Asia stocks set for steady start as CPI awaited
Asian stocks look set for a steady open Tuesday after the U.S. snapped a five-day drop ahead of inflation data that could impact expectations of the likely timeline for a reduction in Federal Reserve stimulus.
Futures rose in Japan and Hong Kong but dipped in Australia, while U.S. contracts edged up. The S&P 500 rose as energy companies paced gains after crude oil extended a rally to a six-week high. The Nasdaq 100 closed little changed. Treasuries climbed and the dollar was steady.
JPMorgan's Kolanovic says time to cut Tech in reopening revival
The growth scare that has prompted investors to seek safety in technology companies is overdone as the economic drag from the delta coronavirus variant is likely short-lived, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. strategists led by Marko Kolanovic.
Investors should consider cutting exposure to tech shares, while raising stakes in economically sensitive companies like energy, the strategists recommended. Their upbeat view contrasts with a growing chorus of warnings that investors should brace for turmoil particularly in U.S. stocks amid a Covid-19 resurgence.
Oil rises to six-week high as another storm heads for U.S. gulf
Oil closed above $70 a barrel for the first time in nearly six weeks as another heavy storm heads to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, while producers are still reeling from Hurricane Ida.
Futures in New York settled 1.1% higher. Tropical Storm Nicholas, which may reach hurricane strength before it makes landfall, is expected to bring flooding rains to Houston, as well as parts of Louisiana still recovering from Hurricane Ida two weeks ago. About 44% of oil supply is down in the Gulf and the volume of shut-in output may start growing once again. Shell has already began removing some staff from one of its platforms to prepare for the storm. Refineries and terminals Texas could also see some curtailments, given the storm's coastal track.
Meme stocks AMC and GameStop push small-cap benchmark higher
Meme stocks are distorting the way some investors see parts of the market.
The $Vanguard Russell 2000 Value ETF (VTWV.US)$, designed to follow shares of small companies that are viewed as bargains relative to the rest of the market, is up 22% this year. The gains have been powered by some meme stocks such as $AMC Entertainment (AMC.US)$of more than 2,000% this year has helped the Russell 2000 value index outperform the Russell 2000 growth benchmark by the widest margin since 2002, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Uranium stocks jump as Reddit's WallStreetBets goes nuclear
Shares of uranium mining companies surged Monday as retail traders from Reddit's WallStreetBets forum focused their energies on the rallying radioactive metal.
Sydney-listed uranium miners $PENINSULA ENERGY LIMITED (PENMF.US)$, Energy Resource of Austalia and Bannerman all closed more than 25% higher. U.K.-listed miner Aura Energy jumped more than 35% and London-listed $YELLOW CAKE PLC (YLLXF.US)$, a company that acts as an exchange-traded fund for uranium, rose 13%.
Meanwhile, Canada's $Cameco (CCJ.US)$has become the third-most-discussed company on WallStreetBets. $Uranium Royalty (UROY.US)$shares surged 24%.
Tuesday's CPI report likely to show inflation continuing to run hot, putting the Fed in tough spot
The consumer price index is expected to come in at a 5.4% year over year pace for August, according to the Dow Jones consensus estimate. Any inflation data is important for the markets, but this report could set the tone for trading ahead of the Fed’s meeting next week.
Some pros say there are concerns the Fed could move up its timetable on tapering its bond purchases if the report is hot.
Oracle falls short on revenue as it ramps up cloud investment
$Oracle (ORCL.US)$shares fell 1.8% in extended trading on Monday after the enterprise software maker reported fiscal first-quarter revenue that came in under analysts' expectations. The software maker announced a program to encourage customers to adopt its public cloud services in the quarter.
Earnings: $1.03 per share, adjusted, vs. 97 cents per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. Revenue: $9.73 billion, vs. $9.77 billion as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
Tencent and Alibaba pledge to open up apps to competitors
China's two largest tech companies promised to open up their digital empires on Monday, a move that may reshape online life for hundreds of millions of users. Analysts said the forced opening up was and had been priced into the company's share prices since earlier this year.
For the past eight years, $TENCENT (00700.HK)$and $Alibaba (BABA.US)$have carved China's internet into two rival camps, replicating each other's services and blocking all interoperability between their platforms. But after being summoned to a meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) last week, both companies said on Monday they will allow competitors to access their "walled gardens".
Source: Bloomberg, WSJ,CNBC, Financial Times