesday’s positive sentiment vanished Thursday, however, as investors digested the long-term impact of aggressive rate hikes and the growing likelihood of a not-so-soft landing (i.e., recession). By Thursday’s close, the Dow finished below 30,000 after dropping 741 points, while the Nasdaq lost 607 points, and the S&P 500 fell 123. So far this year, the Dow is down 18%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have dropped 23% and 32%, respectively. The TSX also fell sharply, down 607 points to 19,004, a 14-month low.

North American Markets Record Sharp Losses

For the four trading days covered in this report, the Dow lost 1,466 points to close at 29,927, the S&P 500 dropped 234 points to settle at 3,667, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq sunk 694 points to close at 10,646. In Canada, the TSX lost 1,271 points to end at 19,004.

Strategy

The U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) hikes interest rates by 75bps and signals more tightening in the months ahead

In its meeting on Wednesday, the Fed raised interest rates by 75bps, the largest increase since 1994 as it intensifies its fight against the strongest price pressures seen in four decades. Along with the rate increase, the Fed also released an updated Summary of Economic Projections and Dot Plot, with the latter showing the target rate reaching 3.4% by the end of this year (1.9% estimated in March) and 3.8% by the end of 2023 (2.8% in March), before settling down to 2.5% long-term (2.4% in March). Markets are expecting another ~200bps of rate increases by year-end, which would take the target rate as high as 3.75% by December. Indeed, in its statement, the FOMC stood firm on its commitment to bringing inflation back down towards the 2% objective and Chairman Jerome Powell reaffirmed this sharp focus on prices during his post-meeting remarks. He also said that another 50-75 bps move at the upcoming July meeting is likely. In addition, the Fed reiterated that it will shrink its balance sheet by US$47.5 billion per month starting this month before doubling that pace from September.

Disclaimer

This report is provided to you for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide personal investment advice. This report does not include or constitute an investment recommendation and does not take into account the particular investment objectives, financial conditions, or specific needs of individual clients. Any statements regarding future prospects may not be realized. Before acting on this material, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and talk to your investment advisor. The author(s) of the report and the supervisors of the Global Portfolio Advisory Group may own securities of the companies included herein. Scotia Capital Inc. is what is referred to as an “integrated” investment firm since we provide a broad range of corporate finance, investment banking, institutional trading and retail client services and products. As a result we recognize that there are inherent conflicts of interest in our business since we often represent both sides to a transaction, namely the buyer and the seller. While we have policies and procedures in place to manage these conflicts, we also disclose certain conflicts to you so that you are aware of them. Please note that we may have, from time to time, relationships with the companies that are discussed in this report. The Global Portfolio Advisory Group prepared this report by analyzing information from various sources. Information obtained in the preparation of this report may have been obtained from the Equity Research and Fixed Income Research departments of the Global Banking and Markets division of Scotiabank. Information may be also obtained from the Foreign Exchange Research and Scotia Economics departments within Scotiabank. In addition to information obtained from members of the Scotiabank group, information may be obtained from the following third party sources: Standard & Poor’s, Morningstar, Bloomberg, Credit Suisse AG, Perimeter Markets Inc., and FactSet. The information and opinions contained in this report have been compiled or arrived at from sources believed reliable but no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to their accuracy or completeness. While the information provided is believed to be accurate and reliable, neither Scotia Capital Inc., which includes the Global Portfolio Advisory Group, nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. Neither Scotia Capital Inc. nor its affiliates accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this report or its contents. Nothing contained in this report is or should be relied upon as a promise or representation as to the future. The pro forma and estimated financial information contained in this report, if any, is based on certain assumptions and analysis of information available at the time that this information was prepared, which assumptions and analysis may or may not be correct. There is no representation, warranty or other assurance that any projections contained in this report will be realized. Opinions, estimates and projections contained herein are those of the Global Portfolio Advisory Group as of the date hereof and are subject to change without notice. For that reason, it cannot be guaranteed by The Bank of Nova Scotia or any of its subsidiaries, including Scotia Capital Inc. This report is not, and is not to be construed as: (i) an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy securities and/or commodity futures contracts; (ii) an offer to transact business in any jurisdiction; or (iii) investment advice to any party. Products and services described herein are only available where they can be lawfully provided. Scotia Capital Inc. and its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees may from time to time acquire, hold or sell securities and/or commodities and/or commodity futures contracts mentioned herein as principal or agent. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Copyright 2021 Scotia Capital Inc. All rights reserved. This report is distributed by Scotia Capital Inc., a subsidiary of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Scotia Capital Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. ® Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. Scotia Wealth Management® consists of a range of financial services provided by The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank®); The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company (Scotiatrust®); Private Investment Counsel, a service of 1832 Asset Management L.P.; 1832 Asset Management U.S. Inc.; Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc.; and ScotiaMcLeod®, a division of Scotia Capital Inc. Private banking and International private banking services are provided in Canada by The Bank of Nova Scotia. Estate and trust services are provided by The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company. Portfolio management is provided by 1832 Asset Management L.P. and 1832 Asset Management U.S. Inc. Insurance services are provided by Scotia Wealth Management Insurance Services Inc. Wealth advisory and brokerage services are provided by ScotiaMcLeod, a division of Scotia Capital Inc. International investment advisory services are provided in Canada by Scotia Capital Inc. Financial planning services are provided by The Bank of Nova Scotia, 1832 Asset Management L.P., and ScotiaMcLeod, a division of Scotia Capital Inc. Scotia Capital Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc. is the insurance subsidiary of Scotia Capital Inc., a member of the Scotiabank group of companies. When discussing life insurance products, ScotiaMcLeod advisors are acting as Life Insurance Agents (Financial Security Advisors in Quebec) representing Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc. Scotia Wealth Management consists of a range of financial services provided, in The Bahamas, by Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited and The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited. International private banking services are provided in The Bahamas by Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited, an entity registered with The Central Bank of The Bahamas. International investment advisory services are provided in The Bahamas by Scotiabank (Bahamas) Limited, an entity registered with The Securities Commission of The Bahamas. International wealth structuring solutions are provided in The Bahamas by The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited, an entity registered with The Central Bank of The Bahamas. Scotia Wealth Management consists of international investment advisory services provided, in Barbados, by The Bank of Nova Scotia, Barbados Branch, an entity licensed by the Barbados Financial Services Commission. Scotia Wealth Management consists of a range of financial services provided, in the Cayman Islands, by Scotiabank & Trust (Cayman) Ltd. International private banking services, international investment advisory services and international wealth structuring solutions are provided in the Cayman Islands by Scotiabank & Trust (Cayman) Ltd., an entity licensed by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Scotia Wealth Management consists of international private banking services provided, in Peru, by Scotiabank Peru S.A.A, an entity supervised by the Peru Superintendence of Banking and Insurance.