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☆ Federal Reserve interest rate verdict: Central bankers meet to decide on next move
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington CNN —The Federal Reserve is expected to announce Wednesday that it is keeping interest rates at a quarter-century high for the sixth-straight meeting. Other Fed officials have already introduced the possibility of a rate hike, in addition to the chance of no rate cuts this year. Williams later said that another rate hike is possible if economic data warrants it. That combination eerily resembled stagflation, which triggered a broad stocks selloff on Wall Street Thursday. The threshold for a rate hike is ‘extremely high’Another interest rate hike is back in the conversation, but at the moment, it’s still not likely the Fed will do that.

Persons: Jerome Powell, ” Powell, Powell, John Williams, Williams, Neel Kashkari, Austan Goolsbee, “, can’t, it’s, Goldman Sachs, Wall, ” Oren Klachkin Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal, Index, New York Fed, Bloomberg, Minneapolis, Chicago Fed, Commerce Department, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Nationwide, CNN Locations: New, Chicago, Wells Fargo

☆ Demand for riskier adjustable-rate mortgages hits highest level of the year, due to rising rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

When mortgage rates rise, consumers look for any way to lower their monthly payments, and that often leads them to adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). These loans offer lower interest rates than their fixed-rate counterparts but are considered riskier. When mortgage rates hit record lows back in 2021, the ARM share of applications was in the 3% range. Meanwhile, the average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs decreased to 6.60% from 6.64%. "Inflation remains stubbornly high, and this trend is convincing markets that rates, including mortgage rates, are going to stay higher for longer.

Persons: Mike Fratantoni Organizations: Mortgage, Association, ARM, MBA's, Federal Reserve Locations: Hawthorn Woods , Illinois

☆ Diversify your Big Tech holdings into these other stocks with similar traits, recommends Barclays
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In an effort to navigate a market that remains highly concentrated under Big Tech's dominance, but also ripe for stock pickers, Barclays has dozens of stocks that share similar characteristics to the tech heavyweights. However, some select Big Tech remained fairly strong throughout the sell-off, with stocks like Alphabet and Apple bucking the downtrend. While Big Tech valuations still appear reasonable to Barclays analyst Venu Krishna, he pointed out that they're "not the only game in town," and suggested investors diversify their portfolios to beat their benchmarks. Yet, market returns, earnings upside, and institutional investor exposure remain highly concentrated in Big Tech," Krishna said in a Tuesday note. Aside from allowing investors to diversify, these stocks come with strong fundamentals based on profitability, balance sheet strength, cash conversion, and growth-adjusted valuation characteristics that closely resemble those of Big Tech stocks, the firm said.

Persons: Venu Krishna, Krishna, Dennis Geiger, Geiger, outperformance, Adrienne Yih, Yih, Goldman, TJX Organizations: Barclays, Big Tech, Inter, UBS, Software, Oracle, Arista Networks, JPMorgan, Arista, TJX Companies, Goods Locations: Big Tech, SPX, Ulta

☆ Carlyle thinks it's a good time to move on sports teams, but investors should be careful
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Carlyle also sees an opportunity to take advantage of sports' greater openness to institutional capital as teams get more expensive. Advertisement"Post-COVID, no content is more important than sports content," Fund said. Successfully running a team isn't as easy as investing in oneCarlyle sees openings for outside investors in teams as their valuations soar. "As teams become more expensive, you're running out of people to buy controlling stakes in teams," Fund said. Key to the Reign deal, for example, was having the Sounders, with its deep market knowledge, as a day-to-day operator.

Persons: —, Carlyle, Ben Fund, Alex Popov, cochair David Rubenstein, We've, We're Organizations: Service, National, Soccer, Seattle, FC, Seattle Sounders, Business, Fund, Baltimore Orioles, NFL, Sounders

☆ S&P 500 forming a troubling 'bear flag' pattern, Wolfe Research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Technical analyst Rob Ginsberg said in a note to clients late Tuesday that the recent bounces for the S & P 500 and the Nasdaq-100 look suspiciously like "bear flags," an ominous chart pattern. "Equities ended the month on a sour note, as last week's dead cat bounces stalled out beneath resistance. A "bear flag" is a technical pattern that sometimes develops during short-term bounces in a broader market decline. Last week, the S & P 500 rose 2.7%, its best weekly performance since November. Ginsberg said in the note that he sees potential downside to the 4,800 level on the S & P 500, which would equal a further decline of about 4.5%.

Persons: Rob Ginsberg, doesn't, Ginsberg Organizations: Wolfe Research, Nasdaq

☆ ISM manufacturing index declines while prices measure spikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailISM manufacturing index declines while prices measure spikesCNBC's Rick Santelli reports on the latest economic data to cross the tape.

Persons: Rick Santelli

☆ A tip from the charting pros for navigating this difficult market
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Frank Cappelleri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Currently, the S & P 500 just endured four 1% declines in a month for the first time since last October (5). The index's 20-day moving average has undercut the 50-day moving average for the first time since November, and there's a noticeable potential three-month topping pattern in play, as well. The 20-day moving average just crossed above the 50-day moving average, and both lines have started to curl higher. To drive this point home further, the upside-down version of the current S & P 500 looks a lot like… the S & P 500 (right-side-up) from last fall, as the index was coming back from the August-October correction. Here's a picture of the biggest bullish pattern from 2023, which was triggered soon after the 20-day moving average crossed over the 50-day moving average.

Persons: permabears, permabulls, it's, Frank Cappelleri

☆ Stock market today: futures drop after Starbucks and McDonald's misses
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US futures slid as traders weighed Amazon's earnings beat against Starbucks and McDonald's misses. The Federal Reserve is set to provide an update later on the likely trajectory of interest rates. McDonald's also fell short of Wall Street's revenue, earnings, and same-store sales estimates for last quarter as consumers spent less at the fast-food chain. A painful combination of historic inflation and soaring interest rates over the past couple of years have squeezed household budgets and stoked concern of a recession. Stubborn inflation in recent months has dampened Wall Street's hopes that the Fed will cut rates in the months ahead.

Persons: —, Stocks, Amazon's, Ipek Ozardeskaya, McDonald's, Jerome Powell, Ozkardeskaya, Tesla Organizations: Starbucks, Federal, Service, Amazon, Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial, Amazon Web Services, Swissquote Bank, Consumers, Fed, Elon Musk's

☆ Only 2 stocks in Europe have beaten estimates for 5 quarters and rallied each time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Only two European stocks have positively surprised markets every quarter for the past five quarters, according to analysis by CNBC Pro. CNBC Pro screened for stocks that report EPS figures and have analysts' estimates available on FactSet. Most recently, on Feb. 5, the company beat earnings estimates by 6.1% and shares rallied more than 8% in the following session. Four quarters ago, the stock rallied by 12.8% in a single session following earnings. Many banking stocks, such as France's Societe Generale , Spain's Banco de Sabadell , Germany's Commerzbank and Sweden's Swedbank , beat earnings-per-share estimates over the past five quarters.

Persons: UniCredit, Germany's, Sweden's Organizations: CNBC Pro, Portugal's Banco Comercial Portugues, Generale, Spain's, Sabadell, Deutsche Bank, CNBC Locations: Europe, Milan

☆ Hedge funds are ‘dead as a doornail,’ says chairman of ultra-rich investors' club Tiger 21
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hedge funds are "dead" as an investment class for the super rich, said Michael Sonnenfeld, founder and chairman of Tiger 21 — a network of ultra high net worth investors and entrepreneurs. Tiger 21 members' allocation to hedge funds dropped to 2% from 12% over the past 16 years, data from the network showed. Currently, private equity takes up the largest allocation of Tiger 21 members' portfolio at 29%, followed by real estate investments at 27%. Hedge funds have a 2% allocation. Tiger 21 has 106 groups in 46 markets.

Persons: Michael Sonnenfeld, Sonnenfeldt Organizations: Tiger

☆ Trade in Europe expected to be thinner on public holiday but Fed rate decision looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Light trading volumes are expected in Europe on Wednesday, with only London's FTSE index open, due to the May Day/Labor Day public holiday in the region. Nonetheless, global markets are focused on the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest interest rate announcement after the central bank's monetary policy committee concludes a two-day meeting later on Wednesday. The latest interest rate decision follows another hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation reading last Friday. S&P 500 futures slipped Tuesday night as investors looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's rate policy decision. In the Asia-Pacific region overnight, Australian and Japanese markets fell as investors braced for the Fed's rate decision.

Persons: Jerome Powell Organizations: Labor, U.S, U.S . Federal Locations: Europe, U.S ., Asia, Pacific

☆ Ron Insana: The 2024 inflation scare has arrived, but there are still signs of hope for investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ron Insana | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elizabeth Frantz | ReutersIt appears the great inflation scare of 2024 is upon us. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the core personal consumption expenditures price index, grew 2.8% from a year earlier in March. The recent inflation numbers have reduced the expected number of cuts down to one or two, with the first cut anticipated to arrive much later this year. Some recent signs of cooling emergeCommodity prices, like cocoa , coffee and copper , have been on a tear in 2024. Despite all the military activity in the Middle East, oil prices have been reasonably well behaved, taking into consideration the energy shocks of years past.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Elizabeth Frantz, –, specter Organizations: Federal, Committee, Reuters, Fed, Hamas Locations: Washington , U.S, Israel

Average 30-year mortgage rates continue to hover around 7% after spiking up earlier this month, according to Zillow data. This means we could see mortgage rates improve somewhat as we approach fall. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. Lower mortgage rates will bring more buyers onto the market, putting upward pressure on prices.

Persons: decelerating, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal, Investors, Zillow, Federal Reserve, Mortgage, Association, ARM Locations: Chevron

☆ Worker pay rose more than expected in Q1 in another sign of persistent inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Employee compensation costs jumped more than expected to start the year, providing another danger sign about persistent inflation, while consumer confidence hit its lowest level in nearly two years. The employment cost index, which measures worker salaries and benefits, gained 1.2% in the first quarter, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The Fed watches the ECI as a significant measure of underlying inflation pressures. State and local government workers saw their compensation costs rise 4.8%, down just narrowly from the same period in 2023. The Consumer Confidence Index slipped to 97, a decline of 6.1 points that was below the Wall Street estimate for 103.5.

Persons: Dow Jones, Dana Peterson, Peterson Organizations: Labor Department, Dow, Fed, Committee, Conference Locations: State

☆ US home prices rose in February at the fastest pace in more than a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —US home-price growth accelerated in February at the fastest annual pace since November 2022, a sign that America’s housing market remains tough amid elevated mortgage rates. Of the 20 cities, San Diego saw the biggest increase in home prices in February, a steep 11.4% rise, followed by Chicago and Detroit. America’s housing market began to recover in the beginning the year as home sales surged from decades-lows in the fall and homebuilders began to feel to more upbeat about the economy. Mortgage rates have followed suit, since they track the 10-year yield. Economists don’t expect mortgage rates to drop meaningfully this year, and they could continue to climb if inflation remains stuck.

Persons: homebuilders, Freddie Mac Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Reserve, National Association of Realtors, Treasury Locations: San Diego, Chicago, Detroit, Portland , Oregon

☆ Employment compensation measure increased more than expected in Q1
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEmployment compensation measure increased more than expected in Q1CNBC's Rick Santelli joins 'Squawk Box' to break down the first quarter Employment Cost Index data.

Persons: Rick Santelli

☆ S&P 500 futures fall as Wall Street braces for Fed rate decision: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

S&P 500 futures slipped Tuesday night as investors looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's rate policy decision. Futures linked to the broad market index slipped 0.22%, while Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.42%. During Tuesday's main trading session, the Dow and S&P 500 both shed more than 1%. Bond yields jumped after the first quarter's employment cost index came in higher than anticipated, reigniting worries that the Fed will keep interest rates high. "The concern is that the Fed will definitely be slower to lower interest rates," said CFRA chief investment strategist Sam Stovall.

Persons: reigniting, Dow, Jerome Powell, Sam Stovall, Kraft Heinz, DoorDash Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial, Amazon, Dow, Traders, Fed, Pfizer, Kraft, CVS Health, Qualcomm Locations: New York City

☆ Bank of America says buy this dip ahead of a summer market rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Investors shouldn't get too scared by the recent market pullback, according to Bank of America. The firm believes the recent downside movement is a promising entry point before the market returns to green this summer. April marks the worst month for the S & P 500 since September 2023 as investors' expectations for rate cuts fell on hot economic data. As of Tuesday morning, the S & P 500 was last trading around 5,100. The S & P 500 has tested its 5,000 support level, Suttmeier added.

Persons: Stephen Suttmeier, Suttmeier, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America Locations: upsides

☆ Home prices soar even higher in February, despite higher mortgage rates, says S&P Case-Shiller
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Strong demand and tight supply continue to push home values higher, even though mortgage rates are now moving higher again. "For the third consecutive month, all cities reported increases in annual prices, with four currently at all-time highs: San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York." The second decline followed the peak in average mortgage rates last October," he added. This index records prices on a three-month moving average, so they go back as far as December, when mortgage rates hit their recent lows. Since that time, however, mortgage rates have jumped nearly a full percentage point.

Persons: Brian Luke, Dow, Luke Organizations: Dow Jones, D.C, Federal Reserve Locations: U.S, Diego , Los Angeles , Washington, New York, San Diego, Chicago, Detroit, Portland , Oregon, Boston , New York, Washington

☆ Americans’ pay gains rose faster than expected so far this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Employment Cost Index rose a seasonally adjusted 1.2% last quarter, faster growth than the 0.9% increase the prior quarter, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday. On an annual basis, the index that measures changes in wages and benefits was unchanged at 4.2% for the year ending in March. Economists had expected quarterly growth to come in at 0.9% and for annual gains to slow to 4%. The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring the trajectory of wage gains as there’s a concern that accelerated compensation growth may serve as an inflation pressure. The index also includes controls for changes in the composition of employment, essentially measuring wage costs for the same jobs over time.

Persons: ’, Economists Organizations: CNN, of Labor Statistics, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal, Fed

☆ Asia markets mostly rise, tracking Wall Street gains; China factory activity data on deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

An editorial montage of the Japan flag and Japanese yen cash bank notes. Asia-Pacific markets were largely set to extend gains on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street moves, with investors awaiting China manufacturing purchasing managers' index for April. The currency weakened to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar yesterday at 160.03, before strengthening sharply to trade around the 155 level. The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported that Japan had intervened to support the yen by selling U.S. dollars and buying yen. Traders will also assess economic data from Japan and South Korea.

Persons: Masato Kanda Organizations: U.S, Street Journal, Traders Locations: Japan, Asia, Pacific, China, South Korea

☆ Hong Kong stocks are back from the dead. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index surged more than 7% in April as the best-performing major index in the world. The valuation of Hong Kong stocks has also become more “compelling” relative to the rest of the Asian region after the pullback last year, said Zhikai Chen, head of Asian equities at BNP Paribas Asset Management. He added that there is a shift in investors’ sentiments as Chinese economic data turned more positive. Innes said global investors are currently “underweight” in Chinese markets, including Hong Kong, because of geopolitical tensions and concerns surrounding potential fallout from the upcoming US elections. Stock exchange data showed that southbound investors (meaning investment from mainland China into Hong Kong) have bought nearly $20 billion of Hong Kong-listed stocks in March and the first three weeks of April on a net basis.

Persons: ”, Kelly Chung, Zhikai Chen, Stephen Innes, David Chao, Nomura, Xiaomei Chen, Angelina Lai, Innes, Kong, BNP Paribus Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Value Partners, BNP, Management, P Global, PMI, Kong's, Reuters, US, People’s Bank of, HK, “ Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Beijing, India, James’s, People’s Bank of China

☆ Stock market today: Indexes drop as hot labor data adds pressure ahead of Fed meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The quarterly measure saw wage and labor costs accelerate, adding pressure on the Fed. Tuesday marks the start of the Fed's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementUS equity markets slipped Tuesday as hot labor data stoked fresh bets the Federal Reserve would remain hawkish on monetary policy. The Employee Cost Index, a quarterly measure of wages and benefits, jumped 1.2%, suppressing estimates of a 1% acceleration.

Persons: —, It's Organizations: Fed, Federal, Market, Service, Reserve, of Labor Statistics, Amazon, Apple, Here's, Trump, Bloomberg

☆ Philippine dam: A 300-year-old settlement resurfaces as severe drought dries up a reservoir
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Emily Blumenthal | Monica Garrett | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A nearly 300-year-old settlement once submerged beneath a major dam in the Philippines has reemerged as sweltering heat and drought dry up the reservoir. Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesSome visitors brave the extreme heat to see the dam, where parts of damaged structures still stand. But a drought currently affecting about half of the country’s provinces has pushed the dam’s water levels down, according to AFP. The town of Muñoz near the dam has seen heat index over 41 degrees (106 degrees Fahrenheit) the last five days. On Sunday the temperature felt like 47 degrees (117 degrees Fahrenheit) because of other contributing factors.

Persons: Marlon Paladin, Ezra Acayan, Paladin, climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, ” Organizations: CNN, National Irrigation Administration, PAGASA, AFP, Prediction Locations: Philippines, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, Philippine, Southeast Asia, Muñoz, Luzon, El

☆ This emerging market fund has outperformed over 1, 5 and 10 years. Here's how
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The global emerging markets fund managed by Aubrey Capital has achieved impressive returns over the past decade. This approach has helped the Aubrey Global Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund to post returns of 13.8% over the past year, nearly double the MSCI Emerging Market Index 's 8.2% gain. Aubrey's investment approach is based on its Global Emerging Markets Strategy , which oversees nearly $600 million of assets. Out of about 2,000 consumer-facing companies in the emerging markets universe, Aubrey is only invested in about 35. Nearly half the Aubrey Global Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund is invested in India.

Persons: Aubrey Capital, Mark Martyrossian, Aubrey, Martyrossian, Taiwan's, It's, Varun Organizations: Aubrey, CNBC, Aubrey Global, Fund, Global, PepsiCo, Companies, Arca Continental, Burger King, Arcos Dorados, DLF Locations: Turkey, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, India, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Delhi, Mumbai

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