HIGH CURVE Marketing Management

19/01/2023

13/01/2023

US stock index futures were flat on Friday ahead of results from major US banks, which will kick off the quarterly earnings season and provide more insight into corporate America's health.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC), Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C), and Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) & Co are all expected to announce lower fourth-quarter profits before the opening bell, as they stockpile funds in anticipation of a slowing economy.

Because of the Federal Reserve's vigorous tightening drive to battle inflation, increased borrowing prices have caused both individuals and companies to cut back on spending, affecting bank earnings as credit demand slows.

"Bank profits will be a key test," according to Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

"It will be fascinating to observe if they (banks) have made any additional provisions for non-performing debts and how they see lending demand."
Wall Street's major indexes rose on Thursday as consumer prices fell in December for the first time in over two and a half years, stoking hopes of a persistent lower trend in inflation.

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 are on pace for their biggest weekly performance since November 2022.

Money market players believe the Fed will raise the benchmark rate by 25 basis points in February, but that the terminal rate will be 4.9% by June following the December CPI data.
Investors will also closely examine the University of Michigan's January consumer confidence index, as well as comments from Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, to assess the strength of the US economy.

On Friday, Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL), BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK), and UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) will all announce fourth-quarter earnings.

Dow e-minis were up 10 points, or 0.03%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 0.5 points, or 0.01%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 16.5 points, or 0.14%, at 5:37 a.m. ET.

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Inc slumped 4% in premarket trade after lowering pricing on its electric vehicles in the United States and Europe by up to 20% after falling short of 2022 delivery targets.

05/01/2023

According to new Labor Department data released on Thursday, the number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance surprisingly declined last week.

Seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims declined to 204,000 in the week ending December 31, down from 223,000 in the previous week. Economists thought the number would rise to 225,000.

The four-week moving average, which attempts to account for weekly volatility, fell by 6,750 points to 213,750.

Meanwhile, continuing claims - a measure of the number of Americans filing for continued unemployment benefits - fell to 1,694,000 from 1,718,000 the previous week. Forecasts predicted that the figure will fall to 1,708,000.

Weekly unemployment claims have dropped to 204,000, according to the Labor Department.

15/11/2022

Amazon Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) on Tuesday introduced Amazon clinic, a digital platform for treating common medical ailments like allergies, acne, and asthma. This move increased the e-commerce behemoth's footprint in the American healthcare market.

Following its agreement to purchase primary care provider One Medical for $3.49 billion only a few months ago, Amazon, which already operates Amazon Pharmacy, said its new service would be available in 32 states.

14/11/2022

After Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller indicated the central bank would not ease up on its fight against inflation, the value of the U.S. dollar stabilized on Monday.

Even though U.S. inflation was slightly below expectations on Thursday, investors fled the dollar, sending it to its lowest weekly close in almost 2.5 years.

However, Waller stated on Sunday that last week's inflation figure was "only one data point," and those additional readings showing a comparable slowdown in inflation were necessary.

However, Waller added that the Fed might consider slowing its rate hikes rate in the future.

According to Carol Kong, a currency analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (OTC: CMWAY), "the market got a little bit ahead of itself." The market may expect further reality checks from Fed officials, which will help the dollar regain more territory.

According to Kong, persistent U.S. inflation will force the Fed to continue its current course of monetary tightening.

After falling to a one-month low on Friday, the yield on U.S. 10-year bonds rose six basis points to 3.87% on Monday. In contrast, the yield on 2-year bonds, which reflects expectations for future rate moves, increased to 4.39%.

The dollar index, which measures the dollar's value about a basket of six other major currencies, including the yen, euro, and sterling, increased 0.1% to 106.85, moving away from a nearly three-month low of 106.27 reached on Friday.

The British pound plummeted before Thursday's Autumn Statement from the British Chancellor, in which tax increases and budget cuts are widely anticipated. Having gained 4% over the prior two sessions, the pound has dropped to $1.1787, a loss of 0.4%.

After the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, the market for cryptocurrencies remained volatile and under pressure. At its most recent price of $1.38, FTX's native token, FTT, had fallen by 2.4%, bringing its monthly loss to nearly 95%.

The price of bitcoin dropped by 0.5% to below $16,680.

11/11/2022

China decreased the period anyone entering the country must spend in quarantine, a critical calibration of the Covid Zero policy that has upended the world’s second-largest economy and left it increasingly isolated.

According to a statement released by the National Health Commission on Friday, foreign visitors visiting China would be compelled to undergo a seven-day quarantine period: five days in a hotel or government quarantine facility, followed by three days of strict home confinement. At present, a person must quarantine for 10 days, with the first week spent in a hotel and the final three days at home.

The statement also suggested that a system that fines airlines for bringing in virus cases would be eliminated, which might improve international travel.

The statement stated that in a move to decrease the number of people forced into obligatory quarantine while contact-tracing, close contacts of close contacts would no longer be detected.

Bloomberg News reported in October and November that officials were mulling these measures.

China’s Tolerance for Xi’s Unyielding Covid Fight Is Cracking

Hopes have been raised that China may abandon its harsh approach to Covid, which has exacted a mounting social and economic toll. The shift comes as top leadership in China issued directions for a more targeted, decisive action.
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07/11/2022

Morgan Stanley's top U.S. equity strategist and chief investment officer, Michael Wilson, is bullish on U.S. equities for the near term because the market has shown "resilience" despite a hawkish Federal Reserve and positive employment data.

In hindsight, Powell's hawkish press appearance last week hindered the bear market rally. This week, Wilson says, the rise will be put to the test once more by actual events like the Consumer Price Index report and the midterm elections.

Wilson, one of the Street's top bears in 2022, has just reversed course and advised clients to purchase U.S. equities to take advantage of the bear rally.

We need to see a decline in 10-year UST yields if our tactical rise in U.S. stocks is to sustain itself through the holidays. Wilson warned his investors in a note that until the discount rate went down, it would be difficult to envisage higher prices for the S&P 500.

The bear market rally will "remain quite boisterous in the immediate future," according to Morgan Stanley's chief investment officer, but he still expects it to continue. Wilson anticipates a rise in stock prices and a decrease in volatility once this issue has been resolved.

A further expansion in P/Es is possible "if rate volatility continues to reduce," the expert said.

Further, the expert expects midterm elections to play a more significant role in volatility. If the polls are accurate, this is expected to be a bullish catalyst for the stock market.

If polls and betting markets are correct, the midterm elections this week could trigger this direction by giving the Republican Party a clear majority in the House and Senate. Since this is only a trading strategy and does not coincide with our fundamental outlook, which is still gloomy, we will be cautious about how much leeway we allow it," Wilson said.

Wilson concludes that "if it can pass this week's test," a bear market rally will stick around "for longer than most predict."

03/11/2022

On Thursday, Moderna Inc lowered its 2017 sales projection for the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that short-term supply restrictions would delay certain deliveries next year. This caused the company's stock to drop by roughly 11% before the opening bell.

Due to setbacks at its contract manufacturing partner, the company has lowered its expectation for vaccine sales this year from $21 billion to $18 billion to $19 billion.

As countries finish primary immunization campaigns, there has been a drop in demand for the original coronavirus vaccine on global markets, and the release of the updated Omicron-tailored booster has been tardy in the United States and Europe.

As of September, certain pharmacies in the United States claimed that the government's supply of Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNArevised ) injections was still low, resulting in inconsistent medicine scheduling.

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE), Moderna's main competitor, reported on May 2 that sales of its COVID-19 vaccine for the quarter had been above market expectations, leading the company to enhance its full-year sales outlook for the doses.

Michael Yee, an analyst at Jefferies, deemed Moderna's prediction a "reach" and Wall Street's expectations for the shot unrealistic.

The company's third-quarter revenues of $3.36 billion were lower than the $3.53 billion predicted by Wall Street. The business blamed slower sales on the delay in getting bivalent booster shots approved for sale and the subsequent manufacturing ramp-up.

It also reported $209 million in costs for unused production capacity and $333 million in losses from new vaccines that had expired or were close to expiring.

By 2023, signed contracts for COVID-19 injections are expected to generate $4.5–5.5 billion in sales for Moderna.

The biotech stock was down today, trading at $131.83.

01/11/2022

As a lower U.S. currency outweighed China's COVID-19 limitations, oil prices increased more than 1% on Tuesday.
At 0718 GMT, Brent crude for January delivery increased $1.53, or 1.7%, to $94.34. The December contract expired Monday at $94.83 a barrel, down 1%.
U.S. WTI crude rose $1.38, or 1.6%, to $87.91 a barrel after losing 1.6% the day before.
After the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia, announced a two million-barrel-per-day output cut, Brent and WTI benchmarks rose for the first time since May. (BPD).
"Oil prices cut early losses as the U.S. dollar dropped, with the major global equity markets climbing in today's Asian session ahead of the Fed's rate decision later this week," CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said.
As traders anticipated a less aggressive Federal Reserve at Wednesday's monetary policy meeting, the dollar fell from a one-week high against a basket of major peers on Tuesday.
A weakening dollar makes oil cheaper for holders of foreign currencies and indicates investor risk appetite.
"OPEC+'s anticipated oil output reduction and the U.S.'s record oil export figures also support oil prices fundamentally," Teng said.
Despite the move to renewable energy, OPEC upped its medium- and long-term oil demand predictions on Monday, requiring $12.1 trillion in investment.
China's zero-COVID-19 policy caused Disney's Shanghai resort to close on Monday and raised concerns about decreasing gasoline demand in the world's biggest crude oil importer.
In October, pandemic restrictions reduced China's industry operations and imports from Japan and South Korea.
"The market has digested the last round of China lockdowns," said SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes.
Innes added, "The EU-Russian oil embargo will have a major influence on Russia's supply and, by extension, global supply as November progresses."
While shale companies claimed they do not expect production to increase, U.S. oil output rose to about 12 million BPD in August, the greatest since the COVID-19 epidemic.

31/10/2022

The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing a "source familiar with the situation," that Twitter, acquired by billionaire Elon Musk last week, wants to lay off 25 percent of its workers.

According to the source, Musk's longtime lawyer and celebrity attorney Alex Spiro spearheaded the discussions regarding the layoffs.

A regulatory report indicates that Twitter has over 7,000 employees as of the end of 2021, with a quarter of that number being close to 2,000 workers.

According to the New York Times, Musk dismissed rumors that Twitter might lay off employees on November 1 to avoid paying out stock grants.

An inquiry from Reuters seeking comment was met with silence from Twitter.

On Thursday, after a six-month, $44 billion takeover saga of the social media site, Musk reportedly fired Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and Legal Affairs and Policy Chief Vijaya Gadde.

28/10/2022

What's in it for you?
Basic Salary + Commissions (Uncapped earning potential)
In-House Training
Tele sales to Manager in 6 months depending on performance
We are looking for Candidates who can join Immediately
Outbound Tele sales experience is an advantage(any industry).
Are you looking for a company to grow with?
Basic salary plus commissions
Telemarketing Responsibilities:
Call prospective customers & cold-calling customers to introduce investing projects and offer to them
Influence customers to buy services and products by following a prepared sales talk to give service and product information and price quotations.
Calling active and budding clients to encourage the purchase of properties.
Addressing clients' uncertainties, and make suggestions.
Noting important details of each conversation.
Communicating verbal acceptances of offers to our Sales team for closing.
Updating the Calls sheet once the calls are done.
Recording all successful and unsuccessful attempts to close sales.
Attending regular team meetings to clarify progress and performance-related expectations.
Conducting each of your functions with the utmost respect, regardless of others' dispositions
Handle rejection