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US equity markets relinquished earlier session gains to settle with sharp losses heading into the Labor Day long weekend as investors digested an August jobs report and reports of further delays to the re-opening of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline - Dow fell -338-points or -1.07%, erasing an earlier ~370-point gain. The broader S&P500 -1.07%, with Communication Services (down -1.86%) and Real Estate (-1.68%) falling over >1.5% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Energy was the only primary sector to advance, climbing +1.81%. The Nasdaq shed -1.31%, falling for a sixth straight day in its longest losing streak since August 2019. Large cap technology names Apple Inc (down -1.36%), Microsoft Corp (-1.67%) and Meta Platforms Inc (-3.05%) all logged solid losses. Advanced Micro Devices Inc (down -2.54%) will replace DuPont de Nemours Inc (-0.85%) in the S&P 100 index effective 19 September, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced on Friday (2 September). The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.72%.

The Dow and S&P500 snapped a four session losing streak, recovering from sharp opening declines to open September on a firmer footing ahead of tonight’s AEST key August jobs data - Dow rose +146-points or +0.46%, with most of the gains coming in the final 10-minutws of the session. The broader S&P500 added +0.3%, with the more defensive sectors of Health Care (up +1.65%) and Utilities (+1.42%) led eight of the eleven primary sectors higher. Energy (down -2.30%) sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard, while Materials fell -1.38% and Information Technology -0.46%. The Nasdaq eased -0.26%. Nvidia Corp dropped -7.67% in the wake of a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the close of Wednesday’s (31 August) session that revealed the U.S. government has imposed a new licensing requirement covering exports of some of Nvidia’s chips (A100 and forthcoming H100 integrated circuits, Nvidia’s highest-performance products for servers) to China, including Hong Kong, and Russia. The filing specifically states that Nvidia’s forecast for the current quarter includes an expected US$400M in data-centre sales to China that could be affected by the move; Nvidia does not currently sell products in Russia. Advanced Micro Devices Inc (down -2.99%) said that U.S. officials have also told it to stop exporting its top AI chips to China, according to a Reuters report, but said it did not expect the restrictions to have a material effect on its business. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.15%.

US equity markets extended declines into a fourth session as selling accelerated in the final ten minutes of the session to cap a tough month - Dow fell -280-points or -0.88%. Walt Disney Co (down -0.31%) is exploring a membership program similar to Amazon Prime, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, with perks designed to encourage customers to spend more on streaming, resorts and merchandise. The broader S&P500 -0.78%, with Materials (down -1.21%) and Consumer Discretionary (-1.05%) falling over >1% to lead ten of the eleven primary sectors lower. Communication Services was the only sector to settle in positive territory, eking out a +0.01% gain. The Nasdaq -0.56%. Nvidia Corp fell over >6% in extended trading (following a -2.42% drop in the regular session) after the chipmaker said the U.S. government is restricting sales in China. Nvidia said the U.S. government told the company on 26 August about a new license requirement for future exports to China, including Hong Kong, to reduce the risk that the products may be used by the Chinese military. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.62%. Snap Inc rose +8.69% following a report that said the Snapchat parent company plans to lay off 20% of its 6,400 employees in a round of layoffs that will begin immediately. Alibaba Group Holding gained +1.67% and Chinese e-commerce peer JD.com Inc +3.22%. The two companies are reportedly among a first group selected for inspection by U.S. audit authorities in the wake of a landmark bilateral deal between the U.S. and China over financial transparency for U.S.-listed Chinese stocks.

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Nick Harris, Morgans Senior Analyst sat down with the Tech Fast 50 2021 winner Royce Crown, the CEO & Co-founder of Monarc Global to discuss what winning this award has meant for his business. Monarc Global provides automated pricing software for aircraft, supporting operators and owners within the industry.

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Likely seasonal weakness at the end of September should be followed by a stronger equities market in the final quarter.

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US equity markets extended declines into a third session as investors eyed some strong economic data that may provide Federal Reserve policymakers even more ammunition to continue its aggressive pace of interest-rate hikes - Dow fell -308-points or -0.96%, The broader S&P500 -1.10%, with Energy (down -3.36%) leading all eleven primary sectors lower. However, as of last night’s AEST close, energy and utilities were the only sectors up year to date and on pace to end the month with gains. The Nasdaq -1.11%, notching its third straight daily drop of at least 1%, the technology centric indice’s longest such streak since 13 June. Advanced Micro Devices Inc lost -1.75% despite the chipmaker announcing late Monday (29 August) that it would launch what it claimed is the “fastest processor in the world for gaming” in September. More broadly, Citi Group analysts penned a note predicting that “we are entering the worst semiconductor downturn in a decade given the recession and inventory build,” citing cancellations of orders from auto and industrial companies that executives from Micron Technology Inc (down -1.25%) and Analog Devices Inc (-1.59%) disclosed in recent weeks. All three U.S. benchmarks closed below their 50-day moving averages for the first time since July, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -1.45%. Twitter Inc fell -1.80% after Elon Musk sent a letter “formally notifying” the company that he was terminating the merger deal. In a letter delivered to Twitter on 29 August, Mr Musk mentions allegations known to Twitter before 8 July but undisclosed to him, that came to light after the Washington Post published a whistleblower report alleging “far-reaching misconduct” at Twitter.

Senior Analyst and Co-head of Research Alex Mees gives his analysis of Lovisa's FY22 result saying, what was clear to us was that this is a global growth story that is really only just getting started. FY22 earnings were certainly impressive.

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US equity markets logged back-to-back losses as investors continued to digest Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell’s address at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium last Friday (26 August) in which he signalled the central bank would keep hiking rates to tame inflation - Dow fell -184-points or -0.57%, Dow Inc dropped -1.63%, pairing a earlier decline of as much as -3.5%, after analysts at KeyBanc Capital turned bearish on the chemicals and specialty materials company (cutting their recommendation to “underweight”), citing concerns that the “meaningful” exposure to commodities and Europe skews the risk-versus-reward profile to the downside. The bearish stance comes after Dow Jones Newswires reported last week that Dow told its customers that it would temporarily reduce polyethylene (PE) operating rates by 15%. The broader S&P500 -0.67%, with Information Technology (down -1.28%) the worst performing primary sector for a second straight session and leading nine of eleven primary sectors lower. Energy (up +1.54%) and Utilities (+0.25%) were the only primary sectors to advance. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co dropped -6.24% after the pharmaceutical company reported results from a mid-stage trial of its developing stroke treatment that failed to meet the main objective of the study. The S&P 500 and Dow both briefly flipped positive earlier in the overnight session, but failed to hold those gains as losses mounted heading into the closing bell. The Nasdaq lost -1.02%. Apple Inc (down -1.37%) is holding a launch event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, next week (7 September) and is expected to announce new iPhone models (as it has every September since 2012). This year’s event has the tagline “far out,” which could refer to features such as night-sky photography. Netflix Inc added +0.58% after Bloomberg reported that the streaming giant is considering pricing its ad-supported tier at between US$7-to-US$9 per month, with the service expected to be launched in the final quarter of the year in a handful of markets. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.89%.

Senior Analyst and Equity Strategist Tom Sartor updates us on the current state of reporting season so far. The beats, misses, and key takeaways, as we head into the final few days of reporting.

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US equity markets fell sharply as investors digested Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell’s address at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium in which he signalled the central bank would keep hiking rates to tame inflation and provided a frank acknowledgment of coming pain to households - Dow slumped -1,008-points or -3.03%, settling with its largest percentage drop since 18 May. 3M Co. stock tumbled -9.54%, pacing the Dow’s steep decline and logged its largest single-day percentage decline since 25 April, 2019 (alone shaving -89.77 points off the 30-stock index) after reports indicated that a bankruptcy judge blocked a request from 3M that would have shielded the company from litigation around earplugs that were sold to the military and later alleged to have caused issues such as hearing loss. The company’s Aearo subsidiary filed for bankruptcy last month, allowing the subsidiary to pause pending lawsuits, but the judge determined that 3M, which itself did not file for bankruptcy, is not entitled to those protections The broader S&P500 tumbled -3.37%, logging its biggest single session percentage decline since June. Information Technology (down -4.28%), Communication Services (-3.88%), Consumer Discretionary (-3.86%) and Industrials (-3.51%) all declined over >3.5% to lead all eleven primary sectors lower. ~43% of stocks were down at least 4%, while only five stocks in the S&500 settled in positive territory – Electronic Arts Inc (up +3.57), Molina Healthcare (+3.36%), Take Two Interactive Software Inc (+1.59%) , CF Industries Holdings Inc +0.81%) and ConocoPhillips (+0.04%). The Nasdaq dropped -3.94% and recorded its steepest single session percentage decline since 16 June. Having led gainers in the previous session, Nvidia Corp (down -9.23%) and Amazon.com Inc (-4.31%) dropped sharply. Meta Platforms Inc (-4.15%), Netflix Inc (-4.57%) and Block Inc (-7.72%) also logged steep declines. Apple Inc fell -3.77%, with Politico reporting late on Friday (26 August) that the company could be in the crosshairs of a potential antitrust lawsuit by the Justice Department by the end of the year. The iPhone maker has been under investigation by the Justice Department for more than three years over charges from developers that it has abused its market power to stifle competition. It remains unclear if the department will pursue a formal case, according to the report in Politico, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Justice Department is expected to file an antitrust action against Google-parent Alphabet Inc (down -5.41%) regarding Google’s dominant online ad business. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 lost -0.49%. Dell Technologies Inc shed -13.51%, logging its worst one-day performance since 24 December, 2018 executives dialled back their expectations for the PC market after quarterly sales came up short of the Wall Street consensus estimate after the close of last Thursday’s (25 August) session. Listed PC peer HP Inc fell -8.94%.