Early Look

Monday, September 20, 2021

U.S. indices are trading down over 1% in pre-market trading and touching their lowest levels in almost 2 months this morning as large Chinese real estate developer Evergrande’s debt crisis is weighing on Asian markets and several macroeconomic factors are making investors wary. The Federal Reserve’s two-day September meeting begins tomorrow where they may lay out plans to begin tapering bond purchases and its quarterly dot plot will provide a forecast on when the central bankers expect to hike interest rates from their current levels of 0-0.25%. Additionally, the federal government is currently facing the threat of running out of money October 1 unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend imploring Congress to raise it as the Treasury will exhaust its cash reserves and borrowing capacity sometime next month if no action is taken. Today’s move lower comes after the S&P closed below its 50-day moving average for the 1^st time since June 18^th on Friday with materials and technology companies struggling. Late Friday, an FDA panel decided not to recommend a booster for the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 years and older by a vote of 16-3 saying there was not enough data to determine the step-up effectiveness of the third shot. However, the panel unanimously approved a narrower vote of authorizing booster dose of Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine at least 6 months after full vaccination for people 65 and older and those at high risk for severe disease (a narrower approval than markets were hoping for). The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index edged up in August, but buying conditions for household durables, homes and motor vehicles all fell to the lowest in decades due to complaints about high prices. The dollar rose while precious metals mostly fell, as gold posted a second straight weekly drop ahead of the FOMC meeting later this week. A potential hike in corporate taxes could eat into earnings also weigh on markets, with leading Democrats seeking to raise the top tax rate on corporations to 26.5% from the current 21%. In Asian markets, the Hang Seng Index is plunging 821 points while Tokyo and Shanghai markets are closed for holiday. In Europe, the German DAX is down 367 points and the FTSE 100 is lower by 118 points.

Market Closing Prices Yesterday

·     The S&P 500 Index dropped -40.76 points, or 0.91%, to 4,432.99

·     The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -166.44 points, or 0.48%, to 34,584.88

·     The Nasdaq Composite sunk -137.96 points, or 0.91%, to 15,043.97

·     The Russell 2000 Index advanced 3.96 points, or 0.18% to 2,236.87

Events Calendar for Today

·     10:00 AM ET       NAHB Housing Market Index for Sept

Earnings Calendar:

·     Earnings Before the Open: none

·     Earnings After the Close: LEN

Other Key Events:

·     European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2021 Virtual Congress, 9/16-9/21

·     Oppenheimer Fall Healthcare Life Sciences & MedTech Summit (virtual), 9/20-9/23

·     Roth Capital 8th Annual Solar Symposium (virtual), 9/20-9/23

·     Stephen’s 11th Annual Bank Forum, in Little Rock, AR, 9/20-9/22

World News

·     Chinese real estate developer Evergrande is facing a default on $150M in bond payments this week and officials have refused to commit any rescue cash to the country’s 2^nd largest developer who currently has more than $310B in debt.

Sector News Breakdown

Consumer

·     Barron’s noted the sell-off in Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Las Vegas Sands (LVS) the past couple of days amid jitters that the Macau government will impose more onerous concession, or licensing, agreements when they expire next year could be setting up a buying opportunity for investors who are patient and have a bankroll to withstand the unlucky streak

·     U.S. auto safety investigators have opened a new probe into 30 million vehicles built by nearly two dozen automakers with potentially defective Takata air bag inflators – Reuters

·     Three investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are traveling next week to Coral Gables, Florida to investigate a fatal accident in which a Tesla (TSLA) Model 3 left the roadway and collided with a tree. NTSB officials say the investigation will focus on the operation of the vehicle and the post-crash fire that consumed the car

Energy, Industrials and Materials

·     Boeing (BA) has been awarded a $1.62B indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for missile guidance repair.

·     BHP Group (BHP), Rio Tinto (RIO), Anglo American (NGLOY), Glencore (GLNCY), and Vale (VALE) are in the best shape ever, Barron’s reported for mining companies. Their shares, however, trade cheaply amid worries that the good times in industrial commodities are ending. For investors willing to accept some risk, the Big Five miners offer a rich opportunity

Financials

·     A senior U.S. trade official privately criticized India’s July decision to ban Mastercard Inc (MA) from issuing new cards, calling it a “draconian” move that caused “panic”, according to U.S. government emails seen by Reuters.

Healthcare

·     Astellas Pharma (ALPMY) and Pfizer (PFE) announced ahead of the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2021 that XTANDI improved overall survival in the ARCHES study in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

·     Exelixis (EXEL) announced that the U.S. FDA approved CABOMETYX for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer that has progressed following prior vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-targeted therapy and who are radioactive iodine-refractory or ineligible

·     White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that data needed to determine the advisability of booster shots of the Moderna Inc (MRNA) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) COVID-19 vaccines is just weeks away

·     Quidel (QDEL) has been awarded a maximum $710.57M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for over-the-counter antigen test kits

·     AstraZeneca (AZN) reported updated Phase 3 trial results for Imfinzi that showed the drug combined with chemotherapy tripled patient survival at 3-year in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer

Technology, Media & Telecom

·     Brooks Automation (BRKS) agreed to sell its semiconductor solutions group business to Thomas H. Lee Partners for $3B in cash and will no longer pursue a separation into 2 independent and publicly traded companies