Despite Strong Economic News, Mr. Market Only Hears "Tapering" Rumors Today
Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
When Mr. Market has "tapering" on his mind, he goes nowhere but down, no matter what economic news tells us. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 have fallen 0.55% late in trading, following other global indexes down as it looks increasingly likely that the Federal Reserve will soon begin to wind down its $85 billion-per-month bond-buying program. Fed official Charles Evans said the market could handle tapering later this year and predicted that GDP growth would reach 2.5% in the second half and 3% next year. Most people glossed over the bullish economic predictions and focused solely on the tapering comments.
It was also reported today that the trade deficit fell substantially to $34.2 billion, primarily because oil imports dropped to $17.4 billion because of a spike in production. This is a long-term driver of growth in the U.S. and brings energy independence within sight.
IBM has led the Dow's downward slide, falling 2.3% today. The stock is the biggest component of the Dow by virtue of its high price, so it makes for a hefty anchor on the index when its value drops. Today the stock was downgraded by analysts at Credit Suisse, who now rate it "underperform." Analyst Kulbinder Garcha thinks the company's business is "effectively in decline" and that the stock is overvalued as a result. Analyst ratings can have an impact on a stock for a day or two, but in the long term the stock will trade on performance, so this isn't a reason to panic.
Disney stock is up 1.4% less than an hour ahead of its quarterly earnings report. Disney has beaten expectations for the past year and is doing well monetizing the media franchises it has acquired in recent years. This is a company dominating media, and investors are clearly expecting strong results today. Analysts are expecting earnings of $1.01 per share on revenue of $11.65 billion.
The television landscape is changing quickly, with new entrants like Netflix and Amazon.com disrupting traditional networks owned by old media like Disney. But Disney still plays a vital role by creating content these companies need. The Motley Fool's new free report "Who Will Own the Future of Television?" details the risks and opportunities in TV. Click here to read the full report!
The article Despite Strong Economic News, Mr. Market Only Hears "Tapering" Rumors Today originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of International Business Machines. and Walt Disney. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
