Covid: Latest Market News

US July CPI +8.5% y/y vs +8.7% expected it's the first good sign about inflation

But let's analyze data below:

• CPI energy -4.6% vs +7.5% prior
• Gasoline -7.7% vs +11.2% prior
• New vehicles +0.6% vs +0.7% prior
• Used vehicles -0.4% vs +1.6% m/m prior
• Owners' equivalent rent +0.6% m/m vs +0.6% prior
• Food +1.1% vs +1.0% prior
• Real weekly earnings +0.5% vs -1.0% m/m prior

Stocks   are up with large gains SPX over 2.13% and Nasdaq NDQ over 3% Dollar down DXY over 2%. Instead of  this small bounce in market  Sentiment we don't think will last more than few days.

Goldman Sachs not expect inflation to drop too far from here!

Inflation will not go too much lower because:

• The price of cars (main component of core CPI) will stay high for months because production problems and distribution chains problems
• Retailer excess inventory will not have any impact on prices. GS estimates currently $20 bn—this translates to 3% of annual retail spending and 0.5% of total core goods spending. That only translate to 0.1% of downward pressure on inflation  
• We do, however, continue to expect the strong dollar and easing supply-chain constraints to weigh on import prices later this year, and in turn on consumer goods prices by the first half of 2023
• Consumers have made changes in their shopping behaviors, like switching to cheaper brands or pivoting to dollar stores to get their essentials.
• Covid Cases are surging in China that will affect distribution Chains

On others investment front investors must seek exposure to green Energy and Electric Vehicles (EV) because the Senate's deal targets clean energy and electric vehicles. The Senate has passed the Inflation Reduction Act; amid its multifaceted, approximately $370b of energy-related spending, both the clean energy theme and the electric vehicle theme are key components of the bill and the primary focuses of this commentary.

Electric vehicles and the broader EV value chain could experience accelerated demand from tax credits, government EV purchases, loans and grants.

Symbols like TSLA NIO RIVN QS BLNK HYILN VLDR Plug HASI NEEE will benefits from this law

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Goldman Sachs change their growth forecast for US from 5%-6% in 2021 to 3,4% in 2022 because of two factors:

• spread of Omicron Variant
• diminishing expectations for fiscal stimulus

Deloitte projects 4% GDP instead of Reserve Bank of Australia 5,5% 

Deloitte Access Economics says the Omicron variant manes the RBA forecast is too optimistic because omicron is Spreading at a rapid rate and half the workforce would likely miss an extra week of work in H1 of 2022.

But with optimism Deloitte inform us that Omicron would not cause the same economic problems as the first two waves.

Will economy drop into 2022, what is your opinion?!

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Where are we today?!

Today, markets are in a recessionary stage because of more than a decade of financial bad investments; we are witnessing a process of money creation (Helicopter Money) to a scale that a few years ago was unimaginable for the financial world.

Money creation from nothing by the FED was growing with approx. 22% in 2020 because of the Covid19 pandemic outbreak, but if we have a look over the past 50 years, we have few times only 10 percent money increase from one year to another. To give you an idea about the magnitude of this move, it's a must to say that in WW2 money creation was only 15%, and it was further followed by a two digits inflation.

This process of money creation is happening at a global scale, including FED, European Central Banks and Japanese Central Bank.

What is Inflation?!

Inflation represents increases in the money supply, as a consequence of monetary inflation. If the FED will print more money, than a larger amount of money will chase the same amount of goods and services. Inflation it's happening also when production can't keep the pace, or when we have disruptions on transports of goods. Central Banks consider a small inflation as a good thing, as this will stimulate people to spend more money, therefore it also works as a catalyst for economy. It's famous that 2% represents a very good target for inflation.

When we have two digits inflation, we call it Hyperinflation, or inflation it's out of control, this being the worst scenario that could happen for an economy. There are many examples in the history, with hyperinflation that carried a huge negative impact over countries like Germany before WW2, Zimbabwe, Yugoslavia and Greece - more on this, at: https://www.cnbc.com/2011/02/14/The-Worst-Hyperinflation-Situations-of-All-Time.html

We talk about Deflation as the opposite process of inflation, when the money supply shrinks. In a Deflation scenario, a smaller amount of money targets the same amount of goods and services. As we mentioned earlier, a small inflation is considered good for economy, and this is also valid for a small deflation.

With little deflation, prudent investors are rewarded because their money are more valuable, but if we have an aggressive deflation (like 2008 scenario) the debtors are punished. High rates of deflation imply a high rate of defaults and further, shrinking in the assets value.

At the present moment, we are witnessing a deflation scenario because we register low discretionary spending. People changed their habits during the Covid19 pandemic, they now prefer low budget activities like watching Netflix with home-made popcorn, instead of going to the IMAX movie theatre. Very few from the middle class will celebrate anniversary birthdays on expensive restaurants with $250 champagne and Taxis.

Risk appetite will continue to slow down during 2022, a year that will be marked probably by more bankruptcies and lower corporate spending. Deflation is everywhere to be seen in 2022 and Governments will have to play a more decisive role for economies in the following years, as some sectors in the economies will start to collapse under the pressure of Inflation, while some others will be relieved under Deflation, thus creating a concurrent mixing Inflation / Deflation scenario, which emerged into a new concept: Crossflation.

What Is Stagflation?

Stagflation (economic stagnation) is characterized by slow economic growth, high unemployment rates, and a continuous pressure of the rising prices. Stagflation can be alternatively defined as a period of inflation combined with a decline in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

A challenging 2022 will bring more insecurity, but also new opportunities for informed investors that are willing to take risks.

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The major international indices rebounded on Wednesday, despite the concerns about the Covid variant and the Federal Reserve is hinting an early departure of its accommodative monetary policy.

However, the tone has quickly turned negative with the news that the United States became on Wednesday the latest country to identify a case within its borders.

The World Health Organisation stated that at least 23 countries from five of six regions have reported cases of omicron, “and we expect that number to grow.”

The UN agency expects to have more information on the transmissibility of the new variant of the coronavirus within days, but noted that hospitalizations were rising across South Africa, where the new variant was first discovered, and omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant there.

More important are studies that will be delivered next days from Pharma companies BioNTech & Moderna about vaccine efficiency on new covid variant Omicron.

If there will be bad news on vaccine field, we can expect a drop on SPX to 4200 - 4250 area in short time, and to 3600 in case of new lockdowns around the world.

If news on vaccine efficiency is very good, we will pass over lockdowns and we anticipate a rebound over 4500 pts.

It's possible to have a good opportunity to buy when infections will slow down after Omicron Outbreak.

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Australia's New South Wales reports 1,431 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and the state Premier says expects next two weeks to be the worst for COVID infections.

New Zealand reports 28 new COVID-19 cases much lower than Australia.

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Australia's Victoria State Premier says it is too soon to open up from the COVID-19 lockdown and would need a low number of cases to ease restrictions, adds reopening plan to be announced tomorrow but it is not freedom day and will only be modest changes.

Australia's capital of Canberra will extend lockdown through September 17th.

The EU voted to approve fresh restrictions on US travellers coming into the bloc. US State Department raised the travel alert for Germany and Canada to level 3, while the US also issued COVID-19 "Do Not Travel" advisories for Switzerland and Estonia.

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US President Biden said Chinese officials have worked to prevent investigators from assessing origins of COVID-19 and that the US will work with partners to press China to share information. The US probe of COVID origins was reportedly inconclusive without help from China and found some evidence the origin could be from animals or a lab, while the intelligence community in US remained divided on the most likely origin.

US President Biden said they are considering starting booster shots earlier and he discussed a booster shot timeline with NIH's Fauci in which an additional shot after five months was reportedly being discussed, while the NIH launched a study of an extra COVID vaccine dose in people with autoimmune disease. However, the White House later stated that official guidance for a COVID booster shot remains eight months and that nothing has changed regarding the eight-month timeline.

New Zealand PM Arden confirmed that Auckland will remain on level 4 for another two weeks and all areas outside of Auckland will move to level 3 from a level 4 lockdown with the level 3 to be in effect for a week.

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