June 5th, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
June 5, 1967: Six-Day War begins between Israel and the neighbouring Arab states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
On June 5, 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded just after claiming victory in California’s Democratic presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was immediately arrested.  Go to article >>

Adam Smith, economist, b.1723.
1981: AIDS first noted.

“Don’t let it end like this.  Tell them I said something.” –Pancho Villa, revolutionary, b.  June 5, 1878.

The brain can store nearly 10 times more data than previously thought, study confirms
Scientists harnessed a new method to precisely measure the amount of information the brain can store, and it could help advance our understanding of learning. Read More.

Viking sword with ‘very rare’ inscription discovered on family farm in Norway
The ancient weapon seems to be a rare type of iron sword made in the Frankish Empire. Read More.

Stunning ‘parade of planets’ image shows 6 worlds aligned over Earth
A stunning photo of the recent “parade of planets” shows Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in alignment over Earth. It was captured from the U.K. on June 1. Read More.

A ‘new star’ could appear in the sky any night now. Here’s how to see the Blaze Star ignite.
The “Blaze Star” T Coronae Borealis will erupt with a magnificent explosion sometime between now and September, becoming visible to the naked eye. Here’s how to find it when it does. Read More.

Kids discover extremely rare teen T. rex fossils sticking out of the ground during North Dakota Badlands hike
“Teen Rex” is about to go on display for the first time and appear in a new T. rex documentary, thanks to a discovery made by three young boys. Read More.

Future of food: vertical strawberries?
Watch this video to see how farmers — and robots — are working together to grow high-tech strawberries in vertical structures.

Lionel Messi creates new sports drink
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi will release his new energy drink next week. Despite his global fandom, industry experts say the beverage will still face a challenging market with longstanding competitors.

San Diego Padres player Tucupita Marcano banned for life by MLB
The 24-year-old Padres infielder has been banned for life by Major League Baseball for gambling on baseball games.

King Charles III bank notes are in circulation.

Eleven Madison Park is opening a cocktail bar.

The deep sea is home to some crazy-looking animals.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Camp Hill, US
Pennsylvania’s wildlife agency, firefighters and police use a large blue tarpaulin to catch a wayward black bear as it falls from a tree
Photograph: Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News/AP

Dartmoor, UK
‘We were driving home from a wonderful walk and the light became really interesting, so we stopped and watched the sunset. The tree is one I have photographed in all seasons. It’s incredibly tough and rugged, and it’s really special to me.’
Photograph: Lucia Grun

Launceston, Tasmania
‘Aurora australis at nightfall in Hillwood.’
Photograph: Imogen Hewitt
Market Closes for June 5th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38807.33 +96.04
+0.25%
S&P 500 5354.03 +62.69
+1.18%
NASDAQ  17187.91 +330.86
+1.96%
TSX 22145.02 +166.84
+0.76%

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38490.17 -347.29
-0.89%
HANG
SENG
18424.96 -19.15
-0.10%
SENSEX 74382.24 +2303.19
+3.20%
FTSE 100* 8246.95 +14.91
+0.18%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.384 3.448
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.292 3.324
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.2755 4.3259
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.4297 4.4735

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7304 0.7311
US
$
1.3691 1.3677

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4887 0.6717
US
$
1.0873 0.9197

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
230.05 2326.00
Oil
WTI Crude Future  73.25 73.25

Market Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1883, John Maynard Keynes was born in Cambridge, England. He became one of the most influential economists of all time, devising theories in the first half of the  20th century that led to massive government intervention across the Europe and the U.S.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.8% at 22,145.02 in Toronto.

The move follows the previous session’s decrease of 0.6%.
Today, materials stocks led the market higher, as all sectors gained; 179 of 222 shares rose, while 39 fell.
TC Energy Corp. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 3.2%.

Celestica Inc. had the largest increase, rising 7.1%.
Insights
* This quarter, the index was little changed
* The index advanced 11% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 24% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1.8% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 18.5% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is up 1.1% in the past 5 days and rose 0.9% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.9 on a trailing basis and 15.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.1% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.49t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 10.75% compared with 10.70% in the previous session and the average of 9.59% over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Materials | 38.4512| 1.5| 44/5
Industrials | 33.3058| 1.1| 24/2
Energy | 27.9045| 0.7| 28/10
Information Technology | 23.7167| 1.4| 9/1
Financials | 15.0922| 0.2| 17/10
Utilities | 8.2222| 1.0| 12/3
Consumer Discretionary | 8.1648| 1.0| 11/2
Real Estate | 6.9883| 1.6| 19/1
Consumer Staples | 3.3250| 0.4| 8/3
Communication Services | 0.9557| 0.1| 3/2
Health Care | 0.7308| 1.2| 4/0
================================================================
| | |Volume VS |
| Index | | 20D AVG |YTD Change
Top Contributors |Points Move| % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
TC Energy | 12.4300| 3.2| 67.7| 5.3
Brookfield Corp | 7.7140| 1.3| -44.8| 11.1
Shopify | 7.3610| 1.1| -21.8| -18.7
Great-West Lifeco | -2.6520| -3.4| -29.3| -8.4
Bank of Montreal | -4.6240| -0.8| -23.7| -9.4
Nutrien | -6.6860| -2.5| 18.4| 2.2

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — The world’s largest technology companies drove stocks to all-time highs, while bond yields fell with traders almost fully pricing in two Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2024.
The S&P 500 hit its 25th record this year, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 climbed 2%.

Nvidia Corp. — the poster child of artificial-intelligence frenzy — led a rally in the “Magnificent Seven” mega-caps to hit $3 trillion in value.
Apple Inc. rose for an eighth straight day — the longest winning run since March 2022.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. soared on strong AI server sales.
“The AI revolution is set to drive further growth,” said Solita Marcelli at UBS Global Wealth Management.

“US stocks are likely to remain supported. In addition to a strategic allocation to the tech sector, we see a particular opportunity in small-cap stocks supported by the beginning of the Fed’s easing cycle.”
Just 48 hours ahead of the US jobs report, a private payrolls reading showed hiring at companies grew at the slowest pace since the start of the year.

Meantime, the services sector expanded by the most in nine months, powered by the largest monthly gain in a measure of business activity since 2021.
The S&P 500 rose 1.2% to close above 5,350.

Treasury 10-year yields dropped five basis points to 4.28%.
Swap contracts continued to show bets on a first Fed cut in November, and possibly another in December.
The loonie edged lower after the Bank of Canada became the first Group of Seven central bank to kick off an easing cycle.
The euro was little changed, with the European Central Bank expected on Thursday to start a rate cutting cycle before the Fed for the first time ever.

The Japanese yen dropped almost 1%.
Bitcoin topped $71,000.
A “wall of money” from passive equity allocations will pour into the stock market in early July, setting up a continuing rally through the early summer, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Scott Rubner.
Since 1928, the first 15 days of July have been the best two-week trading period of the year for equities, and they tend to fade after July 17, according to Rubner.

The S&P 500 has been positive for nine straight Julys, posting an average return of 3.7%.
The Nasdaq 100 has an even better record, posting gains in 16 straight Julys, with an average return of 4.6%, he noted.
“The slow and steady march higher for equity markets continues to confound the bears,” said Mark Hackett at Nationwide.

“The latest stretch is being attributed to shifting views of Fed policy, though the more accurate reason is that buying pressure from retail and institutional investors, share buybacks, and growing M&A activity provides a healthy backdrop.”
Investors are refocusing on mega-caps, and for good reason, according to Ed Clissold at Ned Davis Research.

After a strong May, the top 10 stocks account for 35.7% of the S&P 500 Index’s market cap — a record since at least 1972, he noted.
“US mega-caps have become investor favorites due to their ability to generate enough cash flow to both reinvest it into their businesses, with AI being the recent favorite, and return it to shareholders via dividends and buybacks,” Clissold said.
With earnings season basically over, the focus now turns back to the macro data — and that may impact stocks near-term, according to Gillian Wolff at Bloomberg Intelligence
The Bloomberg Intelligence Market Pulse Index, a sentiment gauge that acts as a contrarian signal, advanced within striking distance of “manic” territory last month.

It’s a rare sign that has typically tempered US stock returns in the short-run.
In the three months following a manic reading, the Russell 3000 Index has gained an average 1.7%, compared with 9.1% after panic.
With the Fed widely expected to stay on hold next week, the focus of the meeting will be the new Summary of Economic Projections.

Back in March, Fed officials maintained their outlook for three rate cuts in 2024.
“The ‘dots’ are likely to cluster around one or two interest rate cuts this year,” said Stephen Brown at Capital Economics.

“Nevertheless, as inflation falls a bit faster than officials expect and GDP growth disappoints, our base case remains that the Fed will cut in September.”

Corporate Highlights:
* CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. delivered first-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations, despite a pullback in spending that has challenged its cybersecurity rivals.
* Boeing Co. finally launched its space taxi into orbit with NASA astronauts on board, and is on target to dock with the International Space Station on Thursday.
* Alphabet Inc. named Eli Lilly & Co. executive Anat Ashkenazi as its new chief financial officer, replacing Ruth Porat who announced last year she planned to step down.
* Discount retailer Dollar Tree Inc. is reviewing options for its troubled Family Dollar business, including a potential sale or spinoff.
* A top Senate Republican is asking a government watchdog to investigate nearly $1.7 billion in financing offered last month to hydrogen company Plug Power Inc., alleging potential conflicts of interest and risks to US taxpayers.
* ASML Holding NV became Europe’s second-biggest listed company, overtaking LVMH by market value for the first time ever.

Key events this week:
* Eurozone retail sales, ECB rate decision, Thursday
* US initial jobless claims, trade, Thursday
* China trade, forex reserves, Friday
* Eurozone GDP, Friday
* US unemployment rate, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The S&P 500 Index surged 1.2% to 5,354.01 as of 4 p.m. New York time.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2% to 38,807.45.
The Nasdaq Composite Index surged 2% to 17,187.91.
The MSCI All-Country World Index jumped 0.9% to 794.79.

Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed at 1,251.86.
The euro was little changed at $1.0874.
The British pound climbed 0.2% to $1.2792.
The Japanese yen weakened 0.8% to 156.09 per dollar.
Bitcoin jumped 1.3% to $71,347.

Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries decreased five basis points to 4.28%.
Germany’s 10-year yield fell two basis points to 2.51%.
Britain’s 10-year yield gained one basis point to 4.184%.

Commodities
The Bloomberg Commodity Index advanced 0.6% to 101.87.
West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 1.2% to $74.15 a barrel.
Gold strengthened 1.2% to $2,354.14 an ounce.

–With assistance from Chiranjivi Chakraborty, Julien Ponthus, Cecile Gutscher, Sujata Rao, Jessica Menton, Natalia Kniazhevich and Ye Xie.
Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann
Diligence is the mother of good luck. –Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

June 4, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
June 4, 1783: The Montgolfièr brothers demonstrate the first hot air balloon.  The flight of the Montgolfière lasted about 10 minutes.
June 4, 1940: The Allies completed the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, France. Go to article >>

June 4, 1942: Battle of Midway.
June 4,1989: Tiananmen Square Massacre, China.

Socrates, philosopher, b. 470 BC.
Angelina Jolie, b. 1975.

Don’t drink before your nap on the plane, health experts say
Trying to get through your long-haul flight with a glass of wine and a nap? Research shows that tactic can hurt your health — and your sleep.

Skull of an extinct, massive ‘thunder bird’ discovered in Australia
A rare fossil discovery has given scientists their first face-to-face encounter with the extinct “thunder bird.”

Kylian Mbappé joins Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid announced the signing of French superstar Kylian Mbappé on Monday, ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas in soccer.

2,000-year-old rock art, including nearly 140-foot-long snake, may mark ancient territories in Colombia, Venezuela
Archaeologists used cameras and drones to fully map 14 massive rock art sites scattered across Venezuela and Colombia. Read More.

China lands Chang’e 6 sample-return probe on far side of the moon
China’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft successfully touched down on the far side of the moon on Sunday (June 2). China has now landed two missions on the moon’s mysterious far side. Read More.

‘Fossil viruses’ embedded in the human genome linked to psychiatric disorders
Certain stretches of ancient viral DNA in the human genome may increase the chances of developing three neuropsychiatric disorders. Read More.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY

You Are On Bondi Bidjigal Land!
Photograph: Anne Zahalka

Stars and Stripes – Bird behaviour finalist
Two crimson rosellas face off
Photograph: Jason Moore

​​​​​​​Castleton, England
The garland king is paraded through the town on Garland Day
Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters
Market Closes for June 4th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38711.29 +140.26
+0.36%
S&P 500 5291.34 +7.94
+0.15%
NASDAQ  16857.05 +28.38
+0.17%
TSX 21978.18 -138.51
-0.63 %

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38837.46 -85.57
-0.22%
HANG
SENG
18444.11 +41.07
+0.22%
SENSEX 72079.05 -4389.73
-5.74%
FTSE 100* 8232.04 -30.71
-0.37%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.448 3.503
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.324 3.356
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.3259 4.3884
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.4735 4.5376

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7311 0.7340
US
$
1.3677 1.3625

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4882 0.6719
US
$
1.0881 0.9190

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2326.00 2337.70
Oil
WTI Crude Future  73.25 76.99

Market Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1968: The S&P 500 closed above 100 for the first time. It had taken the index almost 10 years to double, and would take another 17 years for it to double again.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell for the second day, dropping 0.6%, or 138.51 to 21,978.18 in Toronto.
Today, materials stocks led the market lower, as 4 of 11 sectors lost; 137 of 222 shares fell, while 81 rose.
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 5.0%.

SSR Mining Inc. had the largest drop, falling 8.8%.
Insights
* This quarter, the index fell 0.9%
* The index advanced 9.8% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 23% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 2.6% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 17.6% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 1.3% in the past 5 days and was little changed in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.6 on a trailing basis and 15.2 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.1% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.51t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 10.70% compared with 10.69% in the previous session and the average of 9.53% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Materials | -110.0760| -4.0| 3/47
Energy | -53.4919| -1.3| 5/34
Financials | -17.5971| -0.3| 14/11
Real Estate | -0.3994| -0.1| 7/12
Health Care | 0.1767| 0.3| 2/2
Consumer Discretionary| 0.6609| 0.1| 7/6
Utilities | 1.9998| 0.2| 7/8
Communication Services| 4.5747| 0.6| 4/1
Consumer Staples | 5.5615| 0.6| 9/2
Information Technology| 9.5596| 0.6| 5/5
Industrials | 20.5085| 0.7| 18/9
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
Agnico Eagle Mines | -16.2500| -5.0| 38.7| 22.4
Barrick Gold | -15.0000| -5.1| 26.7| -5.8
Canadian Natural | | | |
Resources | -13.8300| -1.8| 195.5| 13.0
TD Bank | 8.4540| 0.9| -46.9| -11.1
Waste Connections | 8.7360| 2.2| -7.5| 15.0
Shopify | 13.3700| 1.9| -14.1| -19.6

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — The bond market climbed as signs of labor-market cooling reinforced speculation the Federal Reserve will be able to cut rates this year.
Just a week away from the Fed meeting, the so-called JOLTS report showed US job openings hit the lowest since 2021.

The figures lifted Treasuries, with 10-year yields extending a four-day plunge to almost 30 basis points.
Fed swaps are now pricing in a first cut in November — and higher odds of a September reduction.
Despite the dovish bets, stocks struggled to gain much traction as the bad-news-is-good-news narrative failed to entice many traders.
To Bill Adams at Comerica Bank, the bright side of the story is that the risk of wage-price pressures fueling inflation is falling, which has the Fed breathing easier than a few years ago.

That’s probably why Fed Chair Jerome Powell took it in stride when inflation accelerated earlier this year, saying hikes were unlikely, he noted.
“The evidence is accumulating that the Fed should begin easing,” said Ronald Temple, chief market strategist at Lazard.
Treasury 10-year yields fell six basis points to 4.33%.

The S&P 500 edged up to around 5,290.
Oil fell to the lowest in about four months after OPEC+’s plan to loosen its production curbs this year deepened the market’s bearish sentiment.

Copper slid below $10,000.
Bitcoin topped $70,000.
The combination of spending/inflation data, ISM Manufacturing and JOLTS figures have reinforced the notion that investors are increasingly looking beyond the “Goldilocks” narrative toward something a bit more consistent with the
flagging trajectory of consumption,” said Ian Lyngen and Vail Hartman at BMO Capital Markets.
“There is nothing to imply that the real economy is on the precipice of a recession, however, rather than a no-landing for the labor market appears less likely than it did during the first quarter,” he noted.

“Goldilocks is edging toward the door, but has yet to leave the building.”
To Fawad Razaqzada at City Index and Forex.com, while the JOLTS data has caused bond yields to fall, this has been offset by concerns over economic and earnings growth.
“Thus, stocks have not responded in the usual way of cheering on weaker-than-expected data,” he noted.

“The questions, are we finally headed for a long overdue correction now? The S&P 500 outlook is not bearish yet from a technical viewpoint, but the potential is there for that to change in the coming days.”
Bank of America Corp. clients fled US equities for a fifth-straight week, withdrawing $5.7 billion from the asset class in the five-day period ended last Friday.
The outflow was the biggest since last July and the fourth-largest in bank’s data history, quantitative strategists led by Jill Carey Hall said.

Institutional and hedge fund clients were net sellers as retail investors bought.

Corporate Highlights:
* Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger took the stage at the Computex show in Taiwan to talk about new products he expects will help turn back the tide of share losses to peers, including AI leader Nvidia Corp.
* Nvidia Corp. is still working on the certification process for Samsung Electronics Co.’s high-bandwidth memory chips, a final required step before the Korean company can begin supplying a component essential to training AI platforms.
* Paramount Global, the parent of CBS and MTV, is considering joint-venture options for its streaming service and has identified $500 million in annual savings to boost profitability even as it prepares for a probable sale.
* CoreWeave Inc., a closely held cloud computing provider, has offered to acquire Bitcoin miner Core Scientific Inc. for about $1 billion, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
* Airbus SE is negotiating a major sale of A330neo aircraft to China, with talks gaining momentum since President Xi Jinping visited his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron last month.
* Stellantis NV is willing to drop some of its suppliers and make car parts on its own to lower costs in the expensive shift to electrification.

Key events this week:
* China Caixin services PMI, Wednesday
* Eurozone S&P Global Services PMI, PPI, Wednesday
* Canada rate decision, Wednesday
* US ADP Employment, S&P services PMI, ISM services, Wednesday
* Eurozone retail sales, ECB rate decision, Thursday
* US initial jobless claims, trade, Thursday
* China trade, forex reserves, Friday
* Eurozone GDP, Friday
* US unemployment rate, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.1% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.3%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%
* The MSCI World Index was little changed

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
* The euro fell 0.2% to $1.0880
* The British pound fell 0.3% to $1.2772
* The Japanese yen rose 0.8% to 154.79 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin rose 1.7% to $70,301.01
* Ether rose 0.6% to $3,794.77

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined six basis points to 4.33%
* Germany’s 10-year yield declined five basis points to 2.53%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined four basis points to 4.18%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.2% to $73.32 a barrel
* Spot gold fell 1% to $2,327.37 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain. -Mark Twain, 1835-1910.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

June 3, 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Monday.
June 3, 1492:Martin Behaim presents the world’s first globe.  The German geographer called his terrestrial globe Erdapfel, or Earth Apple.
On June 3, 1965, astronaut Edward White became the first American to “walk” in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.  Go to article >>

1972: First U.S. female Rabbi ordained.
Curtis Mayfield, soul musician, b.1942.
Allen Ginsberg, writer, b. 1926.
Jefferson Davis, confederate leader, b. 1808.

Simone Biles dominates, winning record-extending 9th all-around national title
The champion gymnast scored another major win ahead of the Olympic Trials later this month.

Rupert Murdoch ties the knot — for the fifth time
The 93-year-old billionaire married his 67-year-old partner, retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova. See a photo of the newlyweds.

Adele scolds audience member at her Las Vegas concert
Adele had a profanity-laced response after a heckler made an anti-Pride Month comment during her concert.

‘Swicy’ is the hottest trend in food right now
Several food and beverage companies — including Starbucks — are bringing the heat this summer with spicier products.

France welcomes WWII vets ahead of grand D-Day commemoration
Dozens of veterans will be guests of honor at events in Normandy this week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Officials say they are going to incredible lengths to treat veterans like royalty.

Wreck of WWII ‘Hit ‘Em Harder’ submarine, which sank with 79 crew on board, discovered in South China Sea
The U.S. wreck is the grave site of the 79 crew who died when the sub was sunk in battle in 1944. Read More.

The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it? Read More.

Mars is more prone to devastating asteroid impacts than we thought, new study hints
Potentially hazardous asteroids pose a risk to Mars missions, but they can also yield insight into the history of the Red Planet and the early solar system, new research suggests. Read More.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Liverpool, UK
Cunard’s new ship Queen Anne sails into the River Mersey before a naming ceremony at Liverpool Pier Head, as part of an introductory ‘lap of honour’ voyage around the British Isles
Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Carentan les Marais, France
MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters fly over as part of the D-day commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary and the Battle of Normandy
Photograph: Lou Benoist/aFP/AFP/Getty Images

Jammu, India
A labourer pours water over his head as he bathes on a hot summer day against the setting sun
Photograph: Mukesh Gupta/AFP/Getty Images
Market Closes for June 3rd, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38571.03 -115.29
-0.30%
S&P 500 5283.40 +5.89
+0.11%
NASDAQ  16828.67 +93.65
+0.56%
TSX 22116.69 -152.43
-0.68 %

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38923.03 +435.13
+1.13%
HANG
SENG
18403.04 +323.43
+1.79%
SENSEX 76468.78 +2507.47
+3.39%
FTSE 100* 8262.75 -12.63
-0.15%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.503 3.629
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.356 3.483
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.3884 4.4985
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.5376 4.6472

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7340 0.7332
US
$
1.3625 1.3638

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4864 0.6728
US
$
1.0909 0.9167

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2337.70 2348.55
Oil
WTI Crude Future  76.99 76.99

MARKET Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1775: The national debt of the U.S. was born, as the Continental Congress authorized a loan of 6 million pounds sterling to buy gunpowder.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.7% at 22,116.69 in Toronto.

The move follows the previous session’s increase of 0.9%.
Today, energy stocks led the market lower, as 6 of 11 sectors lost; 121 of 222 shares fell, while 99 rose.
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 4.6%.

Baytex Energy Corp. had the largest drop, falling 6.6%.
Insights
* This quarter, the index was little changed
* The index advanced 10% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 23% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1.9% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 18.3% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 1.1% in the past 5 days and rose 0.8% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.8 on a trailing basis and 15.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.1% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.53t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 10.69% compared with 10.47% in the previous session and the average of 9.45% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Energy | -119.9431| -2.9| 4/36
Industrials | -25.5619| -0.8| 9/18
Financials | -18.4105| -0.3| 11/16
Materials | -3.8303| -0.1| 22/28
Consumer Discretionary| -1.1124| -0.1| 8/5
Health Care | -0.8427| -1.4| 1/3
Communication Services| 2.4641| 0.3| 5/0
Real Estate | 3.1188| 0.7| 12/7
Consumer Staples | 3.4769| 0.4| 10/1
Information Technology| 3.9798| 0.2| 6/4
Utilities | 4.2478| 0.5| 11/3
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
Canadian Natural Resources | -36.0000| -4.6| 33.4| 15.1
Suncor Energy | -23.8600| -4.8| 64.4| 24.8
Cenovus Energy | -16.0100| -6.1| 21.1| 21.5
Shopify | 6.1770| 0.9| -46.9| -21.1
Barrick Gold | 6.2720| 2.2| 55.0| -0.8
GFL Environmental | 6.9760| 10.4| 347.4| 3.7

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Bonds climbed after as a weak manufacturing reading fueled speculation the Federal Reserve will have room to cut interest rates this year.

Stocks fluctuated as a rise in tech outweighed a plunge in energy producers.
Longer-dated Treasuries outperformed after data showed US factory activity shrank at a faster pace as output came close to stagnating.
“The Manufacturing ISM data reaffirmed several prevailing economic trends: decelerating inflation, slowing growth, and a tight labor market,” said Gary Pzegeo at CIBC Private Wealth US.
“We should see higher odds of a rate cut later this year priced into interest rate futures.”
US 10-year yields slid nine basis points to 4.4%.

The S&P 500 hovered near 5,280.
A technical issue at the New York Stock Exchange resulted in erroneous trading volatility halts earlier Monday.
Oil tumbled as OPEC+ unexpectedly rolled out a plan to restore some production to the market this year.

Bitcoin briefly topped $70,000.
“Thank goodness it’s Monday – at least from a bond-bullish perspective,” said Ian Lyngen and Vail Hartman at BMO Capital Markets. “There have been a few signs of stumbling in the real economy, albeit primarily on the consumption side. As a result, investors are on guard for indications that the downside trajectory is accelerating.”
With earnings season mostly in the rearview mirror, traders will focus on whether inflation is cooling or is stuck in a loop that will leave interest rates in “higher-for-longer’ limbo,” according to Chris Larkin at E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley. “This week’s jobs report represents the next big test.”
In fact, traders will also be focused on a slew of labor-market readings this week, including Friday’s payrolls figures.
That’s ahead of next week’s Fed decision, with US policymakers expected to continue signaling no rush to cut rates.
Swap contracts tied to upcoming meetings continue to fully price in a quarter-point rate cut in December, with the odds of a move as soon as September edging up to around 50% and November also given high odds.
“Additional cooling in job openings this week would also help to bring home the message that the labor market is no longer a meaningful threat for near-term inflation dynamics,” said Oscar Munoz at TD Securities.
Macroeconomic signals suggest a coming slowdown or even a recession, but investors don’t seem concerned based on lofty stock market valuations and continuing positive sentiment, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Marko Kolanovic.
Risks from an increase in unemployment over past year, drop in home sales, and nearly two years of yield curve inversion are being shrugged off, with equity indexes at or near all-time highs, he noted.

Upside for stocks will be limited during the summer due to an “inconsistency” between expectations for disinflation alongside a belief in “no landing” and earnings strength.
Meantime, Morgan Stanley’s Michael Wilson says his bull case is in play, for now.

Rising government debt will continue to fuel spending and inflate asset prices in the short-term — including equities — as long as the bond market doesn’t signal any tension.
A contrarian equity sentiment indicator from Bank of America Corp. jumped by the most since late 2023 in May to a two-year high, indicating that negative attitudes toward US stocks are no longer a tailwind.
The so-called Sell-Side Indicator (SSI), a gauge that measures Wall Street strategists’ average recommended US equity allocations, posted the largest increase since December last month, BofA head of US equity and quantitative strategy Savita Subramanian said in a note to clients Monday.
“Extreme bearish sentiment is no longer a tailwind for the index, arguing for a tilt toward active stock selection strategies,” she wrote.

Corporate Highlights:
* GameStop Corp. surged as the Reddit account that drove the meme-stock mania of 2021 posted what appeared to be a $116 million position in the video-game retailer.
* Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.’s chiefs showcased new generations of the chips powering the global boom in AI development, deepening a rivalry that may decide the direction of artificial intelligence design and adoption.
* JetBlue Airways Corp.’s sales performance for this quarter will be somewhat better than expected as the carrier works to improve operations and capitalize on “healthy overall demand trends.”
* Skydance Media plans to offer $23 a share to investors in Paramount Global’s voting stock as part of its plan to merge with the film and TV giant, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
* Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square aims to raise $25 billion for a new closed-end fund targeting US retail investors, which would more than double the fee-paying assets the firm manages, according to people with direct knowledge of the plans.
* A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, a bellwether for global trade, raised its full-year profit forecast, saying the congestion in the Red Sea is having a larger than previously expected impact on the world’s supply lines, which in turn is boosting freight rates.

Key events this week:
* US factory orders, JOLTS, Tuesday
* China Caixin services PMI, Wednesday
* Eurozone S&P Global Services PMI, PPI, Wednesday
* Canada rate decision, Wednesday
* US ISM services, Wednesday
* Eurozone retail sales, ECB rate decision, Thursday
* US initial jobless claims, trade, Thursday
* China trade, forex reserves, Friday
* Eurozone GDP, Friday
* US unemployment rate, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The S&P 500 Index increased 0.1% to 5,283.40 as of 4 p.m. New York time.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.3% to 38,571.03.
The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 0.6% to 16,828.67.
The MSCI All-Country World Index advanced 0.5% to 789.11.

Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed at 1,251.67.
The euro increased 0.5% to $1.09.
The British pound increased 0.5% to $1.2803.
The Japanese yen appreciated 0.7% to 156.25 per dollar.
Bitcoin advanced 2.1% to $69,186.

Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries dipped 10 basis points to 4.40%.
Britain’s 10-year yield declined 10 basis points to 4.221%.
Germany’s 10-year yield dipped eight basis points to 2.58%.

Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude sank 3.8% to $74.05 a barrel.
Gold strengthened 0.9% to $2,347.48 an ounce.

-Rita Nazareth in New York

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies. –Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, 1844-1900.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

May 31, 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday.

May 31, 1910: Union of South Africa declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
May 31, 1955: US Suprem Court orders school integration.
May 31, 1990: The sitcom “Seinfeld” premiered on NBC.  Go to article >>

1790: First US copyright law passed.
Walt Whitman, poet,  b. 1819.

James Webb telescope discovers the 2 earliest galaxies in the known universe — and 1 is shockingly big
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected the two earliest, most distant galaxies in the known universe, dating to just 300 million years after the Big Bang. The detection of even earlier galaxies is likely to follow. Read More.

World’s 1st carved horse: The 35,000-year-old ivory figurine from Vogelherd cave
Carved out of ivory, the figurine was created during the Upper Paleolithic. Read More.

Meet LocoMan, the quirky robot dog that can stand up on its hind legs like a meerkat and play with objects
Groundbreaking low-cost “loco-manipulators” transform a humble robot dog into a dexterous bot capable of walking and handling objects simultaneously. Read More.

Scientists may have finally solved the problem of the universe’s ‘missing’ black holes
Primordial black holes are one of the strongest candidates for the universe’s missing dark matter. But a new theory suggests that not enough of the miniature black holes formed for this to be the case. Read More.

Scientists say we need to send clocks to the moon
There is an ongoing international effort to keep time accurately on the moon, but it’s not as easy as it may sound.

Jeep reveals its first EV for America
Jeep, widely known for making rugged off-road vehicles, has unveiled its first fully electric SUV for the North American market.

Dinosaur fossil could fetch up to $6 million at auction
A “virtually complete” Stegosaurus skeleton will be sold at a Sotheby’s auction this summer — but not everyone is happy about it.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Mexico City, Mexico
A heron takes off on Chapultepec Lake
Photograph: Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP/Getty Images

Grindavík, Iceland
Cooled lava covers a road closed by the volcanic eruption
Photograph: Marco di Marco/AP

Teahupo’o, Tahiti
Members of the World Surf League support team gather on jetskis
Photograph: Thomas Bevilacqua/Reuters
Market Closes for May 31st, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38686.32 +574.84
+1.51%
S&P 500 5277.51 +42.03
+0.80%
NASDAQ  16735.02 -2.06
-0.01%
TSX 22269.12 +197.41
+0.89 %

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38487.90 +433.77
+1.14%
HANG
SENG
18079.61 -150.58
-0.83%
SENSEX 73961.31 +75.71
+0.10%
FTSE 100* 8275.38 +44.33
+0.54%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.629 3.700
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.483 3.548
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.4985 4.5440
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.6472 4.6795

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7332 0.7308
US
$
1.3638 1.3684

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4801 0.6756
US
$
1.0852 0.9215

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2348.55 2348.55
Oil
WTI Crude Future  76.99 77.91

Market Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1919, the New York Stock Exchange closed its doors for the day so frenzied clerks could clear the paperwork from a tumultuous month during which trading volumes regularly exceeded 1.5 million shares a day.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the second day, climbing 0.9%, or 197.41 to 22,269.12 in Toronto.

The move was the biggest since rising 1.4% on May 6.
Today, energy stocks led the market higher, as 10 of 11 sectors gained; 152 of 222 shares rose, while 68 fell.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 2.2%.

Aritzia Inc. had the largest increase, rising 5.1%.
Insights
* This month, the index rose 2.6%
* So far this week, the index was little changed
* The index advanced 14% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 26% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1.3% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 19.1% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.8 on a trailing basis and 15.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.51t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 10.47% compared with 10.23% in the previous session and the average of 9.31% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Energy | 54.0642| 1.3| 33/7
Financials | 46.6400| 0.7| 19/8
Industrials | 46.6124| 1.6| 20/7
Consumer Discretionary | 19.6155| 2.6| 12/1
Information Technology | 14.6959| 0.9| 6/4
Consumer Staples | 10.3429| 1.1| 9/2
Communication Services | 9.6237| 1.4| 4/1
Utilities | 7.2822| 0.9| 11/3
Real Estate | 3.8800| 0.9| 19/1
Health Care | 0.9061| 1.5| 3/1
Materials | -16.2571| -0.6| 16/33
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
Canadian Pacific Kansas | 15.4700| 2.2| 159.7| 3.5
Canadian National | 15.2600| 2.2| 153.8| 4.2
Enbridge | 13.5500| 1.9| 5.8| 4.5
Franco-Nevada | -3.1630| -1.4| 340.5| 14.3
Wheaton Precious Metals | -7.0140| -2.9| 617.7| 14.2
CIBC | -10.5100| -2.3| 137.3| 5.9

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — A renewed bout of volatility gripped US stocks in the final stretch of May, with dip buying pushing the market higher amid a rotation between technology and other industries.
In a late-day comeback, the S&P 500 rose almost 1% Friday to notch its best month since February.

The gauge had fallen almost as much earlier in the session, dragged down by mega-caps.
Investors betting tech giants will continue to power gains could be in for a rough ride when other sectors start to catch up, according to strategists at Bank of America Corp. — who said the outperformance of value over growth as market breadth improves could be the next “pain trade.”
“Leaders to losers… for now,” said Dan Wantrobski at Janney Montgomery Scott. “We are seeing breaks of initial support in some leadership areas. Net-net we are still expecting a bumpy ride for US equities as we enter the month of June.”
Meantime, Treasuries extended gains at the end of their best month in 2024 as the core personal consumption expenditures price gauge met estimates, while posting the smallest increase this year.

What’s more, spending unexpectedly dropped.
For a data-dependent Federal Reserve, the report was seen by traders as “not quite as bad”, “slightly constructive” and “marginally dovish.”
“While we don’t necessarily want to see a weakening consumer, softening retail spending should help stoke the flames for lower rates in the second half of 2024,” said Bret Kenwell at eToro. “We’re not there yet, but the inflation reports were a constructive first step.”
The S&P 500 briefly broke below 5,200, but closed above that level — as every major group but technology advanced.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average of blue chips rose 1.5% — the most since November.
The Nasdaq 100 finished flat after dropping almost 2% Friday.
The tech-heavy measure posted its best month in 2024.
US 10-year yields fell five basis points to 4.4985%.

The dollar was little changed Friday, but saw its first monthly loss since December.
Matt Maley at Miller Tabak says that usually when we get some “rotation” in the stock market, that’s viewed as a positive development.

However, since the rotation between tech and everything else has gone in both directions over the past two weeks, he views it as a negative development.
“In other words, the kind of ‘rotation’ we’ve seen recently can be viewed as ‘churning,” he said. “This is not negative in-and-by-itself, but when it comes after a nice rally, it tends to indicate that the advance is becoming tired.

Thus, it is frequently followed by some sort of a pullback — even if it’s only a mild one.”
Technology shares now appear overextended, suggesting a correction may be on the horizon, according to Fawad Razaqzada at City Index and Forex.com.
“After months of substantial gains and no new bullish catalysts, a correction wouldn’t be surprising,” he said.
Hedge funds’ exposure to US technology behemoths hit a record high following Nvidia Corp.’s estimate-thumping earnings report this month, according to a recent report from Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s prime brokerage.
The so-called Magnificent Seven companies — Nvidia, Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc., Tesla Inc. and Microsoft Corp. — account for about 20.7% of hedge funds’ total net exposure to US single stocks, the report showed.
A strong start of the year for US stocks suggests above average performance in the second half of 2024, according to data analyzed by Scott Rubner at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Going back to 1950, there have been 21 episodes when the S&P 500 was up more than 10% by the end of May.
Out of these, the only two instances where the S&P 500 ended the rest of the year down were 1987 when it fell 13% and 1986 when it slipped 0.1%, meaning that the index was up about 90% of the time.
Amid the several twists and turns in stocks, traders also waded through the latest inflation report.
The so-called core PCE, which strips out the volatile food and energy components, increased 0.2% from the prior month.
Inflation-adjusted consumer spending unexpectedly fell 0.1%, dragged down by a decrease in outlays for goods and softer services spending.

Wage growth, the primary fuel for demand, moderated.
“Markets see inflation on a slow, but steady path lower,” said Quincy Krosby at LPL Financial. “The question is still how much more the Fed needs in terms of slower inflation before initiating an easing cycle.”
Overnight index swap contracts tied to upcoming Fed policy meetings continue to fully price in a quarter-point rate cut in December, with the odds of a move as soon as September edging up to around 50%.

For all of 2024, the contracts imply a total of 35 basis points of rate reductions, up slightly from the close on Thursday.
While the PCE data will likely be welcomed by the Fed, the core gauge has still risen at an annualized rate of 3.5% in the last three months, according to David Donabedian at CIBC Private Wealth.
“So, it’s way too early for any sort of victory lap for the Fed,” he noted.
In fact, inflation may not return to the US central bank’s 2% target until mid-2027, according to research from Fed Bank of Cleveland.
That’s because the inflationary impacts of pandemic-era shocks have largely resolved and the remaining forces that are keeping inflation elevated are “very persistent,” Cleveland Fed economist Randal Verbrugge wrote in a report Thursday.
Another aspect is that consumer spending in the first month of the new quarter slowed as real disposable incomes fell, remarked Jeff Roach at LPL Financial.
“Businesses need to prepare for an environment where consumers are not splurging like they were last year,” he noted.
“We are in a be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment because if slowing consumer spending leads to lower inflation and the Fed is able to cut slowly as a result then that will be good for markets,” said Chris Zaccarelli at Independent Advisor Alliance.
“However, if consumer spending – and the economy – slows too quickly, then corporate profits and stock prices will go down much more quickly than the Fed will be able to cut rates, so we would be careful at this point.”

Corporate Highlights:
* Dell Technologies Inc. fell the most since it returned to the public market in 2018 after its first revenue increase since 2022 wasn’t enough to impress investors with high expectations for the company’s AI server business.
* Carl Icahn has amassed a sizable position in Caesars Entertainment Inc., people familiar with the matter said, but has no plans to repeat a previous activist campaign at the hotel and casino group.
* Hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman is selling a stake in Pershing Square as a prelude to a planned initial public offering of his investment firm, according to a person familiar with the matter.
* Gap Inc. reported better-than-expected results and raised its outlook for the full year, showing the apparel retailer’s bid to rebuild the business is moving forward.
* Penn Entertainment Inc. soared after an activist investor called for the sale of the casino company, saying a failed deal and growing pattern of guidance misses have damaged management’s credibility.
* Moderna Inc. gained US approval for its RSV vaccine in older adults, giving the biotech company a second product as it seeks to move beyond its reliance on the fading market for Covid-19 shots.
* Hess Corp. shareholders approved the company’s proposal to be acquired by Chevron Corp. for $53 billion by a razor-thin majority of 51% of shares outstanding.

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.8% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 was little changed
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.5%
* The MSCI World Index rose 0.7%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
* The euro rose 0.2% to $1.0852
* The British pound was little changed at $1.2744
* The Japanese yen fell 0.3% to 157.26 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin fell 1.1% to $67,712.85
* Ether rose 1.3% to $3,785.14

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined five basis points to 4.4985%
* Germany’s 10-year yield advanced one basis point to 2.66%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined three basis points to 4.32%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.9% to $77.17 a barrel
* Spot gold fell 0.6% to $2,328.92 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Sagarika Jaisinghani and Natalia Kniazhevich.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
Nothing in my life, no matter how well or poorly lived, is wiser than failure or clearer than sorrow. From Shantarum -Gregory David Roberts, b. 1952 .

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

May 30th, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday Eve.

May 30, 1539: Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto’s expedition of 10 ships and 700 men lands in Florida, United States.

May 30, 2011: Germany announced plans to abandon nuclear power over the next 11 years, outlining an ambitious strategy in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster to replace atomic power with
renewable energy sources.  Go to article >>

May 30, 1783: First U.S. newspaper published.
Peter the Great, Russian Tsar, b. 1672.

These innovative airline cabin concepts could be the future of flying
Design firms have long proposed reconfigured plane cabins that could improve flights in coach. Take a look at some eye-catching concepts that may be the future of aviation.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunite in ‘Wolfs’ trailer
Former co-stars Clooney and Pitt will return to the big screen in the upcoming movie “Wolfs.” See the action-packed trailer here.

Simone Biles steps up Olympic preparations
The decorated athlete continues her journey to a third Olympic Games as she competes at this week’s Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships.

Why can we sometimes see the moon in broad daylight?
The daytime moon is visible almost every day of the month, except those closest to the full moon and new moon. Here’s why the moon and sun often share the daytime sky. Read More.

How people without ‘inner voices’ could help reveal the mysteries of consciousness
The lack of an inner monologue seems linked to a lower ability to recall words and predict their sounds. Read More.

‘Dinky’ asteroid imaged by NASA has ultra-rare double moon, study confirms
Researchers have proposed a model for how a double moon named Selam formed around the tiny asteroid Dinkinesh. This is the first “contact binary” moon ever discovered, scientists say. Read More.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Aceh Besar, Indonesia
Farmers plant rice before the start of the dry season
Photograph: Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA

Berlin, Germany
Ameca, a humanoid robot developed by the British company Engineered Arts Digital, at the Re:publica trade fair
Photograph: dts News Agency Germany/Rex/Shutterstock

​​​​​​​Şanila, Turkey
Shepherds graze their livestock on the Farasin plateau at an altitude of 2,625 metres
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Market Closes for May 30th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38111.48 -330.06
-0.86%
S&P 500 5235.48 -31.47
-0.60%
NASDAQ  16737.08 -183.50
-1.08%
TSX 22071.71 +173.73
+0.79 %

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38054.13 -502.74
-1.30%
HANG
SENG
18230.19 -246.82
-1.34%
SENSEX 74502.90 -667.55
-0.89%
FTSE 100* 8231.05 +47.98
+0.59%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.700 3.758
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.548 3.624
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.5440 4.6117
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.6795 4.7328

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7308 0.7288
US
$
1.3684 1.3721

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4822 0.6747
US
$
1.0832 0.9232

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2348.55 2350.65
Oil
WTI Crude Future  77.91 79.23

Market Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1986, just 24 calendar days after breaking the 300 barrier for the first time, the Nasdaq Composite Index closed above 400, finishing the day at 400.16. It would take five more years after this for the Nasdaq to add another 100 points.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.8% at 22,071.71 in Toronto.

The move was the biggest since rising 1.4% on May 6 and follows the previous session’s decrease of 1.6%.
Today, financials stocks led the market higher, as 10 of 11 sectors gained; 145 of 223 shares rose, while 74 fell.
Royal Bank of Canada contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 5.2%. Eqb Inc. had the largest increase, rising 13.5%.

Insights
* This month, the index rose 1.6%
* So far this week, the index fell 1.1%, heading for the biggest decline since the week ended April 12
* The index advanced 12% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 24% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 2.1% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 18.1% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 0.6% in the past 5 days and rose 1.6% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 0 on a trailing basis and 15.4 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.1% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.48t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 10.23% compared with 10.00% in the previous session and the average of 9.26% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | 126.1675| 1.9| 19/8
Industrials | 15.6749| 0.5| 17/10
Utilities | 12.4600| 1.5| 11/3
Materials | 11.0863| 0.4| 28/20
Energy | 10.7148| 0.3| 25/16
Communication Services | 7.0162| 1.0| 4/1
Consumer Discretionary | 5.7689| 0.8| 10/3
Real Estate | 3.8957| 0.9| 18/2
Consumer Staples | 1.6856| 0.2| 8/3
Health Care | 0.6006| 1.0| 3/0
Information Technology | -21.3620| -1.3| 2/8
================================================================
| | |Volume VS | YTD
| Index | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors |Points Move| % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
RBC | 71.9100| 5.2| 45.0| 10.6
CIBC | 29.5200| 7.0| 172.8| 8.4
Brookfield Corp | 7.7000| 1.3| 3.3| 9.8
CGI Inc | -4.3580| -2.2| 38.6| -5.5
Descartes Systems | -5.4490| -6.8| 218.5| 12.0
Constellation Software | -5.7910| -1.1| -5.6| 13.2.

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Wall Street traders sent stocks down and bonds up after the latest round of economic data signaled a slowdown in momentum.
Just 24 hours before the release of the Federal Reserve’s favorite price gauge, a report showed the US grew at softer pace — as both spending and inflation were marked down.

Economic cooling could bolster the case for the Fed to start cutting interest rates this year.
But that might also imply weaker consumption, and ultimately become a concern for Corporate America.
“The economic data today are a double-edged sword,” said Chris Zaccarelli at Independent Advisor Alliance.
The S&P 500 dropped to around 5,235.

The Nasdaq 100 fell 1%.
US officials have slowed the issuing of licenses to chipmakers such as Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. for large-scale AI accelerator shipments to the Middle East, according to people familiar with the matter.
Salesforce Inc. tumbled 20% after a weak outlook.
Treasury two-year yields dropped five basis points to 4.92%.

The dollar fell.
Traders had issues with live pricing for the S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average for more than an hour on Thursday morning in New York.

Individual stocks and exchange-traded funds continued to print normally throughout.
That, along with trading of futures contracts, helped traders navigate the disruption.
“At the time it was out, I wasn’t worried,” said Mike Zigmont at Harvest Volatility Management. “Futures were still trading, so you could use them to get the SPX level. Most traders that know enough, didn’t care.”
Fed Bank of New York President John Williams said he expects inflation to continue falling in the second half of this year, adding that elevated borrowing costs are restraining the economy.
Zaccarelli at Independent Advisor Alliance says he’s long been of the belief that the economy matters more than lower rates for the sake of propping up stock prices.
“Of course, they are interrelated because all things being equal, the economy is likely to stay out of recession if interest rates are lower than they are now, but ultimately it is the economic expansion – and continuation of corporate profits – that are the most important thing in the medium and long term,” he noted.
His base case this year is for inflation to remain relatively sticky and for the Fed to stay on the sidelines for most – if not all – of 2024, but also for the economy to continue to expand and for corporate profits to continue to grow.
“So the stock market should remain in a bull market, not withstanding the occasional pullback along the way,” he noted.
Gross domestic product rose 1.3% annualized in the first three months of the year, below the previous estimate of 1.6%, Bureau of Economic Analysis figures published Thursday showed.
The economy’s main growth engine — personal spending —  advanced 2.0%, versus the previous estimate of 2.5%.
“Sum it all up and you have an economy that has come off the boil – and needed to – but remains on track for continued growth,” said Jim Baird at Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
“Inflation remains a primary challenge to consumers and policymakers – one that is still seemingly poised to be resolved, particularly as wage growth and housing inflation normalize.”
The question is one of timing for policymakers who need to see evidence that inflation gauges have resumed their descent toward 2% and the risk of a second wind catching the inflation sail has dissipated, Baird added.
“It was a bond-friendly round of data,” said Ian Lyngen at BMO Capital Markets. “We’re looking for a drift lower in rates throughout the day as investors square positions ahead of Friday’s core-PCE update and month-end.”
The Fed’s first-line inflation gauge is about to show some modest relief from stubborn price pressures, corroborating central bankers’ prudence about the timing of interest-rate cuts.
“The name of the game is still inflation and interest rates,” said Chris Larkin at E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. “Stay tuned for tomorrow’s PCE price index release, because it could dominate market sentiment until next Friday’s jobs report.”
Signs that the economy may be cooling enough to pave the way for rate cuts, coupled with strong corporate profits, have proven to be good for stocks.
That’s according to an analysis by Bank of America Corp.’s strategists, who crunched the data going back to 1950 to determine that prior quarters of declining economic growth and rising corporate earnings saw the S&P 500 advance 3.6%, on average.
That’s higher than a 2% mean gain seen when both corporate profits and the US gross domestic product saw a boost.

Corporate Highlights:
* Kohl’s Corp. reported first-quarter sales and earnings that fell short of estimates and lowered its guidance, as demand for apparel and home goods remained weak.
* Best Buy Co. reported better-than-expected profitability in the first quarter, even as sales woes deepened and consumers remained on the sidelines with their electronics purchases.
* Bank of America Corp.’s sales and trading team is on track to report second-quarter revenue growth in the low single digits, with investment banking up 10% to 15% from a year earlier, Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said.
* HP Inc. reported quarterly revenue that topped analysts’ estimates, including the first increase in PC sales in two years, an optimistic signal for a long-awaited rebound in the market.
* Birkenstock Holding Plc posted robust earnings and raised its forecast for the year as consumers snapped up its high-end sandals and clogs. The shares rose the most ever.

Key events this week:
* Japan unemployment, Tokyo CPI, industrial production, retail sales, Friday
* China official manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI, Friday
* Eurozone CPI, Friday
* US consumer income, spending, PCE deflator, Friday
* Fed’s Raphael Bostic speak, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 0.6% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 1.1%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9%
* The MSCI World Index fell 0.3%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2%
* The euro rose 0.3% to $1.0830
* The British pound rose 0.2% to $1.2731
* The Japanese yen rose 0.5% to 156.84 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin rose 1.6% to $68,521.76
* Ether rose 0.2% to $3,756.37

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined seven basis points to 4.54%
* Germany’s 10-year yield declined four basis points to 2.65%
* Britain’s 10-year yield declined five basis points to 4.35%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.7% to $77.92 a barrel
* Spot gold rose 0.2% to $2,341.92 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Isabelle Lee, Denitsa Tsekova, Bre Bradham, Jessica Menton, Elena Popina, Natalia Kniazhevich, Alex Nicholson, Chiranjivi Chakraborty, Winnie Hsu and Stephen Kirkland.

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.
Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be broken.
The soft and supple will prevail. –Lao Tzu, c. 6th century BC-c. 5th century BC.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

May 29, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:
May  29, 1999: Space shuttle Discovery completed the first docking with the International Space Station.  Go to article >>

May 29, 1453: Constantinople falls to the Turks.
May 29, 1953: Mount Everest summit reached.

G.K. Chesterton, author, b. 1874.
Bob Hope, comedian, b. 1903.
John F. Kennedy, 35th President, b. 1917.

Auroras could paint Earth’s skies again in early June. Here are the key nights to watch for.
The monster sunspot responsible for May’s vibrant auroras will soon be facing Earth again. Here’s when to be alert for the next display of northern lights on the nights close to June’s new moon. Read More.

Ramesses II’s sarcophagus finally identified thanks to overlooked hieroglyphics
Archaeologists determined that a fragment of a sarcophagus hidden beneath a Coptic building’s floor once belonged to Ramesses II. Read More.

Secrets of radioactive ‘promethium’ — a rare earth element with mysterious applications — uncovered after 80-year search
Scientists have revealed key properties of radioactive promethium, a rare earth element with poorly understood applications, using a groundbreaking new method. Read More.

New display tech paves the way for ‘most realistic’ holograms in regular eyeglasses
Building on current holographic technology, a team of optical display experts have invented a way to improve 3D displays that’s small enough to work in regular glasses. Read More.

US returns $80 million-worth of stolen artifacts to Italy
Hundreds of trafficked valuables ranging from life-sized bronze statues to tiny Roman coins were confiscated in the US and returned to Italy. See photos of the artifacts here.

Porsche reveals a new hybrid 911
Porsche unveiled the first hybrid version of its most famous sports car. The 911 Carrera GTS will be a fully self-contained hybrid, charged only by power from the engine and from braking.

Rivers in Alaska are turning orange
Some rivers in Alaska are changing color — from a clean, clear blue to a rusty orange — due to an “unexpected consequence of climate change.” View the striking photos.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Wroclaw, Poland
A red panda named Bernie in its enclosure at the Wroclaw Zoo. The male was born almost a year ago at Fota Wildlife Park near Cork, Ireland and arrived in Wroclaw by air.
Photograph: Maciej Kulczyński/EPA

Grindavik, Iceland
A Photo taken during a surveillance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland.
Photograph: Icelandic Coast Guard/AFP/Getty Images

​​​​​​​Rajasthan, India
Chinkara gazelle fawns rest in the plumage of a peacock at an animal rescue centre in Bikaner
Photograph: Dinesh Gupta/AP
Market Closes for May 29th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38441.54 -411.32
-1.06%
S&P 500 5266.95 -39.09
-0.74%
NASDAQ  16920.58 -99.30
-0.58%
TSX 21897.98 -367.07
-1.65 %

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38556.87 -298.50
-0.77%
HANG
SENG
18477.01 -344.15
-1.83%
SENSEX 74502.90 -667.55
-0.89%
FTSE 100* 8183.07 -71.11
-0.86%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.758 3.698
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.624 3.562
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.6117 4.5500
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.7328 4.6658

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7288 0.7327
US
$
1.3721 1.3648

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4815 0.6750
US
$
1.0798 0.9261

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2350.65 2350.65
Oil
WTI Crude Future  79.23 78.74

Market Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1946, with the stock market still euphoric over peace, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit its immediate post-World War II high of 212.50, a level it would not surpass again until April 12, 1950, after four years of doldrums.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell for the second day, dropping 1.6%, or 367.07 to 21,897.98 in Toronto.

The move was the biggest since falling 2.3% on Feb. 13.
Today, financials stocks led the market lower, as all sectors lost; 196 of 223 shares fell, while 24 rose.
Bank of Montreal contributed the most to the index decline and had the largest move, decreasing 8.9%.

Insights
* In the past year, the index had a similar or greater loss four times. The next day, it declined three times for an average 0.3% and advanced 1.5% once
* This month, the index rose 0.8%
* The index advanced 9.7% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 25% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 2.9% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 17.2% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 2% in the past 5 days and fell 0.5% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.7 on a trailing basis and 15.3 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3.1% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.54t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 10.00% compared with 8.49% in the previous session and the average of 9.16% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | -163.3216| -2.4| 2/25
Materials | -60.6428| -2.1| 3/46
Energy | -54.8130| -1.3| 7/33
Industrials | -32.4445| -1.1| 1/26
Utilities | -19.8354| -2.3| 1/14
Consumer Staples | -11.1291| -1.2| 4/7
Consumer Discretionary| -7.6162| -1.0| 0/13
Communication Services| -7.4956| -1.1| 0/5
Real Estate | -5.9138| -1.3| 2/18
Information Technology| -3.4030| -0.2| 4/6
Health Care | -0.4497| -0.8| 0/3
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
Bank of Montreal | -58.9400| -8.9| 214.4| -8.9
RBC | -23.1200| -1.6| -36.8| 5.2
Canadian Natural Resources | -19.8100| -2.5| 19.2| 18.7
Cameco | 2.0640| 0.9| -0.8| 30.5
Shopify | 5.3210| 0.8| 27.3| -22.4
National Bank of Canada | 6.8290| 2.6| 114.9| 14.7

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — A slide in bonds dragged down stocks as another weak sale of Treasuries raised concern that funding the US deficit will drive up yields at a time when the Federal Reserve is in no rush to cut rates.
The US sold $44 billion in seven-year notes at 4.650% — above the pre-auction level of 4.637%.

That’s just a day after two other offerings totaling $139 billion saw lackluster demand.
Those bond sales are exerting a growing sway over several asset classes, underscoring how the uncertainties over monetary policy continue to grip markets as inflation shows little signs of moderation.
“The “set-up’ right now is quickly becoming a concern,” said Matt Maley at Miller Tabak + Co. “Not only are yields rising again in the US, but they are moving higher in other parts of the world. That is not good news for a stock market
that’s trading at 22 times forward earnings.”
All major groups in the S&P 500 fell as the gauge closed at 5,266.95.

In late trading, Salesforce Inc. sank on a bearish sales outlook that fueled concerns of a slowdown at the software giant.
HP Inc. reported revenue that topped estimates, including the first increase in PC sales in two years.
Treasury 10-year yields climbed six basis points to 4.61%.
European bonds also tumbled, sending yields to multi-month highs after inflation in Germany quickened more than expected, denting bets on a faster pace of rate cuts.

The dollar rose the most in a month.
“Bond yields may be moving higher mainly due to supply of bonds and the continued massive deficit — and not because of a concern around inflation or strong economy,” said Eric Johnston at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Worries about the US deficit — mixed with other factors — sent long-term interest rates surging in early October, with the yield on the benchmark 30-year Treasury bond touching a 16-year high.
The US economy expanded at a “slight or modest” pace across most regions since early April and consumers pushed back against higher prices, the Fed said in its Beige Book survey of regional business contacts.
“Consumers are becoming more price-conscious, likely putting pressure on profit margins,” said Jeff Roach at LPL Financial. “We should expect more discounts and incentives as some consumers struggle with persistently high prices.”
Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues have stressed the need for more evidence that inflation is on a sustained path to their 2% goal before cutting the benchmark interest rate, which has been at a two-decade high since July.
“We continue to believe that US sovereign yields should end the year lower as inflation and economic growth slow and the Fed cuts rates in the last months of the year,” said Solita Marcelli at UBS Global Wealth Management.
Meantime, the options market is betting that the S&P 500 will see muted swings following this week’s bond auctions and the Fed’s favorite underlying inflation gauge Friday, with traders instead looking ahead to next month’s reading on
consumer prices and the central bank’s upcoming meeting.
The benchmark equities gauge is implied to move just 0.5% in either direction following the personal consumption expenditures price index, based on the cost of at-the-money puts and calls, per Stuart Kaiser, Citigroup Inc.’s head of US equity trading strategy.
The reading is less than the implied move on June 7 — the next jobs report — and CPI and the Fed’s upcoming rate decision — both on June 12, which would be the largest ahead of a central bank meeting since December, Kaiser said.
Bank of America Corp. clients were net sellers of US equities for a fourth consecutive week as they offloaded $2 billion dollars’ worth of shares during the five-day period ended last Friday.
Outflows came chiefly from hedge funds and retail investors as institutions were net buyers, quantitative strategists led by Jill Carey Hall wrote.
Hedge funds’ exposure to US technology behemoths hit a record high following Nvidia Corp.’s estimate-thumping earnings report last week, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s prime brokerage.
The so-called Magnificent Seven companies — Nvidia, Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc., Tesla Inc. and Microsoft Corp. — now account for about 20.7% of hedge funds’ total net exposure to US single stocks, the report showed.

Corporate Highlights:
* ConocoPhillips agreed to acquire Marathon Oil Corp. in an all-stock deal valuing the company at about $17 billion, extending a major buying spree among the largest players in the US oil and gas industry.
* Exxon Mobil Corp. pledged to be a “forceful advocate” for shareholder rights as it confronts activist investors that the oil giant accuses of abusing the US proxy voting system.
* BHP Group decided against making a firm offer for Anglo American Plc, instead walking away for now from what would have been the biggest mining deal in over a decade.
* Abercrombie & Fitch Co. shares jumped after the retailer blew past first-quarter sales estimates, extending its bounce back from the teen fashion graveyard.

Key events this week:
* Eurozone economic confidence, unemployment, consumer confidence, Thursday
* US initial jobless claims, GDP, Thursday
* Fed’s John Williams and Lorie Logan speak, Thursday
* Japan unemployment, Tokyo CPI, industrial production, retail sales, Friday
* China official manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI, Friday
* Eurozone CPI, Friday
* US consumer income, spending, PCE deflator, Friday
* Fed’s Raphael Bostic speak, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 0.7% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.7%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.1%
* The MSCI World Index fell 1%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.5%
* The euro fell 0.5% to $1.0802
* The British pound fell 0.5% to $1.2702
* The Japanese yen fell 0.3% to 157.69 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin fell 1.5% to $67,212.04
* Ether fell 2.1% to $3,746.43

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced six basis points to 4.61%
* Germany’s 10-year yield advanced 10 basis points to 2.69%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced 12 basis points to 4.40%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1% to $79.01 a barrel
* Spot gold fell 1% to $2,336.85 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Jessica Menton, Rob Verdonck, Winnie Hsu, Alex Nicholson, Farah Elbahrawy, Elizabeth Stanton, Edward Bolingbroke, Felice Maranz and Alexandra Semenova.

Have a lovely evening.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Carolann
Volumes are now written and spoken upon the effect of the mind upon the body.  Much of it is true.
But I wish a little more was thought of the effect of the body on the mind. –Florence Nightingale, 1829-1910.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

May 28, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: St, Bernard of Montjoux, France.
May 28, 1892: Sierra Club is founded.
May 28, 1937: Volkswagen is founded.  The automobile manufacturer whose name means “People’s Car” in German.
May 28, 1933: Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Securities Act of 1933, requiring all issuers of stocks and bonds to publish a prospectus disclosing risks, conflicts of interest, and ownership positions. Go to article >>

Ian Fleming, writer, b. 1908.

Catering to the ultra-rich is a booming business in Australia.

India celebrates historic Grand Prix win at the Cannes Film Festival
Payal Kapadia made history as she became the first person from India to win the Grand Prix award for her film “All We Imagine As Light.”

A household bug has unexpected origins
Move over, cicadas. Here’s how one of the world’s most successful indoor pests took over the planet.

Dallas Mavericks one win away from NBA Finals
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 on Sunday to move to 3-0 in the series and knock on the door of their first NBA Finals in 13 years. The Boston Celtics swept Indiana Monday to punch their ticket to the championship series.

James Webb telescope sees ‘birth’ of 3 of the universe’s earliest galaxies in world-1st observations
The James Webb Space Telescope may have spotted the birth of some of the earliest galaxies in the universe for the first time ever, new research hints. Read More.

China’s ‘heavenly pits’: The giant sinkholes that have ancient forests growing within
China’s southwestern karst landscape is pockmarked with dozens of enormous sinkholes that look like they were made with a cookie cutter — and scientists keep finding new ones. Read More.

NASA detects Earth-size planet just 40 light-years away that’s ‘not a bad place’ to hunt for life
The exoplanet Gliese 12 b is tantalizingly close and moderately warm, situated just 40 light-years away around a red dwarf star. The potentially habitable planet could be a good place to search for alien life, scientists say. Read More.

What’s the highest place on Earth that humans live?
Inhabitants of the world’s highest settlement, La Rinconada, in the Peruvian Andes, face a unique set of challenges.  Full Story: Live Science (5/27)

DeepMind’s AI program AlphaFold3 can predict the structure of every protein in the universe — and show how they function
AlphaFold3 uses AI to helps scientists more accurately predict how proteins interact with other biological molecules. Read More.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Paris, France
Barriers are set up on the Champ de Mars for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This venue is hosting the beach volleyball and cécifoot (blind football) events
Photograph: Adrien Fillon/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Mexico City’s Unesco-listed chinampas, or ‘floating gardens’, in the southern district of Xochimilco, are a network of artificial strips of farmland built on shallow lakes. The practice of farming on staked-out raised beds divided by canals has its origins in ancient pre-Aztec agriculture, but it was the Aztecs who developed this method of cultivation into an extensive network in the Valley of Mexico. Over centuries, drainage, flood control, urbanisation and the climate crisis destroyed much of these waterways, leaving only a few oases for wildlife and migratory birds

​​​​​​​Sydney, Australia
The Australian artist Julia Gutman’s animation Lighting of the Sails: Echo is projected on to Sydney Opera House during the Vivid Sydney festival
Photograph: Roni Bintang/Anadolu/Getty Images
Market Closes for May 28th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
38852.86 -216.73
-0.55%
S&P 500 5306.04 +1.32
+0.05%
NASDAQ  17019.88 +99.09
+0.59%
TSX 22265.05 -108.33
-0.48%

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38855.37 -44.65
-0.11%
HANG
SENG
18821.16 -6.19
-0.03%
SENSEX 75170.45 -220.05
-0.29%
FTSE 100* 8254.18 -63.41
-0.76%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.698 3.624
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.562 3.484
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.5500 N.A.
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.6658 N.A.

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7327 0.7336
US
$
1.3648 1.3631

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4812 0.6751
US
$
1.0853 0.9214

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2350.65 N.A.
Oil
WTI Crude Future  78.74 N.A.

Market Commentary:

📈 On this day in 1962, the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst one-day point drop since 1929, falling 34.95 points, or 5.7%. On “Blue Monday,” volume was a huge 9.35 million shares and the ticker ran 2 hours and 28 minutes late in recording closing prices.

Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.5% at 22,265.05 in Toronto.

The move follows the previous session’s increase of 0.2%.
Today, financials stocks led the market lower, as 8 of 11 sectors lost; 131 of 223 shares fell, while 90 rose.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 3.1%.

Brookfield Business Partners LP had the largest drop, falling 5.4%.
Insights
* This month, the index rose 2.5%
* The index advanced 12% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 26% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1.3% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 19.1% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 0.9% in the past 5 days and rose 1.3% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18 on a trailing basis and 15.5 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.56t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 8.49% compared with 8.47% in the previous session and the average of 9.12% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | -75.0853| -1.1| 3/24
Industrials | -65.2212| -2.1| 2/25
Utilities | -12.7193| -1.5| 2/13
Consumer Discretionary | -9.5399| -1.2| 2/11
Consumer Staples | -8.4608| -0.9| 2/9
Real Estate | -7.1623| -1.6| 0/20
Health Care | -0.6833| -1.2| 0/4
Communication Services | -0.5862| -0.1| 2/2
Information Technology | 13.9559| 0.8| 5/5
Materials | 24.3235| 0.9| 36/14
Energy | 32.8663| 0.8| 36/4
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
Canadian Pacific Kansas | -22.1600| -3.1| 7.6| 1.2
Canadian National | -19.8400| -2.8| 29.1| 1.7
TD Bank | -14.7700| -1.6| -31.8| -11.5
Cenovus Energy | 7.4340| 2.9| -28.9| 30.3
Constellation Software | 7.8520| 1.5| -37.8| 15.1
Shopify | 10.5600| 1.6| -14.3| -23.0

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — The world’s biggest bond market sold off after weak Treasury sales, with traders also weighing mixed economic data and remarks from Federal Reserve speakers for clues on the policy outlook.
Treasuries extended losses after the US sold $70 billion of five-year notes at 4.553% — above the pre-auction level of 4.540%.

An earlier offering of $69 billion in two-year notes also came on the soft side.
Just a few days before the Fed’s favorite price gauge, a report showed US consumer confidence unexpectedly rose in May — though recession expectations increased as well.
“Treasury yields are rising to the high of the day after the 5-year auction was poor,” said Peter Boockvar at The Boock Report. “This follows the 2-year auction earlier today that was mediocre — and will be followed by a 7-year tomorrow.”
US 10-year yields climbed eight basis points to 4.54%.

The S&P 500 was little changed.
Nvidia Corp. rallied after the Information reported Elon Musk has indicated its artificial intelligence startup xAI — which has raised $6 billion — will use the chipmaker’s H100 graphics processing units.
Bitcoin fell as traders monitored transfers by wallets belonging to the failed Mt. Gox exchange.

Oil advanced as tensions flared in the Middle East, with a vessel attacked in the Red Sea and Israeli tanks reaching the center of Rafah.
“It may be a short week, but it looks to be a busy one,” said Chris Larkin at E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. “With last week’s FOMC minutes sounding a hawkish tone, traders will be eager to see cool data that could make it easier for the Fed to cut rates.”
As Wall Street returned from the holiday weekend, the “T+1” rule came into effect — making US equities settle in one day rather than two.
Investors also waded through remarks from Fed Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari, who said the policy stance is restrictive, but officials haven’t entirely ruled out additional rate hikes.
Bond traders who are stuck in a waiting game over Fed rate policy may soon get some welcome support.
Starting on Wednesday, and for the first time since the early 2000s, the Treasury Department will launch a series of buybacks targeting seasoned and harder-to-trade debt.

Then in June, the US central bank is set to begin tapering the pace of its balance-sheet unwind, known as quantitative tightening, or QT.
The Fed’s first-line inflation gauge is about to show some modest relief from stubborn price pressures, corroborating central bankers’ prudence about the timing of interest-rate cuts.
Economists expect the personal consumption expenditures price index minus food and energy — due on Friday — to rise 0.2% in April.

That would mark the smallest advance so far this year for the measure, which provides a better snapshot of underlying inflation.
Swap contracts are currently pricing in around 30 basis points of Fed rate cuts for all of 2024 — which equates to one reduction as the Fed moves have historically been increments of 25 basis points.
“We now expect the first Fed rate cut to come in November or December,” said Chris Low at FHN Financial. “The FOMC is looking for multiple good inflation reports, and by good, people like Governor Christopher Waller imply they should be mostly better even than April, let alone any of the months of the first quarter.”

Corporate Highlights:
* Hess Corp. shareholders approved Chevron Corp.’s $53 billion takeover despite reservations among several prominent investors about a dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp. over a key asset.
* T-Mobile US Inc., the second-largest mobile carrier in the US, has agreed to buy US Cellular Corp.’s wireless operations and some of its spectrum assets for about $2.4 billion.
* Apple Inc.’s iPhone staged a rebound in China last month with shipments rising 52% amid a flurry of discounts from retail partners.
* Elliott Investment Management has invested more than $2.5 billion in Texas Instruments Inc. and is pushing the chipmaker to improve free cash flow, setting the stage for another campaign by the influential activist investor.
* GameStop Corp. said it brought in nearly $1 billion from a share sale program amid renewed interest for the so-called meme stock.
* DraftKings Inc. and FanDuel-owner Flutter Entertainment Plc fell after the Illinois Senate passed legislation that would raise taxes on sports betting.

Key events this week:
* Germany CPI, Wednesday
* Fed’s Beige Book, Wednesday
* Fed’s John Williams speaks, Wednesday
* Eurozone economic confidence, unemployment, consumer confidence, Thursday
* US initial jobless claims, GDP, wholesale inventories, Thursday
* Fed’s John Williams and Lorie Logan speak, Thursday
* Japan unemployment, Tokyo CPI, industrial production, retail sales, Friday
* China official manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI, Friday
* Eurozone CPI, Friday
* US consumer income, spending, PCE deflator, Friday
* Fed’s Raphael Bostic speak, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 was little changed as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.3%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6%
* The MSCI World Index fell 0.1%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
* The euro was little changed at $1.0861
* The British pound was little changed at $1.2763
* The Japanese yen fell 0.2% to 157.14 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin fell 1.8% to $68,370.57
* Ether fell 1.3% to $3,838.47

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced eight basis points to 4.54%
* Germany’s 10-year yield advanced five basis points to 2.59%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced two basis points to 4.28%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3.1% to $80.16 a barrel
* Spot gold rose 0.3% to $2,358.58 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.–With assistance from Elizabeth Stanton, Edward Bolingbroke, Liz Capo McCormick, Michael Mackenzie, Vince Golle, Craig Stirling, Jason Scott, Aya Wagatsuma, Alex Nicholson and Allegra Catelli.
Have a  lovely evening.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
Print will never die.  Ther’s no substitute for the feel of an actual book.  I adore physically turning the pages, and being able to underline passages and not worrying about dropping them in the bath or running out of power.  I also find print books objects of beauty. – J.K. Rowling, b. 1965.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

May 27, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Monday.

Today is Memorial Day in the US, the day that Americans have honored since 1868, when they mourn those military personnel who have died in the service of the country – so that those they leave behind can live in freedom in a democracy.

I came across a poignant story this morning from Heather Cox Richardson, who is a Professor of History at Boston College, and who writes a daily newsletter for which I am a subscriber.   She writes that one of the people that she mourns every Memorial Day is Beau Bryant.  Here is what she wrote for today:

“When we were growing up, we hung out at one particular house where a friend’s mom provided unlimited peanut butter and fluff sandwiches, Uno games, iced tea and lemonade, sympathetic ears, and stories. She talked about Beau, her older brother, in the same way we talked about all our people, and her stories made him part of our world even though he had been killed in World War II 19 years before we were born.
Beau’s real name was Floyston, and he had always stepped in as a father to his three younger sisters when their own father fell short.
When World War II came, Beau was working as a plumber and was helping his mother make ends meet, but in September 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He became a staff sergeant in the 322nd Bomber Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, nicknamed “Wray’s Ragged Irregulars” after their commander Colonel Stanley T. Wray. By the time Beau joined, the squadron was training with new B-17s at Dow Army Airfield near Bangor, Maine, and before deploying to England he hitchhiked three hours home so he could see his family once more.
It would be the last time. The 91st Bomb Group was a pioneer bomb group, figuring out tactics for air cover. By May 1943 it was experienced enough to lead the Eighth Air Force as it sought to establish air superiority over Europe. But the 91st did not have adequate fighter support until 1944. It had the greatest casualty rate of any of the heavy bomber squadrons.
Beau was one of the casualties. On August 12, 1943, just a week before his sister turned 18, while he was on a mission, enemy flak cut his oxygen line and he died before the plane could make it back to base. He was buried in Cambridge, England, at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, the military cemetery for Americans killed in action during WWII. He was twenty years old.
I grew up with Beau’s nephews and nieces, and we made decades of havoc and memories. But Beau’s children weren’t there, and neither he nor they are part of the memories.
Thinking about our untimely dead is hard enough, but I am haunted by the holes those deaths rip forever in the social fabric: the discoveries not made, the problems not solved, the marriages not celebrated, the babies not born.
I know of this man only what his sister told me: that he was a decent fellow who did what he could to support his mother and his sisters. Before he entered the service, he once spent a week’s paycheck on a dress for my friend’s mother so she could go to a dance.
And he gave up not only his life but also his future to protect American democracy against the spread of fascism.
I first wrote about Beau when his sister passed, for it felt to me like another kind of death that, with his sisters now all gone, along with almost all of their friends, soon there would be no one left who even remembered his name.
But something amazing happened after I wrote about him. People started visiting Beau’s grave in England, leaving flowers, and sending me pictures of the cross that bears his name.
So he, and perhaps all he stood for, will not be forgotten after all.
May you have a meaningful Memorial Day.”

May 27, 1851: The world’s first international chess tournament is held in London.
May 27, 1930: Scotch tape patented.
May 27,1937: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, opens.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Pescadero, US
The sun sets behind the Pigeon Point lighthouse in California
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Dakar, Senegal
A surfer enjoys some Atlantic Ocean waves. In Senegal, which has 450 miles (724km) of coastline, surf schools with large and small beaches along the coastline are flooded by surfing enthusiasts
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

​​​​​​​Frankfurt, Germany
Two hares run over a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt
Photograph: Michael Probst/AP
Market Closes for May 27th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
Market Closed N.A.
S&P 500 Market Closed N.A.
NASDAQ  Market Closed N.A.
TSX 22373.38 +52.51
+0.24%

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38900.02 +253.91
+0.66%
HANG
SENG
18827.35 +218.41
+1.17%
SENSEX 75390.50 -19.89
-0.03%
FTSE 100* Market Closed N.A.

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.624 3.598
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.484 3.467
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
N.A. 4.4650
U.S.
30 Year Bond
N.A. 4.5700

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7336 0.7315
US
$
1.3631 1.3671

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4803 0.6755
US
$
1.0859 0.9209

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
N.A. 2342.70
Oil
WTI Crude Future  N.A. 77.61

Market Commentary:
Trying to minimize taxes too much is one of the great causes of really dumb mistakes in investing. –Charlie Munger, 1924-2023.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose for the second day, climbing 0.2%, or 52.51 to 22,373.38 in Toronto.
Barrick Gold Corp. contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 1.6%.

Osisko Mining Inc. had the largest increase, rising 4.8%.
Today, 159 of 223 shares rose, while 61 fell; 8 of 11 sectors were higher, led by materials stocks.

Insights
* This month, the index rose 3%
* The index advanced 12% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 26% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 0.8% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 19.7% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 0.4% in the past 5 days and rose 1.8% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.1 on a trailing basis and 15.6 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.55t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 8.47% compared with 8.82% in the previous session and the average of 9.15% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Materials | 32.8074| 1.2| 44/6
Energy | 9.8611| 0.2| 33/7
Industrials | 9.2036| 0.3| 20/7
Financials | 4.8853| 0.1| 18/9
Consumer Discretionary | 3.7590| 0.5| 10/3
Utilities | 1.8956| 0.2| 10/5
Real Estate | 1.5401| 0.3| 12/6
Communication Services | 0.0018| 0.0| 2/3
Health Care | -0.4783| -0.8| 1/3
Consumer Staples | -0.7414| -0.1| 4/7
Information Technology | -10.2081| -0.6| 5/5
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
Barrick Gold | 4.5420| 1.6| -87.0| -1.3
Agnico Eagle Mines | 4.5250| 1.4| -80.6| 29.2
Canadian National | 3.6760| 0.5| -56.8| 4.6
TD Bank | -3.8470| -0.4| -74.9| -10.1
Brookfield Corp | -5.6000| -0.9| -70.8| 14.1
Constellation Software | -13.0900| -2.5| -64.7| 13.3

US
US markets closed for Memorial Day.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Be magnificent!
As ever,

Carolann
One day President Roosevelt told me that he was asking publicly for suggestions about what the war should be called.  I said at once ‘The Unnecessary War.’ –Winston Churchill, 1874-1965.

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP®, CIM, CIWM
Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,
St. Andrew’s Square,
Suite 340A, 730 View St.,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7

Tel: 778.430.5808
(C): 250.881.0801
Toll Free: 1.877.430.5895
Fax: 778.430.5828
www.carolannsteinhoff.com

May 24, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday!
Carolann is away from the office; I will be writing the newsletter on her behalf.

Mysterious ‘puffy’ planet may finally be explained by James Webb Space Telescope
The exoplanet WASP-107 b is one of the least dense planets ever discovered. New James Webb telescope observations may reveal how the mysterious world got so ‘puffy’.

Black hole spin speed revealed in new study of churning space-time
Scientists have calculated the speed of a spinning supermassive black hole by studying the ‘spaghettified’ remains of a star it destroyed.

DeepMind’s AI program AlphaFold3 can predict the structure of every protein in the universe — and show how they function
AlphaFold3 uses AI to helps scientists more accurately predict how proteins interact with other biological molecules.

Crows can count out loud, startling study reveals
This is the first time an animal other than humans has been seen performing the feat of vocal numeracy.

No, a ‘planetary parade’ will not be visible from Earth on June 3. Here’s what you can really see.
Despite a flurry of online reports about a “planetary parade” of six worlds aligning on June 3, only two planets will be clearly visible from Earth. (And they’ve been visible all month.)

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Teahupo’o, French Polynesia
The Moroccan surfer Ramzi Boukhiam trains for the WSL Tahiti Pro competition on the island of Tahiti
Photograph: Jérôme Brouillet/AFP/Getty Images

Tokat, Turkey
Shepherds lead their animals to the highlands of the tableland as the weather gets warmer during sunset
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

​​​​​​​Magelang, Indonesia
People take part in the lantern festival during the commemoration of Vesak Day 2568 BE (Buddhist era) at Borobudur Temple in Central Java. Vesak Day is observed during the full moon in May or June to celebrate the birth, enlightenment to nirvana, and passing of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
Photograph: Aditya Irawan/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
Market Closes for May 24th, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
39069.59 +4.33
+0.01%
S&P 500 5304.72 +36.88
+0.70%
NASDAQ  16920.80 +184.77
+1.10%
TSX 22320.87 +120.08
+0.54%

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 38646.11 -457.11
-1.17%
HANG
SENG
18608.94 -259.77
-1.38%
SENSEX 75410.39 -7.65
-0.01%
FTSE 100* 8317.59 -21.64
-0.26%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.598 3.619
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.467 3.492
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.4650 4.4767
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.5700 4.5816

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7315 0.7285
US
$
1.3671 1.3728

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4829 0.6744
US
$
1.0848 0.9218

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2342.70 2357.35
Oil
WTI Crude Future  77.61 77.61

Market Commentary:
📈 On May 25, 2006, former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay and former President Jeffrey Skilling were convicted of fraud and conspiracy in relation to the company’s December 2001 collapse.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.5% at 22,320.87 in Toronto.

The move follows the previous session’s decrease of 0.7%.
Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index gain, increasing 2.3%.

Celestica Inc. had the largest increase, rising 5.6%.
Today, 159 of 223 shares rose, while 59 fell; 9 of 11 sectors were higher, led by financials stocks.

Insights
* This month, the index rose 2.8%
* So far this week, the index fell 0.6%, heading for the biggest decline since the week ended April 12
* The index advanced 12% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 28% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 19.4% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18 on a trailing basis and 15.6 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.53t
* 30-day price volatility fell to 8.82% compared with 9.20% in the previous session and the average of 9.04% over the past month
================================================================
|Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Financials | 52.4316| 0.8| 23/4
Energy | 23.9421| 0.6| 34/6
Materials | 18.3411| 0.7| 39/11
Industrials | 11.6991| 0.4| 19/8
Consumer Staples | 5.8931| 0.6| 7/3
Information Technology | 4.8881| 0.3| 4/5
Utilities | 4.1851| 0.5| 11/3
Consumer Discretionary | 3.8782| 0.5| 7/6
Health Care | 0.2487| 0.4| 2/2
Real Estate | -0.0693| 0.0| 10/9
Communication Services | -5.3428| -0.8| 3/2
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points| | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move |% Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
TD Bank | 21.1000| 2.3| -22.9| -9.7
Constellation Software | 13.2200| 2.6| 13.7| 16.2
Canadian Natural Resources | 8.3310| 1.1| 34.9| 20.6
Nutrien | -3.0090| -1.1| 36.4| 7.8
BCE | -3.5090| -1.2| 34.8| -12.0
Shopify | -11.1500| -1.7| -32.8| -24.5

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Stocks rose after data showed American consumers tempered inflation expectations, bolstering sentiment regarding prospects for Federal Reserve rate-cuts this year.
The S&P 500 rebounded after a two-day slide.

When traders come back from the holiday weekend, the “T+1” rule will come into effect — making US equities settle in one day rather than two.
Treasuries barely budged after Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he still thinks the neutral interest-rate is relatively low, while warning that unsustainable fiscal spending could alter that trend.
Wall Street got a degree of relief as University of Michigan data showed consumers expect prices to climb at a 3.3% annual rate over the next year, down from the 3.5% expected earlier in the month.
“After further review, the consumer is not as pessimistic about the inflation trajectory,” said Jeff Roach at LPL Financial. “Consumer spending could slow, easing up inflationary pressures from the demand side of the economy.”
In a session of low trading volume, the S&P 500 reclaimed the 5,300 mark, erasing this week’s losses.

The Nasdaq 100 hit a fresh all-time high, led by gains in Nvidia Corp. and Apple Inc.
Crypto stocks climbed as the Securities and Exchange Commission paved the way for the eventual launch of the first US exchange-traded funds investing directly in Ether.
US 10-year yields fell one basis point to 4.46%, with the bond market closing early ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.

The dollar halted a four-day winning run.
The yen fluctuated as Japan’s top currency official reiterated his stance to take steps against excessive moves. Oil and gold edged up.
The consumer outlook dimmed in May as growing cracks in the foundation of the labor market and the realization that interest rates may remain higher for longer weighed on the collective mood, according to Jim Baird at Plante Moran Financial Advisors.
“Will they continue to spend or begin to retrench in anticipation of tougher sledding ahead?” Baird noted. “That’s the unanswered question. If May’s sentiment index provides any indication of the near-term direction, a more pessimistic
consumer is likely to tighten their proverbial purse strings a bit in the coming months.”
The Fed’s favored inflation gauge — the core PCE deflator due next Friday — will likely moderate to the slowest monthly pace yet this year, according to Stuart Paul at Bloomberg Economics. However, the moderation was likely related to a sharp drop in volatile airfares — while easing financial conditions continued to boost inflation.
To Quincy Krosby at LPL Financial, the report could offer the market a decidedly positive catalyst if the data comes in cooler than expectations.
“Absent that, even if the PCE remains steady, the market could be satisfied that inflation remains somewhat contained,” she noted. “But yesterday’s market action suggests that investors and traders alike are losing patience with the Fed’s
inability to quell prices that insist on rising.”

Minutes from the two-day Federal Open Market Committee gathering ending May 1 released Wednesday showed that, while participants assessed monetary policy was “well positioned,” various officials mentioned a willingness to tighten further if warranted.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists including Jan Hatzius moved their forecast for the Fed’s first rate cut to September from July.
“Earlier this week, we noted that comments from Fed officials suggested that a July cut would likely require not just better inflation numbers but also meaningful signs of softness in the activity or labor market data,” they wrote.

Florian Ielpo at Lombard Odier Asset Management remarks that it was another week indeed dominated by “Fed anxiety.”
“Let’s however remember that despite rising rates, company earnings appear resilient, subtly suggesting that the impact of what’s typically seen as positive economic news might be less straightforward,” Ielpo said.
Similar to the actual path of inflation itself, mentions of the word on S&P 500 company earnings calls have rolled over, according to Ryan Grabinski at Strategas Securities.
“However, it is still elevated to pre-pandemic levels, similar to the actual rate of inflation today,” he said. “It will be telling to see how companies deal with elevated inflation over the next several quarters, but given the upward trajectory in margins, it would seem the base case is to continue to push cost on to the consumer.”
To Deutsche Bank AG’s Binky Chadha, the stock market can keep soaring to all-time highs even if the Fed forgoes rate reductions this year as the economy and earnings are growing.
Meantime, Bank of America Corp. strategist Michael Hartnett says the rally in global equity markets is at risk of overheating, saying that rising breadth could trigger a contrarian sell signal.
While concentrated markets have not historically led to bad returns, it is usually a sign of a healthier economy when breadth is better, according to Ross Mayfield at Baird Private Wealth Management.
“And while there was some angst last year over heavy concentration in Big Tech stocks, the market has broadened out significantly in recent months,” he noted.
In a bull market with no crashes, no sudden spikes in volatility and no lasting correction, cautious investors are struggling to find effective ways to hedge their positions. 

Buying put options, a traditional choice for protecting against downturns, has failed to pay off for investors wary of the rally that pushed stocks around the globe to new all-time highs.
Volatility sellers pushed the VIX Index down to the lowest level since 2019 this month and the S&P 500 Index has gone more than 300 days without a dropping 2% in a single session.

Corporate Highlights:
* The top US auto-safety regulator expanded its investigation into Waymo, the autonomous-vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., after more incidents were identified in which the company’s cars were involved in collisions or may have violated traffic laws.
* Workday Inc. tumbled after the software company cut its full- year forecast for subscription revenue and said customers were being more cautious with orders.
* Elon Musk’s SpaceX has initiated discussions about selling existing shares at a price that could value the closely held company at roughly $200 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
* Health-care payments software firm Waystar Holding Corp. is moving ahead with a planned US initial public offering that’s expected to launch as soon as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter.
* Eli Lilly & Co. will spend $5.3 billion to boost production of a key ingredient in its weight-loss and diabetes shots after the treatments’ explosive popularity led to shortages.
* Novo Nordisk A/S’s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic cut patients’ risk of dying in a kidney-disease study, the latest research pointing to the medicine’s usefulness in a constellation of disorders.

Some market moves:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 rose 0.7% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 rose 1%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average was little changed
* The MSCI World Index rose 0.5%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2%
* The euro rose 0.3% to $1.0849
* The British pound rose 0.3% to $1.2740
* The Japanese yen was unchanged at 156.93 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin rose 2.1% to $69,175.88
* Ether fell 0.3% to $3,746.38

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined one basis point to 4.46%
* Germany’s 10-year yield declined one basis point to 2.58%
* Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 4.26%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.1% to $77.75 a barrel
* Spot gold rose 0.2% to $2,334.41 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Alexandra Semenova, Sagarika Jaisinghani, Jan-Patrick Barnert, and Vince Golle.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Shabnam
“Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits.”– Twyla Tharp

Shabnam Mohammadpourmarzbali
Assistant to Carolann Steinhoff
Queensbury Securities Inc.

340A – 730 View Street
Victoria BC  V8W 3Y7
Tel: 778-430-5851
Fax: 778-430-5828

May 23, 2024, Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents: Happy Friday Eve!
Carolann is away from the office; I will be writing the newsletter on her behalf.

Metal detectorists unearth 300-year-old coin stash hidden by legendary Polish con man 
Metal detectorists have unearthed a cache of gold and silver coins hidden in a mountain range in Poland that once belonged to a legendary con artist.

Scientists just discovered an enormous lithium reservoir under Pennsylvania
The new source of lithium, which could meet up to 40% of U.S. demand, was discovered in fracking wastewater.

‘Manhattan henge’ returns: Where and when to see the sun ‘kiss the grid’ in New York next week. Read more.

Euclid space telescope reveals more than 300,000 new objects in 1st 24 hours of observations (photos)

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

La Paz, Bolivia
A full moon rises behind Illimani Mountain
Photograph: Esteban Biba/EPA

Atmospheric fireworks | Dordogne, France
Photographer Julien Looten: ‘Last winter, I ventured to the foot of a medieval castle in France to capture the Milky Way’s winter arch. An exceptional airglow illuminated the sky, resembling multicoloured clouds. This phenomenon occurs due to a chemical reaction in the upper atmosphere, emitting faint light known as chemiluminescenc. You can also see, from left to right, Sirius and the constellation of Orion, Mars, the Pleiades, the California nebula, Cassiopeia, the double cluster of Perseus, and the Andromeda galaxy’
Photograph: Julien Looten/2024 Milky Way photographer of the year

​​​​​​​London, UK
‘The poppy meadow at London Fields in Hackney.’
Photograph: Jerry Sandler
Market Closes for May 23rd, 2024

Market
Index
Close Change
Dow
Jones
39065.26 -605.78
-1.53%
S&P 500 5267.84 -39.17
-0.74%
NASDAQ  16736.04 -65.50
-0.39%
TSX 22200.79 -145.97
-0.65%

International Markets

Market
Index
Close Change
NIKKEI 39103.22 +486.12
+1.26%
HANG
SENG
18868.71 -326.89
-1.70%
SENSEX 75418.04 +1196.98
+1.61%
FTSE 100* 8339.23 -31.10
-0.37%

Bonds

Bonds % Yield Previous % Yield
CND.
10 Year Bond
3.619 3.589
CND.
30 Year
Bond
3.492 3.461
U.S.   
10 Year Bond
4.4767 4.4218
U.S.
30 Year Bond
4.5816 4.5377

Currencies

BOC Close Today Previous  
Canadian $ 0.7285 0.7305
US
$
1.3728 1.3690

 

Euro Rate
1 Euro=
Inverse   
Canadian $ 1.4845 0.6736
US
$
1.0814 0.9247

Commodities

Gold Close Previous
London Gold
Fix 
2357.35 2407.90
Oil
WTI Crude Future  77.61 78.23

Market Commentary:
📈 On this day in 1995: Sun Microsystems launched Java, the now widely used internet-programming language. Sun was bought by Oracle over a decade later.
Canada
By Bloomberg Automation
(Bloomberg) — The S&P/TSX Composite fell for the second day, dropping 0.7%, or 145.97 to 22,200.79 in Toronto.

The move was the biggest since falling 1.3% on April 30.
Toronto-Dominion Bank contributed the most to the index decline, decreasing 1.6%.

Bombardier Inc. had the largest drop, falling 7.6%.
Today, 175 of 223 shares fell, while 46 rose; 10 of 11 sectors were lower, led by materials stocks.

Insights
* This month, the index rose 2.2%
* So far this week, the index fell 1.2%, heading for the biggest decline since the week ended April 12
* The index advanced 10% in the past 52 weeks. The MSCI AC Americas Index gained 26% in the same period
* The S&P/TSX Composite is 1.6% below its 52-week high on May 21, 2024 and 18.8% above its low on Oct. 27, 2023
* The S&P/TSX Composite is down 0.4% in the past 5 days and rose 0.9% in the past 30 days
* S&P/TSX Composite is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.6 on a trailing basis and 15.7 times estimated earnings of its members for the coming year
* The index’s dividend yield is 3% on a trailing 12-month basis
* S&P/TSX Composite’s members have a total market capitalization of C$3.55t
* 30-day price volatility rose to 9.20% compared with 9.06% in the previous session and the average of 9.01% over the past month
================================================================
| Index Points | |
Sector Name | Move | % Change | Adv/Dec
================================================================
Materials | -37.3409| -1.3| 5/44
Financials | -30.3764| -0.4| 9/18
Energy | -26.7892| -0.7| 12/28
Industrials | -23.8063| -0.8| 5/22
Utilities | -10.3442| -1.2| 1/14
Information Technology | -10.2571| -0.6| 2/8
Consumer Discretionary | -7.9444| -1.0| 2/11
Communication Services | -4.7952| -0.7| 0/5
Real Estate | -4.3829| -1.0| 1/19
Health Care | -0.6356| -1.1| 0/4
Consumer Staples | 10.7210| 1.2| 9/2
================================================================
| | |Volume VS| YTD
|Index Points | | 20D AVG | Change
Top Contributors | Move | % Change | (%) | (%)
================================================================
TD Bank | -15.2700| -1.6| -3.7| -11.7
RBC | -13.1900| -0.9| 14.0| 7.2
Shopify | -10.3100| -1.5| 2.3| -23.2
Canadian Natural Resources | 2.2520| 0.3| 69.3| 19.3
Bank of Montreal | 2.6890| 0.4| 7.8| -0.9
Couche-Tard | 8.9920| 2.3| 43.6| 1.7

US
By Rita Nazareth
(Bloomberg) — Stocks and bonds retreated as data showing US business activity accelerated amid a pickup in inflation reinforced bets the Federal Reserve will remain on hold.
The S&P 500 dropped below 5,300, with all megacaps down except Nvidia Corp.

The giant chipmaker jumped over 9% on a solid outlook, topping the historic $1,000 mark.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.5%, led by a plunge in Boeing Co. — which said it will continue to burn cash this quarter and in the full year.
Treasury yields climbed, with the move led by shorter maturities.
10-Year TIPS Demand Weakens at May $16 Billion Reopening Auction.

Swaps now fully price in a full quarter-point rate cut in December, versus November a day earlier.
Growth in activity at service providers this month was the fastest in a year and manufacturing output expanded at a quicker pace.
Such resilience is making it difficult for inflation to cool, helping explain why the Fed is intent on keeping rates higher for longer.
“Fed members have indicated they want to see more progress on inflation – fortunately the US economy still looks robust enough to take an extended rate pause,” said Don Rissmiller at Strategas Securities. “We continue to look for the first Fed rate cut in September.”
Treasury two-year yields climbed seven basis points to 4.94%.

The dollar edged up.
Bitcoin fell over 4%.
Oil and gold retreated.
US policymakers earlier this month coalesced around a desire to hold rates higher for longer and “many” questioned whether policy was restrictive enough to bring inflation down to their target, according to Fed minutes released this week.
“The minutes are a reminder that while the Fed does not see another rate hike as likely — and certainly does not see it as a base-case — it will not rule out hikes if inflation does not behave,” said Chris Low at FHN Financial.
Meantime, another round of blowout earnings from artificial-intelligence darling Nvidia and the economy’s steady advance mean the S&P 500 likely has further room to rise, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s trading desk.
“With the AI-theme still delivering and the macro hypothesis intact, we are likely to continue to make new all- time highs,” the team including Head of US Market Intelligence Andrew Tyler wrote in a note to clients.

Key events this week:
* Japan CPI
* Canada retail sales
* Germany GDP
* US durable goods, consumer sentiment, Friday
* Fed’s Christopher Waller speaks, Friday

Some market moves:
Stocks
* The S&P 500 fell 0.7% as of 4 p.m. New York time
* The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.4%
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.5%
* The MSCI World Index fell 0.6%

Currencies
* The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%
* The euro fell 0.1% to $1.0809
* The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.2693
* The Japanese yen was little changed at 156.88 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies
* Bitcoin fell 4.3% to $66,428.35
* Ether fell 5.7% to $3,534.98

Bonds
* The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced five basis points to 4.48%
* Germany’s 10-year yield advanced six basis points to 2.60%
* Britain’s 10-year yield advanced three basis points to 4.26%

Commodities
* West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.9% to $76.87 a barrel
* Spot gold fell 2% to $2,331.70 an ounce

This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.

Have a wonderful evening everyone.

Be magnificent!

As ever,

Shabnam
” Art is the means we have of undoing the damage of haste. It’s what everything else isn’t.” — Theodore Huebner Roethke

Shabnam Mohammadpourmarzbali
Assistant to Carolann Steinhoff
Queensbury Securities Inc.

340A – 730 View Street
Victoria BC  V8W 3Y7
Tel: 778-430-5851
Fax: 778-430-5828