An Equity Market In A Pullback
The S&P 500 Index reached a high in July but has since experienced a pullback of -4.8% in the first three weeks of August, with further downside possible, although the market may be near a turning point.
Topics
Posted 8/21/2023, 9:54:00 PM
seekingalpha.com
Relevant topic timeline:
After a strong surge in June and July, the S&P 500 index has experienced a significant decline in August, with tech stocks being hit particularly hard, as fears of rising interest rates and a slowdown in China weigh on the market.
The S&P 500 has fallen nearly 5% in August, and opinions on whether stocks will rebound are divided among Wall Street firms and market commentators, with some, like Goldman Sachs and Fundstrat, remaining optimistic while others, including Michael Burry and David Rosenberg, are bearish.
The recent price pullback in Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market is not surprising, as most risk assets typically suffer when the S&P 500 falls; however, volatility for both Bitcoin and the S&P 500 is declining, which suggests mainstream migration and a potential lack of price-pump potential for Bitcoin.
Volatility and rising interest rates have caused a pullback in U.S. equity markets, particularly impacting the technology sector, but investors should not panic as pullbacks are normal in a bull market and present buying opportunities. China's deteriorating economic conditions and weak seasonal trends have also contributed to the selling pressure. However, support is expected to be found in the 4,200 to 4,300 range in the S&P 500, and the Federal Reserve's likely end to the rate-hiking cycle and improved earnings should provide fundamental support for investors to buy the dip.
The stock market has been riding high in 2023, but recent market trends and uncertainties about interest rates and inflation have led to a pullback in August, leaving investors unsure about the future direction of the market. It is advised to stick to a long-term investment plan and remain focused on investment objectives and risk tolerance.
The S&P 500 is showing signs of a new bull market, but some experts are cautious and want to wait until the index reaches its previous high, meanwhile, there are two stocks, Sea Limited and Upstart Holdings, that have the potential to more than double in value over the next 12 to 18 months based on analysts' price targets.
The S&P 500 has recovered 65% of last year's bear-market drop, but when adjusted for inflation it is only about 45%, highlighting the diminished buying power and implying implications for the economy and future Federal Reserve policy.
The S&P 500 is close to reaching a record high, signaling the upcoming arrival of a new U.S. bull market, and investors should consider buying stocks like Roku and Datadog that have strong growth potential.
The S&P 500 and other major indices are showing bearish signals, with potential for a significant drop, while the dollar is expected to maintain its upward trajectory and strong economic data could lead to a breakout in interest rates. Additionally, Meta's stock is on a downward trend and the KBW NASDAQ BANK Index is at risk of further decline.
Last week in the stock market resembled a game of punchball, with alternating positive and negative days, but overall the S&P 500 showed a descent of less than 4% over four weeks.
September has historically been a difficult month for stocks, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq experiencing negative returns on average, but a pullback in September doesn't necessarily mean stocks will stumble for the rest of the year if the economy remains resilient and the Federal Reserve is done hiking rates.
Summary: Despite a dismal August for the stock market, the S&P 500 narrowly avoided a particular negative outcome, setting up for the next test.
The end of a five-month win streak for the S&P 500 is not all bad news, as historical data suggests that after five months of gains, the S&P 500's forward performances six and 12 months later are on average up 82% and 93% of the time, respectively.
The S&P 500 could experience significant gains in the coming months following the end of the current rate hike cycle by the Federal Reserve, with historical data showing positive returns after previous cycles and strong economic indicators supporting this trend. Investors are advised to consider investing in an S&P 500 index fund or industry-leading stocks like Amazon.
The S&P 500 index has seen impressive gains this year, up over 17%, and could potentially reach 5,000 points by the end of 2023, according to expert Andrew Slimmon of Morgan Stanley. Despite a slight pullback in August, strong third-quarter earnings and investor interest in mega-cap tech stocks are expected to drive the market forward.
The S&P500 rose on Wednesday, supported by signs of weakness in the labor market and slower economic growth, reinforcing expectations of a Federal Reserve pause next month.
Stocks are expected to rally next month, with the S&P 500 potentially reaching its previous highs, according to Fundstrat's Tom Lee, who cited reasons such as a cooling economy, no further interest rate hikes from the Fed, overly bearish sentiment in August, and historically strong performance in September.
S&P 500 futures remain flat after the index achieved its fourth consecutive positive day, and Salesforce reports better-than-expected earnings and guidance, causing its shares to rise.
Despite economic challenges, the S&P 500 is expected to continue its strong growth, potentially increasing by as much as 11% as the summer season ends, driven by companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla, and Meta, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Slimmon.
The S&P 500 Index slipped 0.15% after a four-day winning streak, likely indicating a small further decline in prices over the next few sessions.
September is historically the worst month for stocks, but there are 11 S&P 500 stocks, including O'Reilly Automotive, Ameriprise Financial, and United Rentals, that have consistently outperformed the index during September in the past five years.
The stock market could reach record highs by the end of the year, as historical data suggests positive returns when stocks are up 10%-20% heading into September, according to Bank of America.
Bank of America's technical strategist believes that despite historically poor September performance, the S&P 500's year-to-date rally positions it for further gains, with the potential for an 8% climb by the end of the year.
The S&P 500 Index experienced its best week since June, while Bitcoin faced a marginal loss due to the delay of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications by the Securities and Exchange Commission, although analysts remain optimistic about future ETF approvals.
The stock market is still in an uptrend despite a recent pullback, and there is a likelihood of higher stock prices in the near term as long as the market continues to advance within its uptrending channel. Additionally, the recent breakout in the S&P 500 is a bullish sign for the market, and commodity-related stocks have begun to outperform, making them attractive investments.
The S&P 500 had a good week, rising 2.5% and coming 1.6% below the 2023 high-water mark set in July; however, there is a possibility of a recession if the Fed keeps rates high for longer than necessary.
The S&P 500 index is unlikely to reach a record high by the end of 2023 due to factors such as earnings per share and financial conditions, according to Stifel's chief equity strategist.
The S&P 500 Index rallied off support but may not be starting a new bull market as resistance at 4500 has caused a decline.
John Hussman warns that stocks are overvalued and investors buying into the S&P 500 now are likely to experience abysmal returns for the next decade. He cites high valuations and poor investor sentiment as indications of a forthcoming steep sell-off, and predicts an annualized return of -4% over the next 12 years.
Stocks are expected to open the week higher, with the S&P 500 up 0.5% in premarket trading, as investors look ahead to key U.S. economic data and show interest in companies such as Lennar, Arm, Tesla, and Oracle.
Investors would have been better off buying the S&P 500 instead of adjusting their portfolios in response to Michael Burry's stock-market warning tweets, as the index had an average 6-month annualized gain of 34% following a selection of Burry's tweets from 2019 to 2023, according to Charlie Bilello, chief market strategist at Creative Planning.
Despite the pressure on the market, the major US equity indexes have held steady near their recent highs, with the S&P 500 up 16.21% year to date and the Nasdaq Composite up 31.6%, raising questions about whether the current market weakness is due to seasonality or potentially something more significant like inflation.
Despite its high valuation, a strategist predicts that the S&P 500 can still continue to rise.
The S&P 500 index has seen impressive gains this year, but one expert believes the rally is coming to an end, citing rising bond yields as the main threat to stock prices.
Bank of America predicts that the S&P 500 could surge over 25% within the next year based on a bullish indicator, with low long-term profit growth expectations among analysts signaling potential gains.
Stock-market strategists are raising their year-end targets for the S&P 500 Index after being largely wrong about this year's rally, but they still expect a market downturn in 2024 despite signs of a strong economy and improving profit outlook.