Stock Markets: Soft landing in sight?
People wait in line outside Macy’s before opening on “Black Friday” in New York City on November 24, 2023. The retail sector’s efforts to entice holiday gift purchases builds to a crescendo this weekend with the annual “Black Friday” shopping day followed by the newer “Cyber Monday.” (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Yuki Iwamura | Afp | Getty Images
This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.
What you need to know today
Summer ended green
The three major U.S. indexes climbed Friday, making August another month in the green for them, despite the sharp sell-off at the start of the month. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Monday. China’s Shanghai Composite dropped around 0.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index lost 1.53% on the back of China’s manufacturing PMI reading for August, which dropped to a six-month low.
Season for rate cuts
After interest rates globally rose to their highest in decades, central banks – most prominently the U.S. Federal Reserve – are poised to start cutting rates, or continue reducing them, as in the case of the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, among others. Here’s what it means for the global economy and markets.
BYD speeds past rivals
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD sold a record 370,854 passenger vehicles in August. That’s 30% higher than the year earlier, bucking the trend of weakening EV sales in China. Sales of Li Auto and Nio, rival Chinese EV manufacturers, dropped in August as compared with July.
(Monkey) King of games
Black Myth: Wukong is an action game developed by Chinese developer Game Science. It’s China’s first AAA game and is a smash hit, selling more than 10 million units three days after launching. It’s a sign China’s game industry is becoming competitive globally, posing a challenge to U.S. and Japanese companies that have dominated the field.
[PRO] Action-packed September
It’s going to be a packed month ahead, CNBC Pro’s Yun Li notes. The U.S. Federal Reserve will have its policy meeting on Sept. 17-18, where market watchers expect the Fed to cut interest rates. Before that, however, August nonfarm payrolls will be out Sept. 6, and consumer and producer price indexes just a few days later.
The bottom line
The plane encountered some turbulence earlier in the month, but the skies are looking calmer now, increasing the odds for a soft landing.
It’s undeniable that July’s jobs report was bad. Panic spread. Goldman Sachs raised its forecast for the U.S. to enter a recession in the next 12 months to 25% from 10%.
But, with the benefit of hindsight, it seems such panic seems overblown. The PCE index came in exactly as anticipated, meaning that inflation is continuing its controlled descent. More significantly, the report said consumer spending rose 0.5%. Even though that…
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