By Senad Karaahmetovic
The S&P 500 managed to close in positive territory last week despite a scorching jobs report released on Friday. Stocks managed to recover earlier losses despite a surge in yields.
Futures are also modestly higher in Monday premarket trading as investors prepare for the CPI print on Wednesday. Moreover, the market will be closely watching for comments from three Fed speakers on Wednesday and Thursday.
Here’s what the top Wall Street strategists have to say about the U.S. equities as far as the next couple of weeks is concerned.
Morgan Stanley’s Michael Wilson: “The rally in stocks has been powerful and has investors believing the bear market is over and looking forward to better times. However, we think it’s premature to sound the all-clear simply because inflation has peaked. The next leg lower may have to wait until September when our negative operating leverage thesis is better reflected in earnings estimates. However, with valuations this stretched, we think the best part of the rally is over.”
JPMorgan’s Mislav Matejka: “We believe that risk-reward for equities is not all bad as we move into year-end. In fact, we argued that we have entered the phase where the weak dataflow can be seen as good, leading to a policy pivot, and the activity slowdown might prove to be less deep than feared.”
Citi’s Scott Chronert: “The market has been deservedly focused on a mix of macro risks and influences this year. As we move closer to recession resolution, the longer-term growth profiles associated with many themes may provide some performance edge, particularly on the heels of year-to-date valuation corrections. A new trading environment on the other side of current concerns may mean stock-specific valuation catalysts may be more closely tied to fundamentals give a lower expected macro growth profile and lesser central bank accommodation.”