Day Traders Diary
7/11/14
The stock market finished the Friday session on a modestly higher note, but the slim gains could not prevent the key indices from finishing the week in the red. The S&P 500 added 0.2%, trimming its weekly loss to 0.9%, while the Nasdaq Composite (+0.4%) finished the week with a 1.6% decline. Small caps had a tough time keeping up as the Russell 2000 shed 0.1% today to widen its weekly loss to 3.9%.Equities slipped at the open amid weakness in two cyclical sectors. Energy (-0.8%) and financials (+0.1%) were down in excess of 0.5% in short order, while the other sectors held much closer to their flat lines.
The opening weakness in the financial sector followed an in-line quarterly report from Wells Fargo (WFC 51.49, -0.32). The stock ended lower by 0.6%, while the overall sector managed to recover its loss during the afternoon when the S&P 500 returned into the green.
Meanwhile, the energy sector was pinned to its lows throughout the session with the two top-weighted componentsChevron (CVX 128.47, -1.78) and ExxonMobil (XOM 101.74, -0.83)pressuring the sector. The two lost 1.4% and 0.8%, respectively. In all likelihood, the sector's inability to rebound alongside the broader market was related to the daylong weakness in crude oil futures. The energy component fell 2.1% to $100.79/bbl.
Elsewhere, other cyclical sectors like consumer discretionary (+0.3%), industrials (+0.6%), and technology (+0.4%) rallied in the afternoon, which sent the S&P 500 to a fresh high.
The industrial sector drew strength from a couple of its top-weighted components. Boeing (BA 128.09, +1.30) and General Electric (GE 26.55, +0.35) posted respective gains of 1.0% and 1.3%, while the PHLX Defense Index advanced 0.7%. Transports also rallied with airlines and railroads in the lead. United Continental (UAL 45.70, +0.53) rose 1.2%, Norfolk Southern (NSC 103.95, +1.54) jumped 1.5%, while the Dow Jones Transportation Average added 0.4%.
Also of note, the relative strength of the technology sector contributed to the outperformance of the Nasdaq Composite. Google (GOOGL 586.65, +6.61) and Facebook (FB 66.34, +1.47) spiked 1.1% and 2.3%, respectively, but the top-weighted sector componentApple (AAPL 95.22, +0.19)surrendered the bulk of its gain into the close. On the earnings front, Infosys (INFY 54.22, -1.43) lost 2.6% despite beating earnings estimates.
Similar to the cyclical sectors, most countercyclical groups were able to finish in the green. Consumer staples (+0.1%), health care (+0.1%), and telecom services (+0.8%) posted gains, while the utilities sector (-0.7%) ended in the red.
Treasuries posted modest gains with the 10-yr note adding five ticks to send its yield lower by two basis points to 2.52%.
Participation was well below average with just 571 million shares changing hands at the NYSE floor.
Economic data was limited to the Treasury Budget for June, which posted a surplus of $70.50 billion versus a surplus of $116.50 billion in June 2013. The Treasury data are not seasonally adjusted so the June data cannot be compared with the $130.00 billion deficit from May. Fiscal year-to-date, the deficit is $365.90 billion, $144.00 billion less than the comparable period for FY13.
There is no economic data on Monday's schedule.
S&P 500 +6.5% YTD
Nasdaq Composite +5.7% YTD
Dow Jones Industrial Average +2.2% YTD
Russell 2000 -0.3% YTD
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