covid

July 27, 2020

STALLING ECONOMIC RECOVERY MAY SLOW STOCK MARKET RALLY

Jeffrey Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial

Stock market weakness late last week caused investors to ask whether the long-awaited market pullback may be at hand. This week, we review the drivers of the market’s impressive rally back to the break-even point for the year, share our thoughts on whether the gains are justified, and take a look at some timely data for clues on the state of the economic recovery.

UP AND DOWN WEEK

We have been expecting this rally to take a breather since COVID-19 cases began to accelerate in June and some reopening’s in Sunbelt and California hotspots were rolled back to combat the spread of the virus. The S&P 500 Index fell 1.2% on July 23 after solid gains the first part of that week, ending the week little changed.

Nonetheless, even as new daily infections remain near record highs and US-China tensions ratchet higher, S&P 500 stocks have been marginally higher year to date—and barely below their all-time highs. Market participants haven’t seemed too concerned about stock valuations, which are as high as they’ve been since the technology bubble. The S&P 500’s forward price-to-earnings ratio (PE) is over 20, even using consensus estimates for 2021 (source: Factsheet).

April 20 2020

Jeffrey Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial

Ryan Detrick, CMT, Senior Market Strategist, LPL Financial

This earnings season will be unlike any other, as travel restrictions and lockdowns related to COVID-19 have impacted results dramatically. The biggest economic hits came in mid-March, however, and won’t be fully captured in first quarter results. This makes company guidance particularly important as market participants look for clues into what earnings may look like for the rest of the year.

EARNINGS SEASON UNLIKE ANY OTHER

It goes without saying that this will be a reporting season unlike any other. For some companies less impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers may appear normal. For others, the focus will be on balance sheet strength and survival. The separation between winners and losers is widening in this environment.