Dow Jones futures tilted higher Tuesday, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. China expanded its Covid lockdowns as Covid cases increase sharply, sending crude oil prices and the Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index tumbling yet again.
The stock market rally attempt suffered a big blow Monday as energy, commodity and tech stocks all retreated as China's new coronavirus lockdowns overshadowed Russia's Ukraine invasion and a looming Fed rate hike.
Apple stock, which looked resilient until recently, undercut key support levels Monday. Tesla stock is approaching recent lows but still looks much better than EV rivals such as Xpeng and aggressive growth plays generally.
UNH stock, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Costco Wholesale, Danaos and Travelers are showing strength. UnitedHealth Group, Vertex and COST stock are near possible entries, while TRV stock cleared a buy point and Danaos arguably is actionable.
But investors should be extremely cautious about buying any stock until market conditions improve dramatically.
China Covid Lockdowns
China's Covid cases topped 5,000 on Tuesday, the highest in two years. While still modest compared with most of the world, Beijing continues its zero-Covid policy.
China ordered Langfang, a large city near Beijing, to go on lockdown Tuesday. That follows Sunday's lockdown of Shenzhen, a major tech and supply-chain hub. The country also has locked down Changchun, an industrial province in the northeast.
Shanghai has returned to online-only classes. Some neighborhoods are on lockdown, while residents have been asked not to leave the city unless necessary. Xi'an, which had a strict lockdown late last year, also told residents not to leave unless necessary. Beijing residents have been urged to stay inside as much as possible.
Apple iPhone maker Foxxconn closed its Shenzhen factory, while some automakers cut output as well. Tesla's Shanghai factory has not been affected so far.
If China can quickly contain the latest outbreaks and lift shutdowns, it would be a big boost for the global economy and financial markets. But the fear is that the country, sticking to a zero-Covid strategy, will expand shutdowns further and keep them in place for an extended period.
With China growth at risk, crude oil, copper and other commodity prices plunged, hitting energy, mining, fertilizer and metals stocks. U.S.-listed China stocks from Alibaba to XPEV, already hammered by revived delisting fears, continue to crash. Container shipping firms such as Matson and DAC stock rallied.
Meanwhile a U.S. official reportedly said Washington has informed NATO and other allies that China has signaled it's willing to offer military and economic aid to Russia to support the Ukraine invasion. But other reports suggested China would not do so. The U.S. could be publicizing possible China support for Russia's invasion to try to discourage Beijing from going through with it.
Fed Rate Hike Looms
The Federal Reserve begins its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, with an announcement due at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Fed chief Jerome Powell signaled last week that he favors a quarter-point rate hike. Analysts expected a slew of Fed rate hikes in 2022, subject to swings in inflation and economic growth amid a lot of variables.
Compared with the Russia-Ukraine war and coronavirus lockdowns in China, a major Fed tightening cycle seems relatively predictable.
Tesla and VRTX stock are on IBD Leaderboard. MATX stock, UnitedHealth, Vertex and Costco are on the IBD 50. UNH stock was Monday's IBD Stock Of The Day.
The video embedded in this article discusses the market action and analyzes UnitedHealth, Costco and DAC stock.
Dow Jones Futures Today
Dow Jones futures were 0.1% above value. S&P 500 futures rose 0.15%. Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.4%. Futures are in motion this morning, swinging between solid losses to modest gains.
U.S. crude oil prices plunged 8%, knifing below the $100 level.
The 10-year Treasury yield fell 2 basis points to 2.12%.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index plunged 5.7%, continuing a sell-off in tech names, many of which are U.S.-listed as well. Covid lockdowns, revived delisting fears, and concerns about how the Russia-Ukraine war could involve China are all taking a toll.
China retail sales rose 6.7% in January-February vs. a year earlier, far above the 3% expected. Industrial production popped 7.5%, far exceeding estimates of 3.9%.
Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn't necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.
Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live
Stock Market Rally
The feeble stock market rally attempt had another weak session.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up one point in Monday's stock market trading, with UnitedHealth and TRV stock among the top performers. The S&P 500 index fell 0.7%. The Nasdaq composite tumbled 2%, with AAPL stock among the many drags. The small-cap Russell 2000 also lost 2%
Apple stock fell 2.7% to 150.62, hitting four-month lows and closing below its 200-day line for the first time in nine months. That follows its worst weekly loss in over a year. The relative strength line, reflecting AAPL stock's performance vs. the S&P 500 index, also has hit a four-month low, though it's still not far from highs.
U.S. crude oil prices tumbled 5.8% to $103.01 a barrel after briefly undercutting $100. Crude futures are continuing a sharp sell-off from late last week and the March 6 peak of $130.50. In addition to China's Covid lockdowns weighing on energy and other commodities, the U.S. has been mulling whether to ease sanctions on Venezuelan crude oil.
The 10-year Treasury yield jumped 14 basis points to 2.14%, hitting its highest level since July 2020.
ETFs
Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF slumped 2.8%, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF fell 1.8%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF and VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF both gave up 2.9%.
The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF tumbled 5.75%, and Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF dipped 0.6%. U.S. Global Jets edged up 0.6%. SPDR S&P Homebuilders gave up 1.1%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF slumped 3%, and the Financial Select SPDR ETF climbed 1.3%. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund rose 0.7%.
ARKK, Tesla Stock
Reflecting stocks with more speculative stories, the ARK Innovation ETF plunged 5.9% and ARK Genomics plummeted 6.2%, both to 22-month lows. In addition to the ongoing market correction and China shutdown concerns, fast-rising Treasury yields are bad news for highly valued growth stocks.
Tesla stock remains the No. 1 holding across Ark Invest's ETFs. Tesla fell 3.6% to 766.37 on Monday, continuing to retreat from its 200-day line but still above its Feb. 24 low of 700.
On Tuesday, Tesla signaled that its Berlin-area plant will begin deliveries on March 22. It also raised U.S. and China prices for the second time in a week, amid soaring raw material costs.
Ark Invest also owns some XPEV stock. Xpeng plunged 14% to its lowest level since October 2020, not far from record lows.
Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now
Stocks To Watch
UnitedHealth stock rose 1.05% to 487.92. The health insurer has a double-bottom base with a handle. That gives UNH stock a 500.10 buy point. The RS line is at a record high. Several rivals are near buy points, with strong relative strength.
VRTX stock rose 2.2% to 241.68 on Monday. On Friday, shares rallied to 247.49, clearing a few days of resistance, but reversed to close down 2.25% at 236.48. Investors could choose to ignore Friday's reversal day and buy Vertex stock above the March 4 high of 243.18, still close to the 10-week line. The RS line for VRTX stock is at a new high. The official flat-base buy point is 255.03, according to MarketSmith analysis.
Costco stock dipped 0.3% to 525.95. As of Monday's close, the stock has a handle, giving it a lower official buy point of 545.39. COST stock is trading tightly, with its RS line at record highs.
Danaos stock fell 1.35% to 93.85. It's technically just back in range from a prior buy point. It's also arguably actionable from its 10-week line and from breaking a short trendline in a brief consolidation just above the prior cup base. Investors could wait for a base-on-base pattern to form or for DAC stock to retreat toward its 10-week line again. Danaos makes money by leasing its fleet of modern, large-size container ships to liner companies.
Travelers stock rose 2% to 177.18, clearing a three-weeks-tight entry at 175, albeit in below-average volume. That was part of a slightly longer stretch of tight action just above a long consolidation. Many insurance stocks have fared well in recent months as defensive plays benefit from rising interest rates.
Market Rally Analysis
The market rally attempt, already seriously ailing, suffered another massive blow as the Nasdaq undercut its Feb. 24 low, tumbling to its worst level in a year. That ends the Nasdaq rally attempt.
Technically, the market rally attempt is only mostly dead. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 index are still above their Feb. 24 bottoms.
Perhaps the Nasdaq will begin a new rally attempt now that it's undercut recent lows. Or perhaps it's beginning a significant new leg down in the ongoing market correction. Even if the Nasdaq does rebound from here, that doesn't mean that old growth leaders will lead the next big uptrend, especially with interest rates trending higher.
There are few reasons to be positive right now. The advance-decline line has been woeful for months. New lows are obliterating new highs.
China's Covid shutdowns add a major X Factor to a market environment already swirling with uncertainty. How is Wall Street supposed to price in Russia's Ukraine invasion, China shutting down its economy and the Fed's rate-hike policy, when any and all of those factors could quickly change?
Techs, the big losers in the market correction, were joined by the commodity sector on Monday. That could be a brief, sharp pullback for oil and metals prices or something more serious.
Financials, especially those that are rate sensitive but not yield curve sensitive like TRV stock, did reasonably well. A number of medicals are doing OK, including UNH stock and Vertex. But it's hard to have any confidence in any stock or group given the current market conditions.
Time The Market With IBD's ETF Market Strategy
What To Do Now
The stock market is highly dangerous. Obviously, the bulk of the market has been struggling for months. But even energy and commodity plays are looking risky. It's a volatile market correction, with no real safe havens. The downside risks are still huge, while the upside rewards are dubious for now.
Investors should be nearly all or entirely in cash. If you have winning stocks, take profits on them quickly.
At some point, the stock market will have a sustained confirmed uptrend. That's when investors make money. Don't wreck your fiscal capital and mental capital in a market correction.
Build your watchlist. Stay alert and remain patient.
Read The Big Picture every day to stay in sync with the market direction and leading stocks and sectors.
Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.
