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US equity markets retreated on Friday (9 December) as investors assessed the latest wholesale-inflation and consumer-sentiment data ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting next week - Dow fell -305-points or 0.90%. Walt Disney Co rose +0.9% after the company made its ad-supported streaming subscription available in the U.S. The broader S&P500 lost -0.73%, with Energy (down -2.33%) once again leading the downside and with ten of the eleven primary sectors closing lower. Communication Services (up +0.02%) was the only primary sector to advance. The Nasdaq fell -0.70%. Microsoft Corp fell -0.80% after the company announced in a Friday morning (9 December) blog post that it had acquired Lumenisity Limited, which makes hollow core fibre solutions, as its battle with the FTC over the Activision Blizzard Inc (up +0.54%) deal deepens. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.19%.

US equity markets rebounded - Dow gained +184-points or +0.55%, The broader S&P500 added +0.75%, arresting a five session losing streak (which marked the longest losing streak since the six sessions of consecutive losses ended 12 October). Information Technology (up +1.59%) and Consumer Discretionary (+1.05%) rose over >1% to lead nine of the eleven sectors higher. Energy (down -0.46%) and Communication Services (-0.50%) were the only primary sectors not to advance. The Nasdaq rose +1.13%, with Nvidia Corp and Amazon.com Inc adding +6.51% and 2.14%, respectively. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 gained +0.63%.

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US equity markets retreated as an easing of some of China’s COVID curbs failed to lift broader sentiment - Dow settled flat. The broader S&P500 slipped -0.19%, extending losses into a fifth consecutive session and marking the indices longest losing streak since the six sessions of consecutive losses ended 12 October. Communication Services (down -0.93%) and Information Technology (-0.51%) fell over >0.5% to lead eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. The more defensive Health Care (up +0.85%), Consumer Staples (+0.38%) and Real Estate (+0.26%) were the only primary sectors to advance. The technology-centric Nasdaq fell -0.51%. Apple Inc fell -1.38%,with mobile industry bellwether Murata Manufacturing Co expecting the company to reduce production plans further for the iPhone 14 in the coming months because of weak demand. Murata expects this year’s drop in smart phone sales to keep going well into 2023. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.31%.

Morgans research analysts re-set their sector views, strategies and Best Ideas as markets adapt to ongoing challenges.

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US equity markets retreated amid fresh concerns around a recession - Dow fell -351-points or -1.03%, with Boeing Co (down -3.60%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (-2.32%) and Walt Disney Co (-3.79%) among notable decliners. The broader S&P500 shed -1.44%, with Energy (down -2.65%), Communication Services (-2.57%) and Information Technology (-2.14%) all down over >2% and leading ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. The index booked a fourth straight session of declines and logged its seventh negative session in eight. Utilities (up +0.66%) was the only primary sector to advance. Tesla Inc fell -1.44% after Reuters reported that the electric vehicle manufacturer planned to cut output of its Model Y by more than >20% in its Shanghai plant this month. The company said the media reports were “untrue”. Bank of America Corp dropped -4.26% to US$2,456.92 and the lowest level since mid-October. Morgan Stanley fell -2.56%, with various reports the investment bank had cut ~20% of its staff on Tuesday (6 December). The moves, reported first by CNBC, impacted about 1,600 of the company’s 81,567 employees and touched nearly every corner of the global investment bank, according to people familiar with the situation. The technology-centric Nasdaq dropped -2.00%, recording its worst two-day performance (down -3.41%) since early November, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Meta Platforms Inc shed -6.79% after the Wall Street Journal reported that European Union (EU) privacy regulators may apply restrictions to the company’s targeted advertising strategy. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.5%.

US equity markets fell following a hotter-than-expected services sector activity report - Dow fell -483-points or -1.40%. Salesforce Inc dropped -7.35%, touching its lowest level in more than 2-years intra-day (US$133.36) after the company confirmed a report in The Wall Street Journal that Slack co-founder and chief executive Stewart Butterfield was leaving the company and that Lidiane Jones, who is part of the Salesforce executive team, would take over for him. The broader S&P500 shed -1.79%, with Consumer Discretionary (down -2.95%), Energy (-2.94%) and Financials (-2.50%) all falling 2.5%+ to lead all elven primary sectors lower. The Nasdaq lost -1.93%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 dropped -2.78%.

A mixed session to end the week for US equity markets as investors digested the latest monthly jobs report, although all three benchmark indices booked a second straight week of gains - Dow added +35-points or +0.10%, The broader S&P500 slipped -0.12%, with Energy (down -0.60%) and Information Technology (-0.55%) both falling over >0.5% to lead six of the eleven primary sectors lower. Materials (up +1.10%) was the leading primary sector performer on Friday (2 December). The Nasdaq lost -0.18%, paring an earlier decline of as much as -1.6% The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +0.59%.

US equity markets eased following the powerful rally recorded in the final hour pf the previous session, with investors eyeing tonight’s AEST key jobs data - Dow fell -195-points or -0.56%. Salesforce Inc fell -8.27% after the business software provider released its quarterly result after the closing bell of the previous session and announced that co-chief executive officer (CEO) Bret Taylor is stepping down. The broader S&P500 dipped -0.09%, with Financials (down -0.71%) leading eight of the eleven primary sectors lower. Communication Services (+0.29%), Health Care (+0.24%) and Information Technology (+0.07%) were the sectors to advance. Costco Wholesale Corp dropped -6.56% after the pace of November sales slowed to a 5.7% gain from the prior year. In October, sales climbed 7.7% from a year ago. The wholesale retailer also reported a -10.1% decline in e-commerce sales during the period. The Nasdaq edged +0.13% higher. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 eased -0.26%.

US equity markets rallied strongly in the final hour of the session following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at the Hutchins Centre on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at The Brookings Institution in which he confirmed that the central bank will slow the pace of its aggressive rate-hiking campaign - Dow rallied +737 points or +2.18%. The broader S&P500 climbed +3.09%, snapping a three session losing streak. Information Technology (up +5.03%) and Communication Services (+4.91%) both rallied ~5% to lead all eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (+0.54%) was the relative laggard. The Nasdaq jumped +4.41%. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 rose +2.72%. The U.S.-listed shares of China-based e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd capped a strong month, rallying +9.64% and posting its second-best monthly performance (+37.72%) since it went public in September 2019 and the best since the record monthly rally of +42.2% in October 2015.