Why Retreating Yields Don‘t Lift All Boats

Stocks declined but won‘t they run higher next? Tuesday‘s downswing changed precious little, and the Congressional testimony was a non-event. The key happening was in long-dated Treasuries, which rose yet again – the much awaited rebound is here and brings consequences to quite a few S&P 500 sectors.

The index is likely to advance, but the engine will be tech this time – not value stocks. I view this as a deceptive, fake strength in the bull market leadership, passing over to value inevitably next. That‘s why I expect the S&P 500 advance to unfold still, a bit rockier than it could have been otherwise. This will hold true for as long as TLT is at least somewhat rising:

(…) technology would recover some of the lost ground on rates stabilization. …the $UST10Y move has been a very sharp one, more than tripling from the Aug 2020 lows.

Technology, though, declined yesterday, and so did value stocks. Many markets went through selloffs yesterday, among commodities, most notably oil. While nothing has substantially changed, we got a serious whiff of a risk-off environment pertaining to precious metals too.

The miners’ underperformance enacted serious concern given that none of the moves indicated accumulation within the sector. Reason number two to expect PMs short-term vulnerability was ignorance of retreating yields that stretch a bit further below what can be viewed as a run of the mill PMs upswing correction. A short-term crack in the TLT decoupling dam can still experience reversal even though it doesn‘t look likely at the moment – better not to wave it off it, though.

Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).

S&P 500 Outlook

Regardless of yesterday‘s setback, the outlook in stocks hasn‘t changed. Once the current corrective move is over and value reassumes leadership, expect the gains to be more pronounced than what we would experience rather shortly.

Credit Markets

Both high yield corporate bonds (HYG ETF) and investment grade corporate bonds (LQD ETF) moved higher, and in the latter, the upswing had backing by a rising volume. The bond markets are coming back into favor, taking a little luster off the stock market appeal on a daily basis.

Nowhere is yield influence better seen than in financials (XLF ETF), which give the impression of expecting further retreat in yields, and haven‘t thus far reached any meaningful support. That would provide headwinds to the S&P 500 advance, especially as it translates into other cyclical.

Gold and Silver

Given the above chart, my yesterday‘s words ring even truer seeing Tuesday‘s closing prices:

(…) Like Mar 12, the precious metals upswing became challenged – miners (GDX ETF) are underperforming. Today‘s session will tell whether we‘re witnessing consolidation or a renewed rollover to the downside, the chances of which have risen yesterday.

The bearish turn is just as visible in silver and silver miners, and it would be premature to declare it a bullish divergence. Given that silver bulls didn‘t attempt a rebound and volume isn‘t consistent with capitulation, the downside risks materially increased.

Precious Metals and Copper

The full precious metals sector got under serious pressure yesterday, and so did copper. Given the upswing having rolled over to the downside yesterday (especially when viewed through $HUI:$GOLD metrics), the bulls have to prove themselves through a stronger action than a dead cat bounce.

Summary

S&P 500 upswing has better prospects of continuing than not, and the volatility and put/call ratio readings confirm we aren‘t in for a true setback, really. The stock bull market is far from having made a top and will continue grinding higher.

Gold and silver decline going hand in hand with even weaker miners means that the upswing was effectively ended – the only thing that can bring it back is renewed miners outperformance and expected alignment of the yellow metal to Treasury yield moves, which is absent at the moment.

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Thank you,

Monica Kingsley
Stock Trading Signals
Gold Trading Signals
www.monicakingsley.co
[email protected]

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All essays, research, and information represent analyses and opinions of Monica Kingsley that are based on availability and latest data. Despite careful research and best efforts, it may prove wrong and be subject to change with or without notice. Monica Kingsley does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. Her content serves educational purposes. It should not be relied upon as advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, and options are financial instruments not suitable for every investor.

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