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US equity markets climbed as investors continue to eye inflation figures and fourth quarter corporate earnings later in the week - Dow rose +186-points or +0.56%, Boeing Co (down -0.90%) reported that it had delivered 69 planes in December and 152 planes in the 2022 fourth quarter overall, marking its best month of deliveries in four years and the highest quarterly delivery figure since the fourth quarter of 2018, when the planemaker delivered 238 planes. Deliveries dropped off in 2019 after the 737 MAX was grounded worldwide that March, with that plane not flying commercially again until late 2020. After the MAX’s issues came COVID-19, which hurt demand for air travel and airline profits and saw deliveries bottom out at 20 planes in the second quarter of 2020. For the full year, Boeing delivered 480 jets in 2022, up from 340 delivered in 2021. Boeing delivered 806 jets in 2018, the year before any impact from the 737 MAX’s grounding or the COVID-19 pandemic. The broader S&P500 gained +0.70%, with Communication Services (up +1.29%), Consumer Discretionary (+1.26%) and Materials (+1.02%) all rising over >1% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors higher. Consumer Staples (down -0.16%) was the only sector to decline overnight. The technology-centric Nasdaq rallied +1.01%, securing its first three day winning streak since November. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 outperformed with a +1.49% advance.

US equity markets retreated, fumbling solid gains logged earlier in the session - Dow fell -113-points or -0.34%, relinquishing an earlier rally of over >300-points. Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose +1.41% following reports the investment banking giant will begin cutting up to 3,200 jobs within days. The cut represents ~6.5% of Goldman’s 49K workforce but is below the worst-case scenario of 3,900 jobs chief executive David Solomon and his management team had discussed late last year. The broader S&P500 dipped -0.08%, with Health Care (down -1.66%) and Consumer Staples (-1.03%) both falling over >1% to be the worst performing primary sectors overnight. Information Technology (up +1.09%) was the leading sector performer. Tesla Inc gained +5.93% continuing a rebound that saw the stock reverse an intraday loss last Friday (6 January) of ~8% to close up +2.5%. The initial dip came after Tesla said it has slashed prices in China for the second time in three months. However, the technology centric Nasdaq rose +0.63%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 added +0.17%.

US equity markets rallied sharply on Friday (6 January) after the latest jobs report recorded a cooling in wages growth, ending the first week of 2023 higher - Dow rallied +701-points or +2.13% to 33,630.61, with all 30 index constituents advancing. The index also climbed back above its 50-day moving average (33,346.77).The broader S&P500 gained +2.28%, with Materials (up +3.4%), Information Technology (+2.99%), Real Estate (+2.86%), Consumer Staples (+2.71%) and Industrials (+2.69%) all climbing over >2.5% to lead all eleven primary sectors higher. Tesla Inc rose +2.5% despite news that the electric vehicle (EV) maker has slashed prices in China for the second time in three months. Prices for the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV were cut by more than >10%, according to Tesla’s website, with the Model 3 falling to ¥229,900 (~US$33,415) from ¥265,900 (~US$38,647), and the Model Y dropping to ¥259,900 (~US$37,775) from ¥288,900 (~US$41,990). Tesla generated 24% of its total third-quarter revenue from China, and the company’s Shanghai factory produces more than half of the EVs sold worldwide. Costco Wholesale Corp jumped +7.26% following a strong December sales update after the close of the previous session. Southwest Airlines Co settled +4.62% higher despite the carrier warning Friday (6 January) that it expects to report a surprise net loss for the fourth quarter after cancelling thousands of flights over the holidays. It was the best day for the Dow and S&P 500 since 30 November and the best for the Nasdaq since 29 December. The Nasdaq jumped +2.56%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rallied +2.26%.

US equity markets’ pre-Christmas rally spluttered overnight following another round of upbeat economic data reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve and other central banks will continue monetary policy tightening into 2023 - Dow fell -349-points or -1.05%, paring an earlier decline of over >800-points. The broader S&P500 lost -1.45%, with Consumer Discretionary (down 2.59%), Information Technology (-2.54%) and Energy (-2.31%) all down over >2% and leading all eleven primary sectors lower. Tesla Inc dropped -8.88% after the company offered a US$7,500 discount on its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles delivered in the United States by year-end, as well as 10,000 miles of free supercharging for those vehicles. Separately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has initiated two more special crash investigations into incidents that involved Tesla electric vehicles, and where the company’s advanced driver assistance systems are thought to have been a factor in the crash. Tesla is the biggest decliner during the December market sell-off, down -36% this month (and down more than >64% in 2022). The Nasdaq dropped -2.18%, with semiconductor companies under particular pressure following memory chip specialist Micron Technology Inc (down -3.44%) underwhelming fiscal first quarter result released after the close of the previous session. Advanced Micro Devices Inc fell -5.64%, Nvidia Corp -7.04% and Lam Research Corp -8.65%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.29%.

US equity markets rallied for a second session following upbeat earnings releases after the close of the previous session from FedEx Corp (up +3.43%) and Nike Inc (+12.18%), and strong consumer confidence data - Dow gained +527-points or +1.60%, The broader S&P500 rallied +1.49%, with Energy (up +1.89%) the leading sector performer for a second session running and lifting all eleven primary sectors (with eight logging gains of over >1%). Nike’s result boosted other athletic apparel and footwear makers, with Under Armour Inc up +5.21, Skechers USA Inc +4.16% and Lululemon Athletica Inc +3.13%. Tesla Inc slipped -0.17%, with Elektrek reporting that the electric vehicle maker is planning another round of layoffs for the first quarter and is instituting a hiring freeze. The Nasdaq climbed +1.54%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +1.62%.

US equity markets advanced, recovering from some initial weakness after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) surprised the market with a policy shift - Dow added +92-points or +0.28%, Boeing Co rose +1.41% after the 4,155 page omnibus spending package included an extension for the aircraft maker's 27 December deadline for 737 MAX 7 and 10 certification. The measure in the omnibus bill will require some safety improvements, but short of what current law would demand on all 737 MAX jets to be manufactured under certification rules by safety officials. Boeing has said it would be forced to scrap the MAX 7 and the MAX 10 if it had to meet a deadline of 27 December to get approval for new cockpit-alerting systems for pilots. The broader S&P500 edged +0.10% higher, with Energy (up +1.52%) comfortably the leading performer and lifting seven of the eleven primary sectors into positive territory. Consumer Discretionary (down -1.13%) was the wort performing primary sector overnight. Tesla Inc continued to slide, dropping a further -8.05% to US$137.80. Sources told CNBC that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk is searching for a new chief executive of Twitter. Mr Musk wrote on Sunday (18 December) that “The question is not finding a CEO, the question is finding a CEO who can keep Twitter alive.” The latest drop pushed Tesla’s market capitalisation below Exxon Mobil Corp (up +1.45%) and left it as ninth most valuable equity by market capitalisation in the S&P 500 index after previously ranking as high as No. 5 on that list. The Nasdaq eked out a +0.01% rise. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +0.54%.

US equity markets settled in the red for a fourth consecutive session, extending a drop last week sparked by a new round of interest rate rises and hawkish comments from central bankers - Dow fell -163-points or -0.49%, with Walt Disney Co (down -4.79%) and Nike Inc (-2.79%) among the biggest drags. A $1 move in any of the Dow's 30 components results in a 6.59-point swing. The broader S&P500 shed -0.90%, with Communication Services (down -2.19%) and Consumer Discretionary (-1.66%) both declining over >1.5% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Energy was the only primary sector to advance overnight, edging +0.13% higher. Tesla Inc fell -0.24% to US$149.87, settling below

The S&P500 and Nasdaq extended losses into a third consecutive session on Friday (16 December) amid a volatile ‘Quadruple Witching’ session that saw the simultaneous expiration of stock index futures, stock index options, stock options and single-stock futures worth ~US$4 trillion (including US$2.4 trillion tied to S&P 500 index futures) - Dow fell -282-points or -0.85%, paring an earlier session decline of ~548-points. Goldman Sachs Group Inc lost -0.99% following reports that the US investment bank is preparing to lay off as many as 3,900 employees starting in January as chief executive David Solomon seeks to boost profitability amid economic headwinds. The plans are still being drawn up, and it is possible that the current target for a cull of “up to 8 per cent” of its 49,000 global workforce will be slimmed down if the business outlook improves, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The broader S&P500 lost -1.11%, with Real Estate (down -2.96%), Consumer Discretionary (-1.74%) and Utilities (-1.66%) all down over >1.5% and leading all eleven primary sectors lower. Tesla Inc dropped -4.72% to cap the worst weekly performance (down -16.1%) for the electric vehicle maker’s shares since 2020 and fourth-worst week in history for the shares after a series of three weeks in late February and early March 2020, when investors sold stocks in fear of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects. Tesla ended the week with a market capitalisation of less than US$3.5B in Tesla stock late last Wednesday (14 December), after performing the trades over the three previous trading sessions, when the price declined a cumulative 12.4%. In total, the Tesla CEO has sold US$39.3B worth of Tesla stock in the past 13 months. The Nasdaq shed-0.97%. However, Meta Platforms Inc rose +2.82%, buoyed by an upgrade to ‘overweight’ from ‘neutral’ by JPMorgan. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.63%.

US equity markets tumbled as investors digested a wave of interest rate rises and hawkish commentary from global central banks - Dow fell -764-points or -2.25%, The broader S&P500 dropped -2.49%, with Communication Services (down -3.84%), Information Technology (-3.78%) and Materials (-3.02%) all down over >3% and leading all eleven primary sectors lower. Shoe Carnival Inc over >3.2% in after-hours trading after the shoe retailer said its board of directors approved a new US$50M share buyback program. The Nasdaq slumped -3.23%. Netflix Inc dropped -8.63% following a report in Digiday citing five agency executives that the streaming giant is falling short of ad-supported viewership guarantees made to advertisers and allowing advertisers to take their money back for ads that have yet to run. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -2.52%.

US equity markets settled lower as investors digested the latest Federal Reserve interest rate decision and monetary policy pronouncements - Dow fell -142-points or -0.42%, The broader S&P500 lost -0.61%, with Financials (down -1.29%), Materials (-1.11%) and Real Estate (-1.01%) all declining over >1% to lead ten of the eleven primary sector lower. Health Care (up +0.14%) was the only primary sector to advance. The S&P 500 is on track for its biggest three-month gain since the second quarter of 2020, having risen by ~11.3% since the start of October. Delta Air Lines Inc rose +2.79% after the carrier raised its earnings guidance and highlighted robust demand for air travel as the industry recovers from the widespread disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline raised its 2022 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) guidance to US$3.07 to US$3.12 versus current consensus forecasts for US$2.88. For 2023, Delta forecast a near doubling of adjusted earnings to US$5 to US$6 per share, and revenue growth at 15% to 20% compared with 2022 and said it is on track to meet its 2024 earnings target of more than >US$7 a share. However, Tesla Inc (down -2.58%) continued to trade around two year lows. Chief executive Elon Musk tweeted that he “will make sure Tesla shareholders benefit from Twitter long-term”. The technology-centric Nasdaq fell -0.76%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.65%.