Equities: Stagflation hit and chip-sector divergence โ€“ Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank strategists report that United States (US) equities weakened under a stagflationary backdrop. The S&P 500 fell with broad-based losses, while the Philly semiconductor index outperformed strongly. SK Hynixโ€™s US ADR offering was heavily oversubscribed, and China may allow some domestic AI firms to buy Nvidia H200 chips, supporting chip stocks even as most S&P 500 industry groups declined.

Broad losses, semis outperform

"Given the stagflationary backdrop, this meant equities took a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic. So the S&P 500 fell -0.28%, with a broad-based decline that saw 78% of the index lose ground. Once again, the move in chip stocks was against the overall market as the Philly semiconductor index (+2.23%) outperformed."

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"The outperformance was bolstered by two large news stories. First, SK Hynixโ€™s US offering was more than seven times oversubscribed, with the ADR set to raise nearly $24.5bn and become the second largest debut for a foreign company after Alibaba ($25bn)."

"Second, it was reported that China had plans to allow some domestic AI companies to purchase Nvidiaโ€™s H200 chips. Outside of the semiconductor rally, the only other S&P 500 industry groups to gain yesterday were Tech Hardware (+1.52%), Energy (+1.45%), and Consumer Staples (+1.15%) โ€“ the other 21 industry groups were lower on the day."

"So that meant the IBEX 35 (-2.73%) posted a significant decline, sharply underperforming the Europe-wide STOXX 600 (-1.61%). That said, there wasnโ€™t much good news anywhere in Europe, with the DAX (-2.23%), the CAC 40 (-2.18%) and the FTSE MIB (-1.22%) all posting significant declines as well."

"Chinese markets are mostly lower, with the Hang Seng (-0.78%) and Shanghai Composite (-0.89%) declining after soft inflation data. The S&P/ASX 200 is also down (-0.45%). S&P 500 (+0.17%) and Nasdaq (+0.18%) futures are up alongside Stoxx futures (+1.03%) which is being helped by a late US recovery last night after the European close. "

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor. Know more.)