Stocks were slightly higher on Friday, steadying after Thursday’s losses as jitters over a swift tightening of financial conditions increasing on the heels of a multi-decade high print on inflation.
The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq fluctuated between small gains and losses during the morning session. The S&P 500 slid by 1.8% on Thursday and the Nasdaq dropped 2.1%, as technology shares came under pressure while Treasury yields spiked. The benchmark 10-year yield drifted slightly lower on Friday after breaking above 2% for the first time since August 2019 a day earlier.
The surging 7.5% jump in prices escalated calls for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates more aggressively than previously expected and begin rolling assets off its balance sheet, in moves that would curb liquidity in the financial system and dampen soaring consumer demand and prices. St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard told Bloomberg News on Thursday he wanted to see interest rates be raised by a full percentage by July and start the Fed’s balance sheet run-off process in the second quarter, in one of the most hawkish paths so far telegraphed by a Fed official.
“That’s not out of the realm of possibility,” David Spika, GuideStone Capital Management president, told Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday about Bullard’s suggestion. “The Fed realizes they have to start moving. … Consumers are getting killed with this inflation. The Fed has to move and has to move quickly if they want to rein this in.”
“If you go back even to the end of the financial crisis, monetary policy has been the key factor in driving returns and really providing that ‘Fed put’ that really allowed investors to come in and buy the dip,” he added. “Those days are behind us — particularly with the inflation we’re seeing now — and the market does not like this. It’s like a kid that has never been told ‘no,’ that is now being told no and is throwing a temper tantrum. This will continue.”
And against the inflationary backdrop, others also increased their expectations for the number of rate hikes the Fed is likely to roll out this year. Deutsche Bank economists said Thursday they now expect two more quarter-point hikes than they had previously forecasted. With the upgrade, they now see a 50 basis point rate hike at the March Fed meeting, followed by 25 basis point hikes after each of the following meetings of the year except for in November. If realized, a half-point rate hike in March would mark the Fed’s first increase of more than 25 basis points since 2000.
“I think investors have to ask themselves, do I want to hedge against inflation, or do I want to beat inflation? And so, I think things like gold are where you can hedge, but I think there are other areas where you can continue to outpace and see outsized gains relative to inflation,” Jordan Jackson, JPMorgan Asset Management global market strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live on Thursday. “I think that’s things like equities, I do think commodity markets are relatively well-supported here as well. And so investors will need to get diversified in how they think about hedging and outpacing inflation at the current juncture.”
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10:00 a.m. ET: Consumer sentiment falls sharply in early February to lowest in a decade as inflation concerns escalate
U.S. consumer sentiment sank much more than expected in February to set a fresh decade low as concerns over inflation rose markedly among many Americans.
The University of Michigan’s closely watched consumer sentiment index dropped to 61.7 in early February, marking the lowest level since Oct. 2011. This compared with a reading of 67.2 in January. Consensus economists were looking for the preliminary February index to come in at 67.0, according to Bloomberg data.
Consumer expectations for inflation over the next year also rose to 5.0%, representing the highest level since 2008. In December, consumers’ one-year inflation expectations were at 4.9%.
“Sentiment continued its downward descent, reaching its worst level in a decade, falling a stunning 8.2% from last month and 19.7% from last February,” Richard Curtin, chief economist for the Surveys of Consumers, said in a press statement. “The recent declines have been driven by weakening personal financial prospects, largely due to rising inflation, less confidence in the government’s economic policies, and the least favorable long term economic outlook in a decade.”
“The impact of higher inflation on personal finances was spontaneously cited by one-third of all consumers, with nearly half of all consumers expecting declines in their inflation adjusted incomes during the year ahead,” he added. “In addition, fewer households cited rising net household wealth since the pandemic low in May 2020, largely due to the falling likelihood of stock price increases in 2022.”
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9:30 a.m. ET: Stocks open higher
Here’s where stocks were trading just after market open on Friday:
6:10 p.m. ET Thursday: Stock futures decline further
Here’s where markets were trading as the overnight session began on Thursday:
S&P 500 futures (ES=F): -4.75 points (-0.11%), to 4,492.75
Dow futures (YM=F): -36 points (-0.1%), to 35,103.00
Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -9.5 points (-0.06%) to 14,691.50
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 08: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on December 08, 2021 in New York City. Following news from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer on the effectiveness of its vaccine against the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied nearly 100 points in morning trading on Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
