Dow soared 1508, advancers over decliners at only a modest 3-2 & NAZ shot up 544. The MLP index surged 6+ to 292 & the REIT index sank 8+ to the 418s on sharply higher yields. Junk bond funds were mixed & Treasuries continued to see heavy selling which increased yields substantially. Oil was off pennies in the 71s & gold tumbled 79 to 2669 on a strong $ (more on both below).
Dow Jones Industrials
The race to control the House is undecided, though Reps are already expressing early optimism about securing a governing trifecta with their new Senate majority & freshly minted Pres-elect Donald Trump. “As more results come in it is clear that, as we have predicted all along, Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Rep House Speaker Mike Johnson said. That early confidence comes as Reps need to win 12 more seats to maintain their majority, while Dems need 37 more to flip control. 20 key House districts remain uncalled. The others are so far unlikely to be flipped. Among the remaining races are California's 47th Congressional District, Maine's 2nd & Alaska's at-large district, where Reps are looking to pick up seats, along with California's 45th, 1 of the most expensive races in the country. “The path to take back the majority now runs through too close to call pick-up opportunities,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “The party that will hold the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2025 has yet to be determined. We must count every vote.” House GOP members entered the 2024 contest with a historically slim majority, 220 GOP seats to Democrats’ 212 with 3 vacancies.
House majority still in play as Republicans eye a red sweep
Pres-elect Donald Trump's victory spurred a rise in the 10-year Treasury yield. Mortgage rates, which loosely follow the benchmark yield, are also climbing. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage surged 9 basis points to 7.13%, according to Mortgage News Daily. That is the highest rate since Jul 1 of this year, though not quite the surge some had expected. “The expectation among bond traders coming into the election was that rates would move higher in the event of a Trump victory and especially a red sweep. While the latter is not yet clear, the former is enough for another bump to rates that have already risen abruptly with Trump’s victory odds,” said Matthew Graham, COO at Mortgage News Daily. While Trump did not lay out a detailed housing plan, he did talk about deregulation & opening federal land for more home construction. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) congratulated the pres-elect with a statement from its chair, Carl Harris, saying, “NAHB looks forward to working with the incoming Trump administration and leaders in Congress from both parties to enact a pro-housing legislative and regulatory agenda that increases the nation’s housing supply and eases the nation’s affordability woes.” Big builders have been buying down mortgage rates for their customers, but that has been cutting into their margins.
Mortgage rates surge higher on Trump victory, causing housing stocks to fall
Donald Trump made a wide array of promises on the campaign trail in recent months that he will now need to implement after a decisive victory set him up for a return to the Oval Office in 2025. Some of them will be easier for him to do by himself than others. On 2 of his signature promises, a new wave of tariffs on imports from around the world & a "mass deportation" of undocumented immigrants, an American pres is imbued with considerable authority to act unilaterally. And Trump has given every indication he intends to try. In a speech today, Trump said "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate" & promised to move quickly. Other priorities will require more partners. The still unsettled picture of who will control the House of Representatives will shape what Trump is able to implement on issues like tax cuts & a rollback of green energy credits. The control of the House is still up for grabs with over 50 races still to be called. Reps also took control of the Senate, meaning that if they can eke out a win in the House, they would largely have complete control over DC's levers of power.
What's next for Trump's key campaign promises
Gold tumbles to the $2660s due to the US $ strengthening after Rep nominee Donald Trump was named the winner of the US presidential election. USD is gaining due to the market view that Trump's economic agenda & tariffs will strengthen the US $. This, in turn, is negative for gold since it is mainly priced $ is traded in $s. Gold is also losing ground due to capital rotating out of gold & other safe-havens into riskier assets such as Bitcoin & equities. Trump's claims that he can end the conflicts in the Middle East & Ukraine, though seemingly exaggerated ("I will have that war (Ukraine-Russia) settled in one day – 24hrs," Trump once said), could also be reducing safe-haven flows into Gold.
Gold plummets almost three percent after Trump wins election
Oil slumped as traders monitored the US presidential election & an industry report signaled a gain in stockpiles. Brent crude fell below $75 a barrel, with West Texas Intermediate near $71. A gauge of the $ advanced, weighing on most commodities. The outcome of the race for the White House carries the potential for significant shifts in US foreign, energy& climates policy. Crude has been buffeted in recent weeks by shifting perceptions of risks to supplies in the Middle East, with Iran escalating its rhetoric against Israel. In addition, the OPEC+ alliance pushed back a plan to start restoring barrels to the market for a 2nd time. Some traders have been hedging against $100-a-barrel oil if hostilities in the Middle East ratchet up after the US election. Brent for Jan fell 0.9% to $74.84 a barrel & WTI for Dec declined 0.8% to $71.38 a barrel.
Oil Declines as Traders Zero In on US Election, Dollar Surges
At the opening, Dow had a whopper size gain & remained elevated for the entire session. Investors are cheering former Pres Donald Trump's reelection, with all 3 of the major indices soaring ahead of the Federal Reserve's Nov meeting tomorrow. Important to keep in mind, nobody knows how today's stock market activity will affect Jerome Powell when he gives his report on the Fed meeting. Meanwhile the market waits for the final results of the House races to determine if Reps will control Congress along with the White House. Additionally over 1000 stocks on the NYSE during today's soaring market.