Closing Market Summary: Investors Hit Pause As Yields Rise, Ahead of Busy Earnings WeekThe stock market wobbled on Monday as investors braced for a busy week of corporate earnings and kept a close eye on Treasury yields, which rose to multi-year highs. The Nasdaq Composite (-0.3%) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (-0.1%) each finished a step lower, notching their third and fourth straight losses, respectively, while the S&P 500 (unch) eked out a slim win, closing just a tick above its flat line. Volume was light once again on Monday, with just 730 million shares changing hands at the New York Stock Exchange (50-day moving average is 897 million).
Treasury yields were higher from the jump on Monday, with the yield on the benchmark 10-yr note nearly touching the psychologically important 3.0% mark in overnight trade -- getting as close as 2.998%. The 10-yr yield eventually settled two basis points above its Friday close at 2.97% -- which is its highest close in more than four years -- while the yield on the 2-yr note finished three basis points above its Friday close at 2.47% -- which is its highest close in more than seven years.
Stocks held up well considering the increased, "risk-free" return on U.S. Treasuries and considering the rise in the U.S. dollar -- which, by itself, doesn't bode well for foreign demand of U.S. goods. The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.7% to 90.68 -- its highest close since mid-January. The greenback added 0.4% against the euro (1.2209) and 1.0% against the yen (108.72).
The S&P 500 sector standings were pretty evenly mixed between green and red, with six groups advancing and five declining. However, outside a 1.1% jump in the lightly-weighted telecom services sector, sector movement was modest, with no group adding/losing more than 0.6%. The energy sector (+0.6%) showed relative strength as WTI crude futures climbed 0.5% to $68.76 per barrel, while the top-weighted technology sector (-0.4%) was the weakest performer as chipmakers weighed; the PHLX Semiconductor Index dropped 1.3%.
In corporate news, Dow components Caterpillar (CAT 153.99, +0.74, +0.5%), Merck (MRK 60.25, +1.42, +2.4%), Exxon Mobil (XOM 79.57, +0.57, +0.7%), and Verizon (VZ 48.66, +0.76, +1.6%) all rose after receiving ratings upgrades, Kimberly-Clark (KMB 98.52, -1.51, -1.5%) slid after revealing that its first quarter margins were significantly impacted by commodity inflation, and Hasbro (HAS 86.12, +3.31, +4.0%) ended higher despite initially dropping as much as 4.6% after reporting worse-than-expected profits and sales for the first quarter.
Monday's economic data was limited to the Existing Home Sales report for March, which came in better-than-expected; existing home sales increased 1.1% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 5.60 million units (Briefing.com consensus 5.57 million). The key takeaway from the report remains the same: notable supply constraints continue to act as a drag on overall sales. The limited inventory -- and the high prices on available inventory -- is crimping affordability, particularly for first-time buyers; moreover, all prospective buyers are going to feel added affordability pressures from rising mortgage rates.
Looking ahead to Tuesday's data, investors will receive the FHFA Housing Price Index for February (consensus +0.5%), the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index for February (consensus +6.4%), New Home Sales for March (consensus 631K), and the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index for April (consensus 126.1).
- Nasdaq Composite: +3.3% YTD
- Russell 2000: +1.7% YTD
- S&P 500: -0.1% YTD
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: -1.1% YTD
