Earnings, inflation in focus this week

The Daily Breakdown looks at the week ahead, including earnings from Micron, Carnival, and Nike. There’s also a big inflation report due up.

Monday’s TLDR

  • Bonds are breaking out. Could it be a second-half story? 
  • Earnings from Nike and Carnival are in focus this week. 
  • Apple and Meta are reportedly in talks about an AI partnership.

What’s happening?

How is it already the last week of June — and thus, the last week of the second quarter? 

Despite the low volumes, it shouldn’t be a boring one. That’s as we have at least five Fed speakers on deck, some key economic reports, and even a few notable earnings reports. 

Monday is pretty tame, but on Tuesday we’ll get a consumer confidence number before the open, along with earnings from Carnival. After the close, FedEx will report. 

On Wednesday, General Mills, Micron, BlackBerry, and Levi’s will report earnings, among others. 

Thursday morning will bring the third and final revision to the Q1 GDP report. We’ll also get earnings from Wagreens, McCormick, and Nike

Finally on Friday, we’ll get the PCE report, which is the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. This report will surely have an impact on the S&P 500, Bitcoin and other assets that have proved sensitive to rate-cut expectations. 

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The setup — TLT

We have spent a lot of time this year talking about interest rates and the expectation for lower rates over the next six to 12 months. When the Fed lowers rates, it brings yields down. 

Bond prices and yields have an inverse correlation, meaning yields go down as bond prices go up and vice versa. 

While not all parts of the yield curve will move in identical fashion, the general idea is that bonds could have some upside from here if rates really do start to move lower in the second half of 2024. 

Daily chart of TLT, for The Daily Breakdown
Chart as of the close on June 21, 2024. Source: eToro ProCharts, courtesy of TradingView.

We’re looking at the TLT, the most traded long-term government bond ETF. It surged into year-end, but then topped out and made a series of lower highs, as downtrend resistance continued to push it lower. 

Now though, the TLT has broken out over downtrend resistance and is back above all of its daily moving averages. As long as TLT stays above the $88 to $90 area, bulls can maintain momentum. 

However, a break below $88 would be bad price action, potentially shifting momentum into the bears’ favor. 

Options

Bulls can utilize calls or call spreads to speculate on further upside, while bears can use puts or put spreads to speculate on the gains fizzling out and TLT rolling over. 

Remember, the risk for options buyers is tied to the premium paid for the option — and losing the premium is the full risk. 

For those looking to learn more about options, consider visiting the eToro Academy.

What Wall Street is watching

AAPL — Apple and Meta are reportedly in talks to integrate Meta’s AI technology into Apple’s ecosystem, potentially rivaling Microsoft’s advancements in AI. This partnership could significantly enhance Apple’s AI capabilities across its devices.

SRPT — Shares surged 30% after the FDA approved expanded use of its gene therapy, Elevidys, for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. While the stock was only up slightly over the past three months, Serapta shares were up about 28% in 2024 before Friday’s rally. 

TGT — Target and Shopify shares are inching higher in Monday’s pre-market trading session. Target will use Shopify to offer products on its Target Plus platform, which is an online marketplace that allows third-party retailers to sell on Target’s online platforms. 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Please note that due to market volatility, some of the prices may have already been reached and scenarios played out.