Powell and committee emphasized conditions to taper their monthly asset purchases are near, but most importantly continued to disassociate those conditions from that of a rate hike.
There are 3 punches here the market is absorbing: uncertainties and fears of contagion relating to the Evergrande fallout, the S&P’s close below the 50-day moving average on Friday, and deadlock in Washington.
Was yesterday’s strength the next step in the playbook, a rebound that sets course for new record highs? Or was the selling too orderly, leaving unfinished business?
Despite inflation running persistently hotter than the Federal Reserve’s target, Fed Chair Powell has insisted it’s transitory and has remained ever-patient.
Japan’s index is closing in on February’s high, the highest level since the 1990 crash. China’s Shanghai Composite is also at its highest since February, now up nearly 5% on the month and 12% since the July low.
In the U.S., we look to more news on the jobs front with JOLTs Job Openings for July due at 9:00 a.m. CT. Expectations are for the read to recede from June’s record of 10.07 million vacancies to 10.0 million.
The Nonfarm Payroll report certainly gave a lot to unpack: although August can be a wonky month, the impact from the rise of Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant was clear.
It’s important to note the ongoing differences between the ADP private payrolls survey and the official Nonfarm Payroll report due this Friday. Over the last 3 months, CNBC noted an average difference of 337,000 jobs between the reports.
