Dow dropped 235, decliners over advancerss 2-1 & NAZ declined 128. The MLP index went up 2+ to 209 & the REIT index was even in the 417s, Junk bond funds crawled higher & Treasuries rose in price (more below). Oil was fractionally higher in the 112s & gold fell 4 to 1837.
AMJ (Alerian MLP index tracking fund)
As Congress begins formal negotiations to compromise on the details of legislation aimed at boosting the country's ability to compete with China, American manufacturers have provided their 2¢ on the matter. The
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) sent a letter to congressional
leadership as dozens of lawmakers convened for a "conference committee"
to work out how to bridge the gap between the chambers' 2 separate
bills: the Senate' US Innovation & Competition Act & the
House's America COMPETES Act. The trade association laid out 10 priorities that began with praise for the $52B in semiconductor manufacturing subsidies
included in both pieces of legislation & support for another $45B to create a Manufacturing Security & Resilience Program as
proposed in the House legislation to help ease supply chain woes. Manufacturers
also expressed support for the Ocean Shipping Reform Act aimed at
increasing efficiency at US ports & for provisions that prevent
counterfeiting of goods, writing that "counterfeiting, particularly from
China, hits manufacturers of all shapes and sizes, but is especially
devastating for small and medium-sized manufacturers fighting to protect
their core products." The NAM also called on Congress to reauthorize the Miscellaneous
Tariff Bill will "full retroactivity back to Jan. 1, 2021, and without
the broad and arbitrary restrictions included in the America COMPETES
Act for future MTB cycles." The organization said that since the act
expired at the end of 2020, "manufacturers and other businesses have
paid more than $500 million in tariffs, or $1.3 million per day, on
goods that are not available in the United States, adding inflationary
and anti-competitive costs." The manufacturers also appealed to lawmakers to reverse a recent change in the tax code
that now requires research & development costs to be amortized over a
period of years rather than immediately deducted as the code had
allowed since 1954 until this year.
Manufacturers weigh in as Congress negotiates China competition bill
Treasury yields dipped slightly, continuing a trend of falling rates this week in the face of rising recession fears. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell 2 basis points to 2.83% & the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved 4 basis points lower to 3.03%. Yields move inversely to prices & 1 basis point is equal to 0.01%. The 10-year yield started the week at about 2.90%. Stock markets have had a turbulent week, with the S&P 500 on the brink of falling into bear territory & the Dow is headed for its 8th-straight negative week as investors fear a recession is imminent. That's led investors to seek a safe haven in Treasuries, pushing bond prices higher & yields lower. Inflation has already weighed on investor sentiment for some time, but earnings from retailers this week has sparked concerns that pricing pressures are starting to now take a toll on consumer spending & economic growth. However, global markets climbed in early trading today, in an attempt to recover some of the ground lost this week.
10-year Treasury yield dips slightly, continuing trend of falling rates this week
The ECB will soon hike rates for the first time in more than a decade, a member of the central bank's governing council said. The ECB has been in the spotlight for its less aggressive stance on monetary policy compared to other central banks. However, expectations of a rate rise have grown in recent months amid continuous increases in inflation, with market players now pointing to at least 4 rate hikes before the end of the year. “We are on the right path,” Joachim Nagel, pres of the Germany's Bundesbank & one of the ECB's more hawkish members, said. “In our very important meeting in March we decided to end our net asset purchases and in the June meeting, dependent on data, we will decide to stop maybe — and I say this because this data are speaking a very convincing language here — that we stop our purchases and afterwards I believe we will see rather soon the first rate hikes,” he added. His comments indicate that the first interest rate rise could come in Jul, once the ECB has debated new economic forecasts released the prior month. Nagel said he has been warning about higher inflation since taking on the role & is now seeing more momentum toward increasing interest rates. “I pretty much appreciate that many colleagues now from the Governing Council are joining my position here,” he added.
European Central Bank member says to expect first rate hikes this summer
Dow Jones Industrials
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