NEW YORK, Oct 27 (Reuters) –
Financial markets are bracing for what could be a momentous
week, with a Federal Reserve meeting, U.S. employment data and
earnings from technology heavyweight Apple Inc possibly
setting the course for stocks and bonds the rest of the year.
October has lived up to its reputation for volatility, as a
surge in Treasury yields and geopolitical uncertainty pressured
stocks. The S&P 500 index is down 3.5% for the month,
adding to losses that have left it over 10% off its late-July
high.
Whether the ride remains rough for the rest of 2023 may
depend in large part on the bond market. The Fed’s ‘higher for
longer’ stance on interest rates and rising U.S. fiscal worries
pushed the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield – which moves
inversely to prices – to 5% earlier this month, the highest
since 2007. Higher Treasury yields are seen as a headwind to
stocks, in part because they compete with equities for buyers.
Investors worry that yields could rise further if the Fed
reinforces its hawkish message at the central bank’s Nov. 1
monetary policy meeting. Strong U.S. employment data next Friday
could also be a catalyst for yields to rise if it bolsters the
case for keeping rates elevated to cool the economy and prevent
inflation from rebounding.
“Stocks will start to recover when the market believes that
bond yields have peaked,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment
strategist at CFRA Research.
Overall, futures markets are pricing in a near-certainty
that the Fed does not raise rates in November, and a nearly 80%
chance that the central bank holds rates steady in December,
according to CME’s FedWatch Tool. Still, policymakers have
projected they will keep the key policy rate at current levels
through most of 2024, longer than markets had previously
anticipated.
Investors are playing a “waiting game of how much does each
economic data point need to increase to put another rate hike
back on the table,” said Alex McGrath, chief investment officer
for NorthEnd Private Wealth.
With U.S. Gross Domestic Product growth at a sizzling 4.9%
in the third quarter, signs that the labor market remains too
hot, or the Fed sees the need for further tightening to control
inflation, could fuel further volatility.
“It feels like we are at a crossroads whether or not the
strong growth we’ve seen over the summer months will continue
over the fourth quarter,” and keep worries over inflation and
restrictive monetary policy bubbling, said Charlie Ripley,
senior investment strategist for Allianz Investment Management.
Adding to the bond market’s concerns, the Treasury is
expected to announce its upcoming auction sizes later this week.
Worries about a growing federal deficit and increased supply
have helped push yields higher.
Investors are also awaiting Apple’s results on Thursday,
during an earnings season with disappointments from some growth
and technology giants, including Tesla and Google. The
tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index is down 11% from its high, though
still up nearly 30% on the year.
Some investors believe the worst of the selling may be
over.
A stock market rebound would follow seasonal trends, said
Stovall, of CFRA Research. Since 1945, the S&P 500 has advanced
by an average of 1.5% in November, making it the year’s
third-best performing month, he said.
More broadly, some believe the stock market’s trading
patterns this year point to a rebound in the fourth quarter.
In the 14 instances when the S&P 500 has gained at least 10%
through July and then declined in August, as it did this year,
the index has increased every time over the last four months of
the year, according to Ned Davis Research. The average gain in
those instances has been 10%.
Stocks appear “oversold” according to technical indicators
and could rally if economic data comes in as expected, said
Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives
for the Schwab Center for Financial Research.
“The stock market is poised for a late Q4 rally.”
(Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and
Richard Chang)
