MARKET WRAPS

Watch For:

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Px Index for September; Conference Board--Consumer Confidence for November; Canada GDP for September; earnings from CrowdStrike, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intuit, NetApp, Workday

Opening Call:

Today's Headlines/Must Reads

- China Stocks Rebound on Reopening Hopes, Help for Property Sector

- China Property Stocks Rise as Regulators Step Up Support

- Musk's Apple Attack Sets Stage for Public Spat With Risks for Apple, Twitter

- Yield Curve Inversion Reaches New Extremes

Follow WSJ markets coverage here .

Stock futures nudged higher premarket, suggesting a steady start on Wall Street, as investors bet on a further loosening of Covid restrictions in China following nationwide protests there that hit global markets on Monday.

Risk appetite revived somewhat on Tuesday, led by a rebound in Asian stocks after Chinese officials held a media briefing on Tuesday on the country's pandemic-control policies.

During the briefing, authorities said "long-term restrictions must be rectified and avoided." The comments likely eased market concerns and confusion over Beijing's Covid-19 strategy.

"Once again, the easing of Covid-19 measures, at least the expectation for it, is the market focus," said KGI Asia.

It maintained its expectation for a postpandemic reopening in China in the first half of 2023.

Also on Tuesday, China's National Health Commission said it would ramp up Covid vaccinations for the elderly, a move that may allow less draconian restrictions to be imposed.

Stocks to Watch

Coinbase Global: Its shares added 2% off hours as the prices of major cryptocurrencies drifted higher. Bitcoin rose 1.8% on Tuesday from its 5 p.m. ET level on Monday to around $16,484.

Pinduoduo: The Chinese e-commerce company was on course for a second day of gains, after reporting a strong set of quarterly results on Monday. Its ADRs added nearly 5% premarket, while counterpart JD.com advanced roughly 7%. Other China tech stocks including NetEase and Baidu also rose.

Roku: Keybanc cut its rating of the stock, according to Benzinga. The shares fell 3.2% premarket.

United Pacific Railway, United Parcel Service: Deutsche Bank lifted its price targets for shares of both companies, according to Benzinga. Shares of United Pacific added 1.3% premarket and UPS stock gained 1.6% premarket.

Wynn Resorts: The stock added about 3% premarket. Reopening hopes had earlier helped buoy Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Forex:

The dollar could rise this week as a speech by Jerome Powell and the jobs report are likely to dent any speculation about interest rates peaking soon, ING said.

Powell is expected to sound hawkish and job data to stay strong, which "may cause the Fed's communicated and perceived narrative to drift away from dovish pivot expectations," ING said.

The dollar could rise in anticipation of these events and the DXY dollar index could reach 107.00-107.50 ahead of Powell's speech, ING said.

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Sterling could move in response to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey's testimony before the Lords Economic Affairs Committee at 10am ET on Tuesday, ING said.

"A significant shift in Bailey's policy rhetoric two weeks before the BOE meeting appears unlikely, but the proximity to the meeting also means that markets tend to over-interpret Monetary Policy Committee members' comments," ING said.

The BOE is likely to raise interest rates 50 basis points at the Dec. 15 meeting while markets are pricing in 57bp. GBP/USD could fall into the end of 2022 as the dollar rises and the pound suffers from a bleak U.K. economic outlook, ING said.

Energy:

Crude oil prices made gains of close to 2% in Europe on increased speculation that China will rollback on Covid-19 regulations following protests in the country.

That said, oil markets are likely to be driven by the OPEC+ meeting on Sunday, according to Peak Trading Research.

"OPEC+ wants higher prices and a crude oil rally would be a bullish macro tailwind for the whole commodity complex."

Further volatility could come from EU discussions over the Russian oil price cap, Peak said.

Read Barrons.com Don't Expect Energy Stocks to Keep Gaining. They Can't Ignore Falling Oil Prices Forever

Thermal Coal

Expect a bumpy ride in the thermal-coal market over the year ahead, Goldman Sachs said.

For now, the market remains tight due to supply constraints in Australia, while Europe's ban on Russian coal could deepen the shortfall during the northern hemisphere winter when demand is high.

However, in 2023, increased Indonesian and Chinese coal production and demand destruction, combined with a potential increase in gas supply, are likely to offset benefits from coal-plant restarts in Western Europe, Goldman Sachs said.

"Bottom-line though, we see high price volatility as likely" over the next 12 months, and the thermal-coal price is likely to be lower than today in a year's time.

Metals:

Base metals and gold made solid gains in London trading, boosted by improved sentiment over spending in China.

In Asia, the market had been "risk on," with the offshore yuan strengthening, alongside Chinese equities for white goods also rising, Marex said.

It added that demand for white goods has been driven by real-estate strength amid new support for developers--one of the biggest drivers for base metals.

"All this highlights that China is definitely not bearish, and there have been continued expectations to support the economy," Marex said.

Market Insight

Commonwealth Bank of Australia said commodity markets are likely to remain volatile until there is a clearer view on how China will handle its Covid-19 policy going forward.

"It's too soon to rule out the risk of a return to China's strict Covid-zero policy, especially in light of the protests across China in recent days."

But that scenario is "the worst case" for China's economy and commodity demand, and could create longer-run challenges for policymakers to transition away from that zero-Covid approach, CBA said.

   
 
 
   
 
 

TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES

 
 

Elon Musk's Apple Attack Sets Stage for Public Spat With Risks for Apple, Twitter

Twitter Inc.'s new owner Elon Musk on Monday declared war against Apple Inc. and a cornerstone of the iPhone business empire, setting the stage for a potentially bruising battle between the world's richest man and the world's most valuable company.

Apple and its Chief Executive Tim Cook have the ability to hold great sway over Twitter's potential success, as the iPhone maker is a major advertiser and tightly controls the software on its App Store.

   
 
 

Kroger, Albertsons Expected to Defend Grocery Merger at Senate Hearing

Chief executives of the two largest U.S. supermarket chains are set to testify Tuesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing, where they are expected to defend their companies' proposed $20 billion merger and address questions about how it could affect American grocers and consumers.

Kroger Co. CEO Rodney McMullen and Albertsons Cos. CEO Vivek Sankaran are expected to testify before the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah).

   
 
 

Apple Has No Easy Road Out of China

Apple Inc.'s short-term problems depend on the patience of its most lucrative iPhone buyers. Its long-term problems will require the patience of a much larger constituency.

Growing unrest in China has affected production of Apple's devices there. The company warned on Nov. 6 that Covid restrictions at an assembly plant in Zhengzhou were resulting in significantly reduced capacity for producing its iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models. The situation has only grown worse since, as the lockdowns have helped spark more protests across the country to a level unseen in decades.

   
 
 

Crypto Exchange Kraken Settles Alleged Sanctions Violations

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has agreed to pay more than $362,000 to settle allegations it violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department said Monday.

Kraken violated U.S. sanctions laws by failing to prevent users in Iran from accessing its platform, which allowed them to conduct transactions worth more than $1.68 million between October 2015 and June 2019, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said.

   
 
 

China Property Stocks Rise as Regulators Step Up Support

Chinese property developers are up in early Tuesday trade after regulators stepped up support for the embattled sector with some measures aimed at broadening equity-financing channels.

Country Garden Services Holdings Co. rises 16%, Country Garden Holdings Co. jumps 8.6% and Longfor Group Holdings Ltd. advances 8.0% in morning trade.

   
 
 

Yield Curve Inversion Reaches New Extremes

Yields on longer-term U.S. Treasurys have fallen further below those on short-term bonds than at any time in decades, a sign that investors think the Federal Reserve is close to winning its inflation battle regardless of the cost to economic activity.

A scenario in which short-term yields exceed long-term yields is known on Wall Street as an inverted yield curve and is often seen as a red flag that a recession is looming.

   
 
 

Tech Selloff Catches Up With Private Startups

Tech startups are plunging in value in private trades, mirroring the big markdowns of their publicly listed brethren over the past year.

Before companies go public, their shares are often traded by employees, founders and institutions in secondary deals. The trades allow existing holders to cash out before a startup goes public, and buyers to make new investments or add to existing holdings.

   
 
 

Chinese Startups Try to Make It Big in the U.S.-but Without the Backlash

As U.S.-China ties fray and decoupling trends rise, dozens of Chinese startups are going against the tide, seeking ways to expand into the U.S. and other international markets.

Many are driven in part by China's slowing economy and toughened regulatory environment as well as the uncertainty of the zero-Covid policy, which in recent days sparked one of the largest nationwide protests that China has seen in decades. Others are inspired by the enormous global success of companies like TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. and fast-fashion retailer Shein.

   
 
 

Biden Calls on Congress to Pass Legislation to Avert Rail Shutdown

WASHINGTON-President Biden called on Congress to pass legislation that would avert a rail shutdown by imposing a proposed contract that members at four railroad unions had rejected.

The move would cut short a long-running labor dispute between the country's biggest freight railroads and more than 115,000 workers that threatens to hurt the economy and disrupt the flow of goods as soon as next week.

   
 
 

Supreme Court Considers Challenge to Biden Policy Curbing Immigration Arrests

WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider the executive branch's power to set priorities in enforcing immigration law, in a case that also tests the legal standing of states to bring their policy differences with Washington to court.

Last year, Texas and Louisiana sued to invalidate enforcement guidelines, issued by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, that prioritize the deportation of those immigrants illegally in the country who pose an imminent threat to national security or public safety. That approach replaced Trump-era policies that sought to have immigration officers remove any noncitizen present illegally.

   
 
 

U.S., Iran Face Off in World Cup Amid Growing Political Hostility

As the U.S. and Iran prepare to face off in a must-win match at the soccer World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday, tensions off the field have raised the stakes in what is turning out to be one of the most politically charged games in the tournament's recent history.

Iran has already called foul after the U.S. Soccer Federation posted a small graphic of the World Cup standings on its Instagram account in which the emblem in the center of the Islamic Republic's flag had been removed. The federation said the move was to show solidarity with a monthslong human-rights movement sweeping across Iran, but it later deleted the post. A State Department spokesperson said that the agency wasn't involved in either decision.

   
 
 

Ukraine War's Economic Ripples Sow Discord Between Washington, Allies

WASHINGTON-Trans-Atlantic ties are starting to fray as French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders chafe at new U.S. policies they say compound economic woes fueled by the war in Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.

Russia's war in Ukraine has reinvigorated the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and ignited a boom in trade and investment between the U.S. and Europe. But after nearly a year of unity as the U.S. and its allies confronted the fallout from Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, European officials are starting to express frustration at their increasing reliance on Washington for security and economic stability.

   
 
 

Mike Pence Says Donald Trump Should Apologize for Dinner With Nick Fuentes, Kanye West

WASHINGTON-Donald Trump should apologize for having dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and Kanye West, former Vice President Mike Pence said, adding to fellow Republicans' criticism of the meeting just as Mr. Trump is attempting to ramp up a third presidential bid.

"President Trump was wrong to give a white nationalist, an anti-Semite and a Holocaust denier a seat at the table, and I think he should apologize for it," Mr. Pence said Monday in an interview with NewsNation. "He should denounce those individuals and their hateful rhetoric without qualification."

   
 
 

Write to paul.larkins@dowjones.com TODAY IN CANADA

Earnings:

Bank of Nova Scotia 4Q

Shaw Communications 4Q

Economic Indicators (ET):

0830 Sep GDP

0830 3Q Quarterly GDP

Stocks to Watch:

Organigram FY22 Rev C$145.8M Vs. C$79.2M; Expects Fiscal 2023 Rev to Be Higher on Yr Amid Solid Sales Momentum, Stronger Forecasted Market Growth

   
 
 

Expected Major Events for Tuesday

00:30/JPN: Oct Detailed Import & Export Statistics

09:00/ITA: Sep Industrial turnover & orders

09:00/GER: Nov Bavaria CPI

09:00/GER: Nov Hesse CPI

09:00/GER: Nov Baden-Wuerttemberg CPI

09:00/GER: Nov Brandenburg CPI

09:30/GER: Nov North Rhine Westphalia CPI

09:30/UK: Oct Money and Credit - Lending to Individuals, Lending to Businesses, Broad Money and Credit

09:30/UK: Oct Monetary & Financial Statistics

09:30/UK: Oct Bank of England effective interest rates

10:00/ITA: Oct PPI

10:00/GER: Nov Saxony CPI

13:00/GER: Nov Provisional CPI

13:30/CAN: Sep GDP

13:30/CAN: 3Q Quarterly GDP

13:55/US: 11/26 Johnson Redbook Retail Sales Index

14:00/US: 3Q U.S. Quarterly House Price Index

14:00/US: Sep U.S. Monthly House Price Index

14:00/US: Sep S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices

15:00/US: Nov Consumer Confidence Index

21:30/US: 11/25 API Weekly Statistical Bulletin

23:50/JPN: Oct Preliminary Industrial Production

All times in GMT. Powered by Onclusive and Dow Jones.

   
 
 

Expected Earnings for Tuesday

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS,BNS.T) is expected to report $2.00 for 4Q.

California First Leasing Corp (CFNB) is expected to report for 1Q.

Cenntro Electric Group Ltd (CENN) is expected to report for 3Q.

Cerence Inc (CRNC) is expected to report for 4Q.

Citi Trends Inc (CTRN) is expected to report $0.43 for 3Q.

Compass Minerals International Inc (CMP) is expected to report $-0.27 for 4Q.

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (CRWD) is expected to report for 3Q.

Emcore (EMKR) is expected to report $-0.20 for 4Q.

Exco Technologies (XTC.T) is expected to report $0.29 for 4Q.

FTI Consulting (FCN) is expected to report $1.32 for 4Q.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (HPE) is expected to report $0.37 for 4Q.

Hibbett Inc (HIBB) is expected to report $2.50 for 3Q.

Intuit Inc (INTU) is expected to report $-0.40 for 1Q.

NetApp Inc (NTAP) is expected to report $1.05 for 2Q.

Orvana Minerals (ORV.T,ORVMF) is expected to report for 4Q.

Qualstar Corp (QBAK) is expected to report for 3Q.

Shaw Communications Inc - Class B (SJR,SJR.A.V,SJR.B.T) is expected to report $0.33 for 4Q.

Smart Share Global Ltd - ADR (EM) is expected to report for 3Q.

Webco Industries Inc (WEBC) is expected to report for 1Q.

Workday Inc (WDAY) is expected to report $-0.36 for 3Q.

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ANALYST RATINGS ACTIONS

Activision Blizzard Raised to Buy From Hold by Truist Securities

Activision Blizzard Raised to Overweight From Equal-Weight by Morgan Stanley

Activision Blizzard Raised to Overweight From Equal-Weight by Wells Fargo

Affiliated Managers Raised to Buy From Hold by Jefferies

Amazon Is a Top Stock Pick for Next Year, Says J.P. Morgan -- Barrons.com

Applovin Cut to Equal-Weight From Overweight by Morgan Stanley

Aptiv Cut to Equal-Weight From Overweight by Morgan Stanley

Beyond Meat Cut to Underweight From Equal-Weight by Barclays

BorgWarner Raised to Equal-Weight From Underweight by Morgan Stanley

Cloudflare Raised to Neutral From Underweight by JP Morgan

Coherent Raised to Buy From Hold by Deutsche Bank

Diamondback Energy Cut to Underperform From Neutral by B of A Securities

DraftKings Cut to Underweight From Neutral by JP Morgan

First Solar Cut to Neutral From Overweight by JP Morgan

Imago BioSciences Cut to Hold From Buy by Stifel

Live Nation Raised to Buy From Neutral by Citigroup

Penn National Gaming Cut to Neutral From Overweight by JP Morgan

PerkinElmer Raised to Equal-Weight From Underweight by Barclays

SciPlay Cut to Hold From Buy by Truist Securities

Shutterstock Cut to Market Perform From Market Outperform by JMP Securities

TransDigm Cut to Equal-Weight From Overweight by Wells Fargo

Twilio Cut to Hold From Buy by Jefferies

Tyson Foods Cut to Underweight From Equal-Weight by Barclays

Williams-Sonoma Cut to Underweight From Equal-Weight by Morgan Stanley

Wynn Resorts Raised to Overweight From Neutral by JP Morgan

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 29, 2022 06:01 ET (11:01 GMT)

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