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Investors Hit Pause As Yields Rise, Ahead of Busy Earnings Week
23-Apr-18 16:30 ET
Dow -14.25 at 24448.69, Nasdaq -17.52 at 7128.60, S&P +0.15 at 2670.29

https://www.briefing.com/investor/markets/stock-market-update/2018/4/23/investors-hit-pause-as-yields-rise-ahead-of-busy-earnings-week.htm

[BRIEFING.COM] The stock market wobbled on Monday as investors braced for a busy week of corporate earnings and kept a close eye on Treasury yields, which rose to multi-year highs. The Nasdaq Composite (-0.3%) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (-0.1%) each finished a step lower, notching their third and fourth straight losses, respectively, while the S&P 500 (unch) eked out a slim win, closing just a tick above its flat line. Volume was light once again on Monday, with just 730 million shares changing hands at the New York Stock Exchange (50-day moving average is 897 million).

Treasury yields were higher from the jump on Monday, with the yield on the benchmark 10-yr note nearly touching the psychologically important 3.0% mark in overnight trade -- getting as close as 2.998%. The 10-yr yield eventually settled two basis points above its Friday close at 2.97% -- which is its highest close in more than four years -- while the yield on the 2-yr note finished three basis points above its Friday close at 2.47% -- which is its highest close in more than seven years.

Stocks held up well considering the increased, "risk-free" return on U.S. Treasuries and considering the rise in the U.S. dollar -- which, by itself, doesn't bode well for foreign demand of U.S. goods. The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.7% to 90.68 -- its highest close since mid-January. The greenback added 0.4% against the euro (1.2209) and 1.0% against the yen (108.72).

The S&P 500 sector standings were pretty evenly mixed between green and red, with six groups advancing and five declining. However, outside a 1.1% jump in the lightly-weighted telecom services sector, sector movement was modest, with no group adding/losing more than 0.6%. The energy sector (+0.6%) showed relative strength as WTI crude futures climbed 0.5% to $68.76 per barrel, while the top-weighted technology sector (-0.4%) was the weakest performer as chipmakers weighed; the PHLX Semiconductor Index dropped 1.3%.

In corporate news, Dow components Caterpillar (CAT 153.99, +0.74, +0.5%), Merck (MRK 60.25, +1.42, +2.4%), Exxon Mobil (XOM 79.57, +0.57, +0.7%), and Verizon (VZ 48.66, +0.76, +1.6%) all rose after receiving ratings upgrades, Kimberly-Clark (KMB 98.52, -1.51, -1.5%) slid after revealing that its first quarter margins were significantly impacted by commodity inflation, and Hasbro (HAS 86.12, +3.31, +4.0%) ended higher despite initially dropping as much as 4.6% after reporting worse-than-expected profits and sales for the first quarter.

Monday's economic data was limited to the Existing Home Sales report for March, which came in better-than-expected; existing home sales increased 1.1% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 5.60 million units (Briefing.com consensus 5.57 million). The key takeaway from the report remains the same: notable supply constraints continue to act as a drag on overall sales. The limited inventory -- and the high prices on available inventory -- is crimping affordability, particularly for first-time buyers; moreover, all prospective buyers are going to feel added affordability pressures from rising mortgage rates.

Looking ahead to Tuesday's data, investors will receive the FHFA Housing Price Index for February (Briefing.com consensus +0.5%), the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index for February (Briefing.com consensus +6.4%), New Home Sales for March (Briefing.com consensus 631K), and the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for April (Briefing.com consensus 126.1).

Nasdaq Composite: +3.3% YTD
Russell 2000: +1.7% YTD
S&P 500: -0.1% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average: -1.1% YTD