FTDS News and Press, FIRST TRUST EXCH From 01/22/23

Summary The long-awaited downturn in global trade will take place in 2023. Supply chain realignments that have been years in the making will begin to take effect. Government policies launched in 2022 will bear fruit in 2023 and include subsidies for semiconductors and automotive electri...

Summary Reserve provisioning by banks against the likelihood of further deterioration in their consumer and small business loan portfolios. Analysts’ earnings estimates are finally catching up to the market, which decided already in 2022 that conditions were headed south. The...

Summary Looking at the most recent readings of many economic indicators, nowcasting gives a more up-to-date reading of the economy than gross domestic product. The weakest US sector is housing. Building permits have been on a downward trend for much of 2022 and dropped again in December...

Summary Many investors are happy to be moving on from the market volatility of 2022, which left a mere few good places to hide. Hitting the so-called “sweet spot,” US mid caps - generally defined as companies with market capitalization between US$2 and US$10 billion - can ...

Summary Falling wages reduce the odds of a 1970s style outcome. The biggest lesson for me was the sheer uncertainty of the future. We keep threatening to default on ourselves over a self-imposed constraint that doesn’t actually constrain anything. Here are some thin...

Summary The long-term leading indicators of growth and liquidity suggest corporate earnings and profit margins will continue to be pressured throughout 2023. However, as the lags from leading indicators tend to be long and variable, we may not see a material impact in earnings growth un...

Summary Financial conditions indicators are flashing risk embracement and loose conditions. Markets have been so speculative in recent years that squeezes have become commonplace. While powerful squeezes captivate the marketplace, potential accident catalysts make steady headway. ...

Summary Since October 13, 2022, the S&P 500 Index is up 11.80% on a price only basis. For the start of 2023, the S&P 500 Index is up 4.16% through January 13, 2023. As we noted in our recently published Winter Investor Letter, maybe the negativity around the market/economy is ov...

Summary The Federal Government ran a deficit of -$85B in December. While this was much smaller than the deficit posted in November, it marks one of the largest December deficits ever. Zooming out and looking over the history of the budget back to 1980 shows a complete picture. It shows ...

Summary Stocks have rallied to start the year due to financial conditions easing. The Fed, to this point, has been unable to convince the markets of its commitment to raise rates. Vice-Chair Lael Brainard speaks this week and could be personified to reset market expectations. ...