📰 Chump Profit Afternoon Brief: Stocks Wobble After Rally as Traders Weigh Powell 📉📈

In today's market wrap, the stock market experienced some volatility following Jerome Powell's remarks regarding the possibility of a recession and the Federal Reserve's stance on interest rate hikes. Here are the key highlights:

1️⃣ Powell's Stance: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell downplayed the likelihood of a recession and indicated that the Fed remains open to consecutive interest rate hikes in the upcoming meetings if necessary.

2️⃣ Mixed Performance: The S&P 500 saw mixed performance, driven by influential companies. Chipmaker Nvidia Corp. faced losses due to reports suggesting potential curbs on the exports of AI chips to China. On the other hand, tech giants like Tesla Inc. and Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, recorded gains.

3️⃣ Fed Stress Test: Traders remained cautious ahead of the results of the Fed's stress test, which were due later in the day. Although analysts did not anticipate significant negative surprises, bank stocks experienced a decline following a two-day rally. Executives have been managing shareholder expectations regarding dividend increases and stock buybacks, which had been key investor focuses in previous years.

4️⃣ Mutual Funds and Safe Assets: Barclays Plc strategists noted that mutual funds bought stocks for the first time since February, driven by the fear of missing out rather than economic concerns. However, investors have primarily favoured safe assets throughout the year.

5️⃣ BlackRock's Bullish Call: BlackRock Inc. recently issued a bullish call on artificial intelligence (AI) after the Nasdaq 100's impressive performance in the first half of the year. The firm expects a mild recession and a short-term downturn in developed-nation equities. BlackRock is selectively investing in the tech sector but believes stock prices do not adequately reflect the associated risks.

6️⃣ Corporate News: General Mills Inc. experienced a decline after providing annual guidance that suggests slowing sales and diminishing effectiveness of price hikes. Conversely, Netflix Inc. saw gains as Oppenheimer raised its price target.

7️⃣ Central Bank Leaders' Views: Central bank leaders, including Powell, Lagarde, and Bailey, reaffirmed the need for further policy tightening to combat persistently high inflation without triggering recessions. Powell did not rule out consecutive rate hikes at upcoming Fed meetings, Lagarde confirmed rate increases by the European Central Bank in July, and Bailey expressed the Bank of England's readiness to take necessary action.

8️⃣ Bank of Japan's Stance: Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda diverged from others on the panel, suggesting a shift from the bank's looser monetary policy if inflation were to accelerate into 2024 after a period of moderation.

That's all for today's Chump Profit Afternoon Brief. Stay tuned for more market updates and analysis. 📊🌐