Morgans AM: Monday, 19 September 2022

Morgans Financial Limited

US equity markets retreated to two-month lows on Friday (16 September) to cap a tough week for stocks amid ongoing inflation concerns, looming further interest rate hikes and some fresh warning signs about economic growth - Dow fell -139-points or -0.45%, paring an earlier decline of as much as -412 points. Goldman Sachs Group Inc's fell -1.63%, with Bloomberg Law reporting that the company’s consumer banking unit is being reviewed by the Federal Reserve, citing people familiar with the matter. Goldman's management has been subjected to questions and follow-ups from the central bank's officials for several weeks, the report said, adding that the process was still ongoing. The broader S&P500 -0.72%, with Energy (down -2.17%) and Industrials (-2.06%) leading all eleven primary sectors lower. FedEx Corp tumbled -21.4% the shipments company and economic bellwether withdrew its full year financial forecast after the close of last Thursday’s (15 September) session, blaming an acceleration in a global demand slowdown. The company also said it will implement cost-cutting initiatives to contend with soft global shipment volumes as “macroeconomic trends significantly worsened.” FedEx Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Raj Subramaniam told CNBC late Thursday (15 September) that the global economy was likely headed for a recession. United Parcel Service Inc fell -4.48%. Home Depot Inc’s (up +1.63%) CEO Ted Decker told CNBC on Friday (16 September) that “Our consumer, our customer, pro and DIY have been resilient,” responding to questioning about whether he has seen the same signs of recession that FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam had warned of a day earlier. Mr Decker further observed that “Our customer tends to have strong income. They tend to be homeowners. And guess what, they’re spending more time in that home, and that home’s aging,” adding that “We couldn’t be more bullish.” General Electric Co fell -3.7% after the company’s chief financial officer (CFO) Carolina Happe said at a Morgan Stanley investor conference that persistent supply-chain pressures were putting the conglomerate’s cash flow under pressure. The Nasdaq fell -0.90%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.48%. The Dow Jones Transport Average, viewed as a barometer of economic health, dropped -5.07%.