Tuesday, April 7, 2026

The Morning Call---Iran---the aftermath

 

The Morning Call

 

4/7/26

 

The Market

         

    Technical

 

            Monday in the charts.

            https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/bitcoin-bid-most-markets-meander-ahead-trumps-iran-deadline

 

Summary:  With Europe still out for the loooong weekend, markets were less liquid, a little jittery, but the bottom line is that stocks, bonds, and oil ended very modestly better amid a literal avalanche of increasing and decreasing rhetoric (and actions) with traders anxious ahead of Trump's deadline tomorrow (and a stagflation-signaling Service sector survey - prices soaring, orders up, jobs falling). Gold and the dollar were flat while BTC stood out as the only asset with significant gains.

 

Note: the S&P pushed above that very short term downtrend marked by the succession of lower highs---although it was on very low volume. Nonetheless, if it closes above that trend today, the downtrend will be negated. On the other hand, the index remains below its 200 DMA---a stronger resistance level. What is needed now is follow through before getting too jiggy.

 

            Monday in the technical stats.

            https://www.barchart.com/stocks/momentum

            https://www.barchart.com/stocks/market-performance

            https://www.barchart.com/stocks/sectors/rankings

            https://www.barchart.com/stocks/signals/new-recommendations

 

            Buy or fade this rally?

            https://talkmarkets.com/article/the-stock-market-rally-buy-or-fade-it-1775470936

 

            Retail skipping the dips, selling the rallies.

            https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/skipping-dips-selling-rallies-retail-selling-stocks-alarming-pace

 

Summary: According to the latest JPMorgan retail radar note (available here), total purchases in March finished nearly 50% below the levels seen in the record January. Through last Tuesday, retail investors continued to post moderate inflows into ETFs while net selling single stocks, even as markets rebounded. On Wednesday, as market strength persisted, retail flows - while healthy (76.6%ile, driven by ETFs at 96.4%ile) - continued to signal caution: ETF inflows were strong, but in reality the incremental buying that took place skewed toward Fixed Income ETFs (98%ile, driven by SGOV, 5.5z), rather than “risk-on” exposures.

 

            The technical picture on gold.

            https://talkmarkets.com/article/gold-price-forecast-xauusd-around-4660-bears-sharpening-their-claws-1775498056

 

            France yanks the last of its US based gold reserves.

            https://www.zerohedge.com/precious-metals/france-yanks-last-us-based-gold-reserves-ubs-expects-demand-china-persist

 

Tuesday morning setup: US futures reversed earlier gains and oil advanced following reports that Iran's Kharg island was targeted earlier on Tuesday, while the market was largely paralyzed ahead of Trump’s 8pm ET deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire or face escalation. As of 8:00am ET, S&P futures are down 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures slide 0.6%. In premarket trading, all Mag7 names are lower even as AVGO (+3% pre-mkt) is bid after a TPU supply pact with GOOGL (+55bps) while ASML (-80bps) is weaker following a proposed US law that would further curb semiconductor exports to China (targeting ASML’s deep ultraviolet lithography machine). Managed care is well bid after the final Medicare Advantage rate of +2.48% (vs ~1% bogey) was released last night (HUM +9%, CVS +7%, UNH +6%, ALHC +11%). Bond yields rise 1bp, 10Y TSY yield at 4.34%, the USD is also higher while commodities are mixed with oil reversing earlier losses and rising over 2%. Today’s macro data focus is weekly ADP, Durable / Cap Goods, and NY Fed 1-year Inflation Expectations. Ultimately, expect weaker volumes today with some market swings on unconfirmed ceasefire / deal chatter.

 

 

    Fundamental

 

       Headlines

 

              The Economy

 

                        US

                         

  February durable goods orders fell 1.4% versus projections of down 0.5%; ex transportation, they were up 0.8% versus +0.5%.

 

                          The March ISM services index came in at 54.0 versus consensus of 55.0.

                          https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2026/04/06/ism-services-pmi-march-2026

 

                        International

 

February Japanese household spending rose 1.5% versus expectations of up 2.5%; the February leading economic indicators were reported at 112.4 versus 112.3.

 

The March German services PMI was 50.9 versus estimates of 51.2; the composite PMI was 51.9, in line; the March EU services PMI was 50.2 versus 50.1; the composite PMI was 50.7 versus 50.5; the March UK services PMI was 50.5 versus 51.2; the composite PMI was 50.3 versus 51.0.

 

                        Other

 

                          The only economy is the world economy.

                          https://www.forbes.com/sites/johntamny/2026/04/05/the-strait-of-hormuz-couldnt-care-less-about-the-federal-reserve/

 

            Overnight News

 

Negotiators are pessimistic Iran will bend to meet President Trump’s demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before his Tuesday-night deadline, paving the way for the U.S. to target Iranian bridges and power plants in a fresh escalation of the war. Twice in his second term, Trump set a deadline for a deal with Iran, said he would bomb the country if its leaders didn’t comply, then followed through with military operations.

 

Airstrikes pounded Tehran on Tuesday, and Iranian officials urged young people to form human chains to protect power plants, hours before the expiration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest deadline for the Islamic Republic to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face punishing strikes on its infrastructure.

 

 

            Iran---the aftermath

 

               More pessimism on how the war ends.

              https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-strategic-defeat-of-the-united

 

              A perfect storm for the petrodollar.

              https://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/IE-PROD/PDFVIEWER.calias?pdfViewerPdfUrl=PROD0000000000622186

 

              Shattered assumptions and the energy quandary.

             https://research.gavekal.com/documents/12764/Shattered_Assumptions_And_The_Energy_Quandary.pdf

 

              Oil shocks and recessionary outcomes.

              https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2026/04/06/oil-shocks-recessionary

 

              Running on empty.

              https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2026/04/06/its_a_jackson_browne_economy_running_on_empty_11fis74844.html

 

              Prolonged stress lurks.

              https://www.capitalspectator.com/prolonged-stress-test-lurks-for-global-markets-as-war-continues/

           

              The cascading effect,

              https://theomission26.substack.com/p/assessment-011-the-cascade

 

            Fiscal Policy

 

              The debt spiral ends in dollar destruction.

              https://www.zerohedge.com/political/debt-spiral-ends-dollar-destruction-6-hard-truths-america-can-no-longer-ignore

 

Inflation

 

              Five year inflation expectations.

              https://econbrowser.com/archives/2026/04/daily-data-on-5-year-inflation-expectations

 

              The ‘real’ wage adjusted price of gasoline hasn’t hit deprivation yet.

              https://bonddad.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-real-wage-adjusted-price-of-gas.html

 

            The Financial System

 

              Another private credit firm caps redemptions.

              Another Day, Another Private Credit Fund Takes A Shit

 

Summary: Asset manager Barings capped redemptions at one of its private credit funds at 5% of shares after investors sought to withdraw 11.3% in the first quarter, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.

 

Jamie Dimon says that private credit losses will be even greater than many feared.

https://www.ft.com/content/58df968f-de4d-4a00-87b6-0b790057f9d3?syn-25a6b1a6=1

 

                          US Treasury calls in insurance regulators over private credit concerns.

              https://www.ft.com/content/09f4fa70-d3e6-4abc-bc95-234afe7111f4?syn-25a6b1a6=1

 

            Tariffs

 

              Trump’s other tariff.

  https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/capitolism/trump-visa-fee-tariff-skilled-labor/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=capitolism&utm_content=114244

 

 

     Investing

 

            Misreading the tea leaves.

            https://www.carlyle.com/carlyle-compass/misreading-the-tea-leaves

 

            What inflation does to stock market performance.

             https://traderfeed.blogspot.com/2026/04/what-inflation-does-to-stock-market.html

           

            Bond market gets nervous about rising inflation.

                        https://wolfstreet.com/2026/04/04/bond-market-gets-nervous-about-rising-inflation-ballooning-debt-sees-rate-hike-mortgage-rates-jump-to-6-46/

 

            The dollar is losing its grip.

            https://talkmarkets.com/article/the-dollars-grip-is-loosening-what-comes-next-1775214726

 

    News on Stocks in Our Portfolios

 

 

 

What I am reading today

 

           

 

 

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