U.S. Futures & World Markets
Stocks are set to open lower as higher interest rates put pressure on equities. The big question is whether stock volatility plays catch-up higher or if interest rates slide lower.
Leon Cooperman's famous quote from the late '90s still rings true: "You don't want to live in a world where the Fed cannot get whatever result it wants."
CORE Headlines
- NY Fed President Williams says another rate increase this year is reasonable. — WSJ
- Bessent: US-China trade truce extended to January 10; Iran deal would "guarantee" compliance; US escorting 10-17M bpd through the Strait. — Fox
- China takes possession of sensitive F-35 stealth aircraft parts. — Bloomberg
- Energy Secretary Wright told oil industry to prepare for limits on diesel exports. — Bloomberg
- OpenAI agents hacked a government health website in Australia. — Bloomberg
- Google nearing release of Gemini 4 AI model. — The Information
Charts & Data
US business output growing at the fastest rate in over five years in September. Chris Williamson, S&P Global via Daily Chartbook.
But input cost inflation surged — hitting the highest since October 2022. S&P Global via Daily Chartbook: the growth/inflation tension is intensifying.
National diesel prices at $6.52/gal — US preparing a potential 90-day diesel export ban. @kevrgordon via Daily Chartbook.
Diesel is embedded in the delivered cost of nearly every physical good. The rise in diesel prices migrates into core goods and services with a lag — exactly the kind of pass-through the Fed cannot dismiss as transitory. Torsten Slok, Apollo.
Investor allocations to bonds have drifted to the lowest level since immediately prior to the Global Financial Crisis. @callum_thomas via Daily Chartbook.
Discretionary investors still positioned cautiously relative to the strength of earnings growth — more cash could move into stocks. Deutsche Bank via Daily Chartbook.
AI compute costs falling ~47%/quarter since 2023 — 4x faster than DNA sequencing, 6x faster than compute, 18x faster than lithium batteries. Epoch AI via Daily Chartbook.
S&P 500 cumulative A/D line dropped more than 1,500 points from its peak while the index itself was down barely 2%. Prior periods with similar breadth deterioration saw little negative forward return impact. Bespoke via Daily Chartbook.
Interesting Reads
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