Dow jumped 284 but below early highs, advancers over decliners 4-1 & NAZ gained 72. The MLP index added 2+ to the 216s & the REIT index was up 2+ to the 355s after yesterday's rally. Junk bond funds were higher & Treasuries saw a little buying which lowered yields. Oil dropped 2+ to the 82s & gold was off 6 to 1657.
AMJ (Alerian MLP index tracking fund)
Homebuilder sentiment in the single-family home market has fallen to ½ what it was just 6 months ago as mortgage rates climb. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), which is designed to gauge market conditions, fell 8 points to 38 in Oct from the previous month. That's the lowest level since 2012, with the exception of a brief drop at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. A rating below 50 is considered negative. Builders cite rapidly rising interest rates for the decline in confidence. The average rate on the 30-year fixed was 7.12% yesterday, according to Mortgage News Daily. That's up from 3% at the start of this year. “High mortgage rates ... have significantly weakened demand, particularly for first-time and first-generation prospective home buyers,” said NAHB Chair Jerry Konter. “This situation is unhealthy and unsustainable.” Of the index's 3 components, current sales conditions slid 9 points to 45 & sales expectations in the next 6 months dropped 11 points to 35. Buyer traffic fell 6 points to 25. “This will be the first year since 2011 to see a decline for single-family starts,” said Robert Dietz, chief economist for the NAHB. Given expectations that interest rates will continue to be elevated, Dietz said 2023 is forecast to see additional single-family building declines.
Homebuilder sentiment drops to half of what it was six months ago
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), a Dow stock & Dividend Aristocrat, beat estimates for Q3, helped by strong demand for its cancer drug
Darzalex & Crohn's disease drug Stelara. The health care conglomerate tightened its full-year adjusted profit forecast range. JNJ
is the first drugmaker & medical devices firm to report earnings & the maintained forecast could be seen as a sign of demand
resiliency. Sales at pharmaceuticals, the company's largest unit,
rose 2.6% to $13.2B. That beat estimates of $13B. Sales at the
medical devices unit rose 2.1% to $6.8B on demand for contact
lenses & wound-closure products. The division has been under pressure
from extended lockdowns in China & a slow recovery in demand for some
non-urgent surgery delayed due to COVID-19. Total sales for Q3 rose 1.9% to $23.8B, topping estimates of $23.3B. But the stock fell 25¢.
If you would like to learn more about JNJ, click on this link:
club.ino.com/trend/analysis/stock/JNJ?a_aid=CD3289&a_bid=6ae5b6f7
Johnson & Johnson beats sales estimates on pharma strength
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released data on projected energy costs, indicating that Americans can expect to pay higher fees for natural gas for the upcoming winter. The EIA said
it forecasted that households that primarily use natural gas for
heating will spend an average of $931 on heating this winter – a
whopping 28%, or $206, more than last year. Nearly ½ of all US homes rely on natural gas as the primary
heating fuel, according to the Census Bureau’s 2021 American
Community Survey. The expected increase in natural gas bills, according to the EIA, is due to higher retail natural gas prices. The agency said it expected retail natural gas prices to rise 22%, from
$13.02 per thousand cubic feet (McF) last winter, to $15.95/McF this
winter. Of
all regions, the EIC projected that the Midwest would increase the most
nationally, by 27%. “This winter, we expect colder temperatures and slightly more household
consumption to contribute to higher natural gas bills compared with last
winter," the EIC said. "For households that use natural gas as their
primary space heating fuel, we expect average consumption this winter to
increase by 5%, or 58.4 Mcf, from last winter." compared with last winter, to $13.80/Mcf.
Biden admin says all Americans will pay much more for natural gas this winter
The Dow has fallen 400 from the opening. The gloomy report on home building is dimming optimism by investors.
Dow Jones Industrials
No comments:
Post a Comment