Thursday, June 11, 2026

The Morning Call--AI price wars begin

 

The Morning Call

 

6/11/26

 

The Market

         

    Technical

 

            Wednesday in the charts.

            https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/soft-cpi-soaring-soxs-cease-ceasefire-trigger-more-market-turmoil-gold-dumped

 

Summary:  A somewhat cooler than expected Core CPI supported a rebound in stocks as they shrugged off rising oil prices (amid increased rhetorical and kinetic action in Iran) but just like yesterday we saw SOXS surge around 1030ET and down went stocks. Bitcoin managed some gains today but gold was clubbed like a baby seal (liquidity needs?) even as the dollar and bonds went nowhere. 1430ET - Margin call time... saw bitcoin, bonds, and bullion sold (liquidity) and stocks leg lower...

 

            Note: the S&P is nearing its 50 DMA. Its first visible support level (~7218).

 

            Wednesday 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

 

Thursday morning setup: US equity futures are higher led by tech and small caps, with traders buying the dip in stocks as a swift conclusion to the latest round of US strikes against Iran raised expectations that talks over a peace deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will get back on track. As of 8:00am ET, S&P futures rise 0.7% to recover from a five-week low after Trump forewarned Iran would be hit “very hard,” followed by swift and superficial strikes; Nasdaq 100 contracts rise 1.1% with all Mag 7 stocks higher led by TSLA (+1.5%) and NVDA (+1.2%); ORCL is down 7% although that’s a better showing than in the postmarket after the company reported quarterly capital expenses that were higher than estimates. Bond yields are 1-3bp lower. Overall, we have seen an escalation in the US/Iran since Tuesday but the escalation is relatively limited given that the US Central Command have declared the operation complete. War jitters promptly faded after US Central Command called an end to “additional self-defense” strikes about four hours after launching attacks on multiple targets in Iran, with Brent reversing gains to trade 1% lower below $92 a barrel. Commodities are mixed: WTI crude fell $1.15 to $88.87; base metals are mostly lower, while previous metals are higher.

 

    Fundamental

 

       Headlines

 

              The Economy

 

                        US

 

                          Weekly jobless claims totaled 229,000 versus estimates of 219,000.

 

May PPI came in at +1.1% versus predictions of +0.7%; ex food and energy, it was up +0.8% versus +0.3%----and I don’t know what to make of this one---core PPI was up 0.4% versus +0.5%.                        

                          https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/core-producer-prices-cooler-expected-april-headline-highest-2022

 

                        International

 

                        Other

           

                          Yesterday’s CPI number was ‘less bad’ but not good.

                          https://bonddad.blogspot.com/2026/06/may-cpi-is-less-bad-but-bad-enough-to.html

 

                          Update on Q2 GDP nowcast.

                          https://www.capitalspectator.com/nowcast-data-suggest-us-growth-is-accelerating-in-q2/

 

            Iran

 

Oil is starting to get through the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, some sources say that it is not due to US escorts but because the shippers are paying a toll to Iran.

  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-10/iraq-boosts-oil-exports-as-more-tankers-transit-strait-of-hormuz?srnd=homepage-americas&sref=loFkkPMQ

 

 Summary: Iraq is accelerating oil loadings at its main port and boosting shipments out of the Persian Gulf. Observed shipments of Iraqi oil exiting Hormuz or loading at the country's southern port of Basrah total about 7 million barrels so far this month. Iraq and other Gulf producers are offering crude for sale both from ports inside the Gulf, as well as via ship-to-ship transfer around Oman's Sohar or the UAE's eastern ports.

 

              On the other hand---

              https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-attack-renders-ceasefire-meaningless-iran-says-us-forces-disable-yet-another-tanker

 

            Monetary Policy

 

              The Fed might again take the punch bowl away.

              https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/71741341-eb42-485e-aa77-24685e1b0300

 

              ECB hikes rates, cuts growth and raises inflation forecasts.

              https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ecb-hikes-rates-expected-cuts-growth-hikes-inflation-outlook

 

            AI

 

              AI price wars begin.

              https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ai-price-wars-begin-openai-considers-drastic-price-cuts-pursuit-anthropic-customers

 

     Investing

 

            What if the dollar strengthens?

                https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2026/06/10/stronger-dollar-trade-most-unexpected-macro

 

            Is bad news already priced into the bond market?

            https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2026/06/10/bad-news-priced-bond-market

 

            Or will continued government issuance continue to hold prices down?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-10/governments-are-selling-bonds-at-record-pace-as-spending-soars?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4MTExNTU2OSwiZXhwIjoxNzgxNzIwMzY5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJURzAzR09LSkg2VjYwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMzFCNTRDQTI3MTE0NjAxOUQxMURCN0IxRUM4NTE2MyJ9.JDK_lIqpZy3TNi1ssxaxSwYu_QKq125sMzdZv2gKOZM

 

 

            The IPO boom---where will the money come from?

            https://talkmarkets.com/article/the-ipo-boom-where-will-the-money-come-from-1781091339

 

            The risk appetite shrinks as rates and oil prices remain volatile.

            https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/risk-appetite-must-shrink-rates-and-oil-remain-volatile

 

Summary: Risk appetite is adjusting lower as traders take profit and rotate defensively in a market where the Fed policy path is changing quickly and Middle East progress keeps arriving two steps forward, one step back.The market has moved from asking when the Fed will cut to whether the next move is higher.

 

    News on Stocks in Our Portfolios

 

 

What I am reading today

 

            El Nino has begun---what to expect.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-10/will-we-get-a-super-el-nino-this-year-how-does-it-affect-global-weather?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4MTExNjI0OSwiZXhwIjoxNzgxNzIxMDQ5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUR0VHVUVLSzNOWUowMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMzFCNTRDQTI3MTE0NjAxOUQxMURCN0IxRUM4NTE2MyJ9.xQKigN4gqzoaoiiX5R2-008_J3p15N2HNrYsnGeIo4I

 

                        12 things orthopedic surgeons do to maintain strength, balance and longevity.

            https://time.com/article/2026/05/15/orthopedic-surgeons-healthy-aging-habits/

 

 

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