Central banks may have made bond markets wobble, but stocks are still going from strength to strength, says Nicholas Megaw in the Financial Times. Strong US third-quarter earnings have put worries about inflation on the back burner. Profits at S&P 500 firms rose by about 40% year-on-year between July and September. Sales increased by roughly a fifth.
“Large US companies are broadly managing to weather the surge in the prices of raw materials, supply chain bottlenecks and shortages in the labour market,” say Joe Rennison and Colby Smith in the same paper. Corporate profit margins have fallen back slightly, but by much less than analysts had been expecting.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
“It doesn’t get any better than this for the stockmarket,” says Ben Levisohn in Barron’s. A “stellar” jobs report – the US economy added 531,000 jobs last month – only adds to a picture of an American economy regaining its vigour after a sluggish summer. There is growing hope that new antiviral treatments from Merck and Pfizer will soon draw a line under the pandemic era.
To top it all, Congress has finally approved a $1.2trn infrastructure bill after months of wrangling. Equities fell by 5% in September, sparking talk of a correction (defined as a stockmarket decline of 10%). Instead, equities have since rallied by 7%. Is that a reason to sell? With the bulls out in force, probably not. “Bet on a rip-roaring rally into the end of the year.”
-
Coreweave is on borrowed timeAI infrastructure firm Coreweave is heading for trouble and is absurdly pricey, says Matthew Partridge
-
Renewable energy funds are stuck between a ROC and a hard placeRenewable energy funds were hit hard by the government’s subsidy changes, but they have only themselves to blame for their failure to build trust with investors
-
Profit from document shredding with RestoreRestore operates in a niche, but essential market. The business has exciting potential over the coming years, says Rupert Hargreaves
-
The war dividend – how to invest in defence stocks as the world arms upWestern governments are back on a war footing. Investors should be prepared, too, says Jamie Ward
-
Literacy Capital: A trust where great returns fund a good causeThere’s plenty to like about specialist private-equity trust Literacy Capital, says Max King
-
An AI bust could hit private credit – could it cause a financial crisis?Opinion Private credit is playing a key role in funding data centres. It may be the first to take the hit if the AI boom ends, says Cris Sholto Heaton
-
8 of the best ski chalets for sale nowThe best ski chalets on the market – from a traditional Alpine-style chalet in Switzerland to an award-winning Modernist building in Japan’s exclusive ski areas
-
Did COP30 achieve anything to tackle climate change?The COP30 summit was a failure. But the world is going green regardless, says Simon Wilson
