Strong Earnings Couldn't Save Markets From Meltdown
A strong earnings season was not enough to save the markets from a down day of trading Tuesday, another sell off in what's been a pretty depressing year so far for stock markets.
The Dow Jones closed down around 420 points, and was down as much as 600 during the day. The Nasdaq was down more than 120 points, and the S&P 500 fell 35 points.
Art Hogan, the chief market strategist for B. Riley FBR, said in an interview with Cheddar that this market downturn is the exact opposite of what investors might expect after a series of strong first-quarter earnings reports.
He said something else is weighing down the Dow.
"I think it all predicates itself around fears of bad trade policy," said Hogan.
In the fourth quarter of last year, chief executives were excited about the potential of tax reform, but that optimism has shifted, he said.
Now, in their earnings calls, executives are expressing concern about trade policy, tariffs, higher input costs, and commodity prices going even higher. Those changes could affect earnings beyond this quarter, Hogan said.
"While the earnings are spectacular ー they are nothing short of spectacular in the earnings reports themselves ー the tone of the conference calls has changed," said Hogan. "And the market is getting to a point where we are concerned what we are doing about trade policy."
When it comes to advice on what to do now, Hogan said to stay cyclical and, in a rising interest rate environment, avoid high dividend yield sectors like utilities and telecoms.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/markets-close-down-over-400-points).
U.S. stocks closed Thursday at their lowest levels of the trading day, as investors continue to eye inflation ahead of the May CPI report out Friday. Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist for National Holdings, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Creating a brand is one of the most important steps in building a business. It can help set you apart from the competition and tells customers what your values are, but many companies don't know how to brand themselves effectively. Tiana Von Johnson, CEO & Chief Brand Strategist of TVJ World, gives expert tips on the do’s and don’ts of branding.
Housing affordability has collapsed to its lowest level on record over the last year. According to the national association of realtors, affordability has dropped by 29%, thanks to surging home prices and mortgage rates. Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist of First American, breaks down the housing market, and when buyers can expect prices to finally drop.
U.S. markets opened sharply lower on Friday on hotter-than-expected inflation data. The May CPI showed an 8.6% jump in consumer prices year-over-year, higher the expected 8.3%. Mark Howard, Senior Multi-Asset Specialist at BNP Paribas joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks closed Friday at session lows after May CPI data showed inflation in the U.S. has not peaked and is still rising rapidly. For the week, the S&P fell 5.06%, the Dow lost 4.58%, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.60%, marking the worst week since January for all three major indexes. Mike Zigmont, Head of Trading and Research at Harvest Volatility Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Residents often have to wait on federal assistance after a disaster, but one group has a solution: hiring community members to help clean up and improve their neighborhoods. Resilience Force tackles two problems at once by creating jobs in response to growing climate-related disasters. LaTanja Silvester, director of New Orleans programming for Resilience Force, joins Closing Bell to discuss how the organization creates jobs in communities that need help and higher employment, the importance of creating a "green" workforce, and more.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Yung Lim, CEO and Fixed Income Strategist at FolioBeyond, joined Closing Bell to discuss the May CPI report, as inflation is still red-hot going into a key decision from the Federal Reserve about interest rates.
Auction house Christie's will be presenting "Legacy of the GOAT," which will include a rare Michael Jordan signed rookie card and sneakers. Caitlin Donovan, the vice president of Christie's handbags and accessories department. joined Cheddar News to discuss the special memorabilia selection for the NBA great. "He's been a global phenomenon, so he's really shaped '90s culture and streetwear culture," she said. "And we see bidders from every pocket in the world."