Kevin Xu
Founder of AfterHour, CEO of Alpha
A Fed rate hike is now the likelier outcome, and if it comes growth stocks could fall another 30-50% as they did in 2022. FedWatch shows a 63-66% chance of a hike and Kalshi 58%. Rising oil feeds inflation, tempting Fed chair Warsh to raise rates, which stocks generally dislike. Climbing 6-month, 10-year and 30-year yields raise the government's interest burden and money printing, while a VIX near 15 leaves room for volatility to spike. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Hedging against a Nasdaq 100 decline makes sense now, heading into September, a rate hike and an election. x.comÂ
Nasdaq-100 downside could accelerate if QQQ falls below $712: dealer positioning at $700 and $690 would fuel the move unless the index reclaims its moving averages and breaks upward. July and September FOMC lows remain untouched, something that has not persisted across two consecutive meetings; taking out at least one in the next week would not be surprising. x.comÂ
The Nasdaq 100 faces short-term downside because a failed push to a new high leaves crowded bullish sentiment vulnerable to a break below. Despite record institutional accumulation and a long-term bullish position, five months of chop, a failed ATH and an attempted loss of the bullish trend favor hedging rather than adding leverage. x.com x.comÂ
QQQ's remaining earnings, macro and election hurdles set up one more dip to punish late chasers. The index looks good and is pricing in some good news today, but Amazon, Intel and SanDisk earnings plus PCE and GDP arrive tomorrow, followed by AMD earnings and elections Tuesday. Expect one more, probably modest, dip Wednesday or Thursday next week before November's upward seasonality takes effect. x.comÂ
The Nasdaq-100 is more likely to avoid a selloff after tomorrow's Fed decision than markets expect. A 25 bp hike is priced in; what isn't is whether more follow. A hike with a neutral tone, or no hike with a hawkish tone, would bring a choppy rally into the weekend; no hike with a neutral or dovish tone would bring a face-ripping rally; only a hike with a hawkish tone means a selloff. The lean is toward no hike, with the caveat that this could be very wrong. x.comÂ
US stocks face a potentially bigger selloff as rising inflation compounds concerns about AI spending. PCE inflation reached a four-month high of 3.6%, increasing pressure on the Fed to raise rates; Alphabet shares fell after disappointing earnings, slowing ad growth and more than $51 billion of quarterly capital investment. x.comÂ
Renewed inflation raises the risk of a December rate hike and downside for the Nasdaq 100. Per Wall St Engine, core PCE reached 3.1% year over year, up from 3.0%, and rose 0.3% month over month, up from 0.2% previously. CPI, PPI and PCE are all rising again; a December hike is the bet. x.comÂ
Shorting the Nasdaq-100 looks unwise here. The McClellan Oscillator is at levels not seen since the tariff lows, yet with oil and yields surging the index sits inches from all-time highs. Good news on top of PCE, such as from Micron or the jobs report, could push it higher. x.comÂ
Forward risks matter more than good earnings for the Nasdaq now. The index looks to be topping and has a good shot at 28,000 before a rally after the midterms; tomorrow's PCE and GDP releases are unlikely to help, and this week's lows could break. x.com x.comÂ
Hotter-than-expected inflation is pressuring the Nasdaq as yields rise. September CPI reached 3.7%, above the 3.6% forecast; hot oil, rising rates and the active Iran war accompanied the Nasdaq's 2% drop. The Nasdaq also failed to hold 745. x.com x.com x.comÂ
