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Are Apple’s new launches and political uncertainty driving US equities to a standstill?

Title: Exploring the Impacts of Apple’s Mixed Reality Launch on the Stock Market

With the highly anticipated launch of Apple’s new “mixed reality” headset, the stock market experienced both gains and losses. Investors anxiously waited for clues regarding the future path of interest rate hikes, leading to an unpredictable day of trading. This article examines the impacts of Apple’s product release on the stock market, the reactions to the Institute for Supply Management’s new data, Morgan Stanley’s earnings forecasts, and global market trends.

Apple’s “Mixed Reality” Launch: The Anticipation and Reaction

On Monday, Wall Street’s S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower, decreasing early gains as investors weighed the effects of Apple’s new “mixed reality” headset on the tech giant’s stock prices. Shares of Apple fell 0.8% following the announcement, leading the Nasdaq Composite to close 0.1% lower after weeks of ongoing tech rally. Nonetheless, Apple managed to lift the benchmark index by more than a fifth from its recent October 2022 low, briefly taking it into technical bull market territory.

The institute for Supply Management’s Data: The Slowdown in U.S. Services Sector

Adding to the uncertainty on Wall Street, the Institute for Supply Management released data indicating that there was a slowdown in the broad U.S. services sector due to the weight of high debt. Although the U.S. economy continues to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the slowdown in new orders and weakening of growth in gross domestic products (GDP) proved worrisome to investors.

Morgan Stanley’s Forecast: Bleak Earnings Expectations for S&P 500

Morgan Stanley released bleak earnings forecast, predicting a 16% drop in earnings per share for the S&P 500 to $185 in 2023 compared to a year ago. The American bank’s equity strategists also expect U.S. companies to experience slowing revenue growth and shrinking margins due to tighter credit conditions in the wake of the recent U.S. regional banking turmoil.

Global Market Trends: The ECB, the Federal Reserve, and Energy Prices

On the global scope, Europe’s regional Stoxx 600 closed down 0.5%, while France’s CAC 40 lost 1%, and Germany’s Dax lost 0.5%. In contrast, Asian markets were broadly higher, with Japan’s benchmark Topix stock index rising 1.7% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rising 0.8%. However, Chinese equities bucked the uptrend, with the CSI 300 index of Shanghai and Shenzhen-listed stocks down 0.5%. Moreover, tensions surrounding energy prices escalated following Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it would cut oil output by 1 million barrels per day. Nonetheless, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury bill held steady at 3.7%, while the shorter-maturity two-year yield fell 0.03 percentage points to 4.48%, reflecting an ongoing “reversal” of the yield curve.

Additional Piece

The stock market remains highly volatile, and investors must remain cautious as the market reacts to new developments. Apple’s product launch was long-awaited, generating both excitement and uncertainty, but investors must realize that one announcement alone does not make or break a company.

Several factors influence the stock market, including global market trends, interest rate hikes, and corporate earnings reports. With the increased incidence of inflation, interest rates are likely to rise, leading to unpredictable trading as investors aim to secure their investments.

Moreover, Morgan Stanley’s projections concerning earnings forecasts for the S&P 500 only add to the uncertainty surrounding the future of the stock market. By cautiously examining the market and making informed decisions, investors can weather the highs and lows of the stock market while safeguarding their finances.

Summary

On Monday, Wall Street’s S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower, adversely affected by several factors, including “mixed reality” headset release from technology giant Apple, the Institute for Supply Management data indicating a slowdown in the U.S. services sector, and Morgan Stanley’s bleak earnings expectations for the S&P 500. Furthermore, European market trends show a decline in stocks, while Asia stocks are generally higher. The market remains unpredictably volatile, and investors must exercise caution as they navigate the market, seeking to secure their investments.

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U.S. stocks fell on Monday, trimming early gains, as investors weighed a long-awaited product launch from tech giant Apple and continued to look for clues about the future path of interest rate hikes.

Wall Street’s S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower, trimming a small rally that had lifted the benchmark index by more than a fifth from its recent October 2022 low, briefly taking it into technical bull market territory.

Shares of Apple fell 0.8% after the group unveiled a new one “Mixed reality” headset.after gains of up to 2.2 percent in the period prior to the launch of the product.

The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1% as the weeks-long tech rally took a breather.

The moves in stock markets came as new data from the Institute for Supply Management on Monday showed activity in the broad US services sector slowed in May as new orders softened under the weight of high debt.

Further dampening sentiment on Wall Street were bleak earnings forecasts from Morgan Stanley analysts who predicted a 16% drop in earnings per share for the S&P 500 to $185 in 2023 compared to a year ago.

The bank’s equity strategists expect US companies to experience slowing revenue growth and shrinking margins due to tighter credit conditions in the wake of the recent US regional banking turmoil.

Line chart of stock price ($) showing Apple stock hitting an all-time high before new product launch

In government debt markets, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury bill held steady at 3.7%, while the shorter-maturity two-year yield fell 0.03 percentage point to 4.48%, reflecting an ongoing “reversal” of the yield curve.

Elsewhere in equity markets, Europe’s regional Stoxx 600 closed down 0.5%, while France’s CAC 40 lost 1% and Germany’s Dax lost 0.5%.

The small losses came after European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said in a speech that underlying price pressures remained strong in the eurozone, an indication that policymakers were likely to continue to hike rates. The ECB is expected to announce a rate decision on 15 June.

The Federal Reserve will make its interest rate announcement on June 14. The US central bank has raised interest rates from near zero in early 2022 to a “target range” of 5% to 5.25% in a bid to curb inflation.

Brent, the international benchmark, jumped as much as 3.6% after Saudi Arabia said it would cut oil output by 1 million bpd but trimmed its gains to trade 0.4 % more to 76.41 dollars a barrel.

West Texas Intermediate, the US marker, was up 4.6% before stabilizing about 0.1% higher, at $71.83. London’s FTSE 100 energy index lost 0.1%, unable to maintain previous gains.

Asian markets were broadly higher, with Japan’s benchmark Topix stock index rising 1.7% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rising 0.8%. Chinese equities bucked the uptrend, with the CSI 300 index of Shanghai- and Shenzhen-listed stocks down 0.5%.

Official media in China has also called on investors to have faith in the country’s domestic stock market, with the state-run Economic Daily suggesting that “clear understanding, unshakable confidence, decisiveness and patience” are the “core responsibilities of all market participants”. .

The Turkish lira extended its losses to reach a new all-time low of 21.3 TL against the dollar on Monday, despite the recent appointment of investor favorite Mehmet Şimşek as finance and treasury minister.

The move initially sparked hopes that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was preparing to change course on his unorthodox economics, which many accuse of triggering an acute cost-of-living crisis that sent the lira lower.


https://www.ft.com/content/398b73b0-3d09-48d4-8dcc-62ece5432e5e
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