Jerome Powell said the FED’s forecasts have been wrong on inflation the last 2 years. Now he’s saying rate cuts aren’t going to happen for another couple years.
Can we really depend on these projections anymore?
Market
Prices as of 4 pm EST, 6/14/23
Macro
Mortgage demand picked up last week.
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Applications for mortgages jumped 7.2% in the week ended June 9 marking the first increase in over a month.
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The rise coincides with a pullback in mortgage rates (to 6.77% from 6.81%) which have now declined for 2 straight weeks.
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However, with rates still a full percentage point higher than a year ago—and more than double what they were prior to the pandemic—purchase activity is down 27% YoY.
Wholesale prices in the US declined by more than expected in May.
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Headline PPI dropped 0.3% (vs. +0.2% expected) while core PPI increased 0.2% (in-line).
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The drop in the former was driven by large decreases in the costs of energy goods (mostly gas prices) and food.
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On a YoY basis, headline and core PPI are up 1.1% (lowest since December 2020) and 2.8% (lowest since February 2021), respectively.
After 10 consecutive increases, the Fed kept interest rates unchanged in June.
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The pause (don’t call it a skip), however, was of the hawkish variety as most FOMC members believe further tightening is necessary to bring down inflation.
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By their forecast, rates will need to rise to 5.6% by the end of the year which implies two more hikes.
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While markets are coming around to the belief that the Fed will not cut rates this year, they’re not entirely buying the FOMC’s message: Fed Funds futures are pricing in a peak rate of just 5.25-5.50 for 2023.
Yahoo Finance
Stocks
The European Union (EU) has accused Google of abusing its dominance in the advertising tech industry.
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Charges set out by the European Commission allege the company has leveraged its position to give itself an unfair advantage while charging competitors high fees for its services.
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The commission’s view is that Google must sell off parts of its adtech business to address the anti-competitive practices.
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Advertising was responsible for 79% of Google’s total revenue last year.
Elsewhere in the EU, lawmakers voted in favor of stricter rules for artificial intelligence (AI).
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New draft legislation includes a ban on using AI in biometric surveillance and requires generative AI systems (like ChatGPT) to disclose AI-generated content.
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It also calls for companies using generative tools to disclose copyrighted material used for training.
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Additionally, “high-risk applications” would need to undergo fundamental rights and environmental impact assessments.
Staying on topic, a new McKinsey report suggests the AI boom could potentially add up to $4.4 trillion–or about 4.4% of output–to the global economy annually.
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Their research predicts productivity increases could range between 0.1% and 0.6% over the next 20 years, depending on how the tech is adopted and implemented.
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They estimate current technologies have the potential to absorb 60-70% of employees’ time today.
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Industries that would benefit most from generative AI include high tech, retail, banking, and pharmaceuticals.
McKinsey
Energy
US crude inventories rose unexpectedly last week, rising by nearly 8 million barrels.
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Analysts were expecting a 510,000 barrel draw.
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Strategic Petroleum Reserves, meanwhile, were drained (by 1.9 million barrels) for the 11th straight week.
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The draw comes after reports the White House is seeking to buy 12 million barrels to refill reserves this year.
Zero Hedge
Earnings
Yesterday’s highlights:
Lennar Corp LEN: $3.01 EPS (vs. $2.33 expected), $8.05 billion in sales (vs. $7.22B expected).
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The homebuilder raised its forecast for home deliveries in 2023 to 68,000-70,000 from previous guidance between 62,000-66,000.
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It also expects gross margins to increase from the current quarter’s 22.5% to between 23.5% and 24% in Q3.
What we’re watching today:
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Adobe ADBE
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Kroger KR
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Jabil JBL
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John Wiley & Sons WLY
Top Headlines
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Semiconductor spying: US chipmaker Applied Materials is accusing a Chinese rival of a 14-month espionage campaign.
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Twitter faces the music: Twitter is being accused of copyright infringement by music publishers in a $250 million lawsuit.
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Super app: ByteDance has plans to create an “everything app” to rival WeChat.
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Consumers cut back: A new CNBC and Morning Consult survey revealed 92% of Americans are pulling back on spending.
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Corporate debt: Interest costs at US companies increased by 22% YoY in Q1.
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Hydrogen electricity: New US and EU government policies are boosting investor confidence in hydrogen projects.
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Canadian housing: Mortgage growth in Canada dropped to a 20-year low in Q1 thanks to rising rates.
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US-Iran: The Biden administration has resumed talks with Iran to secure the release of American prisoners and address the country’s nuclear plans.
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Crypto
Prices as of 4 pm EST, 6/14/23
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Cyprus pullback: Binance is looking to deregister its Cyprus unit as a crypto service provider to focus on its larger European businesses.
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Market share: Binance.US’ market share in the US fell to just 2.7%, the lowest since December 2020.
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Advisers’ takes: Here’s what wealth management pros think about the SEC’s crackdown on crypto.
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USDT: Tether’s USDT/USD stablecoin is under pressure as liquidity platforms like Curve and Uniswap see an influx of USDT sellers.
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BTC vs. TradFi: Bitcoin’s unpredictable correlation with traditional finance has inverted.
Deals
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UK mobile: Vodafone and CK Hutchison have agreed on a $19 billion merger to create the largest mobile operator in the UK.
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Restaurant IPO: With shares expected to begin trading today, Cava has priced its IPO offering at $22 per share, a ~$2.45 billion valuation.
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Chinese IPOs: Investment banks are backing out of potential listing in China as international investors sour on the country’s IPO market.
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Bid rejected: SoftwareOne’s board unanimously rejected Bain Capital’s $3.2 billion takeover offer as too low.
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LNG stake: TotalEnergies has acquired a 17.5% stake in LNG developer NextDecade for $219 million.
Meme Of The Day
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