23 May 2024 Market Close & Major Financial Headlines: Markets Gapped Up At The Opening Bell Setting New Historic Highs For The Nasdaq. At The End Of The Day, All The Three Major Indexes Closed Down With Dow Falling 600 Points For The Worst Day Of 2024

Summary Of the Markets Today:

  • The Dow closed down 606 points or 1.53%,
  • Nasdaq closed down 0.39%, (Closed at 16,732, New Historic high 16.996)
  • S&P 500 closed down 0.74, ( Closed at 5,268, New Historic high 5,342)
  • Gold $2,333 down $59.60,
  • WTI crude oil settled at $77 down $0.69,
  • 10-year U.S. Treasury 4.479 up 0.045 points,
  • USD index $105.07 up $0.140,
  • Bitcoin $66,640 down $3,097 (4.52%)

*Stock data, cryptocurrency, and commodity prices at the market closing.


Click here to read our current Economic Forecast – May 2024 Economic Forecast: No Real Change So Expect The Economy To Continue To Plod Along


Today’s Economic Releases Compiled by Steven Hansen, Publisher:

My favorite coincident indicator – the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) three-month moving average, increased insignificantly to –0.07 in April 2024 from –0.08 in March. The three month moving average is used for economic forecasting as the monthly data is too volatile. Twenty of the 85 individual indicators made positive contributions to the CFNAI in April, while 65 made negative contributions. Thirty indicators improved from March to April, while 54 indicators deteriorated and one was unchanged. Of the indicators that improved, 18 made negative contributions. The bottom line, which is confirmed by anecdotal data, is that the economy is running through a soft patch right now. Having said that, there is little indication that the economy is heading towards a hard landing at this point.

Sales of new single-family houses in April 2024 were 7.7% below April 2023. The median sales price of new houses sold in April 2024 was $433,500. The average sales price was $505,700. The seasonally-adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of April was 480,000. This represents a supply of 9.1 months at the current sales rate. Residential sales has been a bright spot in the economy but lately sales have become more erratic – likely due to the high mortgage rates.

In the week ending May 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims 4-week moving average was 219,750, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 217,750 to 218,000. There is no sign in the unemployment numbers of a slowing economy.

The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index month-over-month composite index was -2 in May 2024, up from -8 in April and -7 in March. The composite index is an average of the production, new orders, employment, supplier delivery time, and raw materials inventory indexes. The pace of decline slowed in paper, chemical, and fabricated metal manufacturing while activity expanded in printing, nonmetallic mineral, and furniture manufacturing. Manufacturing in the USA continues in a recession.

Here is a summary of headlines we are reading today:

Click on the “Read More” below to access these, other headlines, and the associated news summaries moving the markets today.

The Market in Perspective

Here are the headlines moving the markets.

China’s Iron Ore Imports Expected to Hit Record High This Year

Via AGMetalminer.com If iron ore is in the news, can China be far behind? Contrary to earlier predictions, China may end up importing a record consignment of iron ore this year. With the global iron ore price fluctuating, this could have widespread ramifications. A recent Reuters report quoted market analysts as saying that China’s ore imports this year may touch an all-time high. According to some estimates, imports, much of them from Australia, Brazil, Ukraine, and India, will go up by between 15 and 50 million tons from…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Metals/Commodities/Chinas-Iron-Ore-Imports-Expected-to-Hit-Record-High-This-Year.html

Climate Activists Charged with Forming Criminal Organization

Amidst a backdrop of escalating climate activism, five members of Letzte Generation, often dubbed Germany’s version of Just Stop Oil, are facing charges of “forming a criminal organization.” The legal maneuver has unsettled fellow activists, who fear it could establish a troubling precedent, potentially criminalizing future support for environmental causes. The accused—Mirjam Herrmann, 27; Henning Jeschke, 22; Edmund Schulz, 60; Lukas Popp, 25; and Jakob Beyer, 30—find themselves charged under section 129 of the German criminal code,…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Climate-Activists-Charged-with-Forming-Criminal-Organization.html

Kazakhstan Joins EU program to Help Promote a Green Transition

Kazakhstan is considering new procurement standards to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of state spending while aiming to minimize the environmental harm of public works and services. Government contracts for goods, works and services totaled about $19.7 billion in 2023. In the past, environmental concerns didn’t figure much in state spending. But now, officials are starting to confront the need to address the Soviet legacy of environmental degradation, including the radiation caused by nuclear testing and fuel processing,…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Asia/Kazakhstan-Joins-EU-program-to-Help-Promote-a-Green-Transition.html

European Power Giant Looks to Sell $1.8-Billion U.S. Solar and Wind Projects

Spanish utility giant Iberdrola is in search of a buyer of 50% of a portfolio of wind and solar projects under development in the United States, hoping to raise up to $1.8 billion from the sale, sources with knowledge of the plans told Bloomberg on Thursday. Iberdrola, one of the biggest utilities and renewable energy developers in Europe and the Americas, is looking to sell 50% in a portfolio of 400 megawatts (MW) of solar plants and 300 MW of onshore wind farms, all of which have purchase power agreements (PPAs) with big technology…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/European-Power-Giant-Looks-to-Sell-18-Billion-US-Solar-and-Wind-Projects.html

JPMorgan: Global AI Data Centers Will Consume Huge Amounts of Fresh Water

Wall Street banks are in a frenzy over “The Next AI Trade,” piling into the ‘Powering up America’ investment themes, whether that’s power grid companies, commodities, such as copper, gold, silver, and uranium, and artificial intelligence chipmakers, to accommodate the explosion of generative artificial intelligence data centers anticipated nationwide through the end of the decade and beyond.  JPMorgan’s Asia Pacific Equity Research desk is the latest bank to jump on AI trade in a note titled “Deep Dive into Power,…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/JPMorgan-Global-AI-Data-Centers-Will-Consume-Huge-Amounts-of-Fresh-Water.html

Europe’s Natural Gas Prices Rally amid Supply Concerns

European benchmark natural gas prices rallied on Wednesday and early Thursday amid growing supply concerns and forecasts of lower wind power generation later this week. The Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures, the benchmark for Europe’s gas trading, hit on Wednesday their highest level since January after Austria’s OMV warned the market that Russian state giant Gazprom could halt natural gas supply to Austria due to a foreign court ruling that could interrupt OMV payments to Gazprom Export. The Austrian company assured the…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Europes-Natural-Gas-Prices-Rally-amid-Supply-Concerns.html

China Performs Military Drills ‘Surrounding’ Taiwan As Warning To New President

A mere few days after Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, was sworn into office at the start of the week, China’s military on Thursday morning (local time) initiated two days of large-scale military drills. PLA navy ships and aircraft are now reportedly “surrounding the island of Taiwan,” according to state media and PLA statements. The drills are said to be ensuing in the Taiwan Strait as well as to the north, south and east of the island – and additionally near the disputed tiny islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu,…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Asia/China-Performs-Military-Drills-Surrounding-Taiwan-As-Warning-To-New-President.html

Bitcoin Miners Make Shift to Renewable Energy

Bitcoin has dominated the news cycle lately, from the recent halving to the 30-plus banks starting their own Bitcoin ETF.  Crypto miners have also made the news, buying up local real estate and old industrial buildings across America, from Texas to New York, transforming old forgotten real estate into huge mining super-centers. This includes some of the biggest names in the sector.  A handful of C-level executives from some of the industry’s biggest names in crypto mining have gotten together to form a new company that we believe…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Bitcoin-Miners-Make-Shift-to-Renewable-Energy.html

Nigerian Oil Agencies Spar Over the Country’s True Production Figures

Two separate agencies regulating Nigeria’s oil industry have offered wildly different figures for the country’s actual oil production, with one agency recording a 17% shortfall with some $3.3 million at stake, Nigerian Vanguard reported on Thursday.  The Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) claims that its data shows the country’s actual oil production for April 2024 was 1.28 million barrels per day (mbpd), while the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has reported 1.7 million bpd of nationwide output,…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Nigerian-Oil-Agencies-Spar-Over-the-Countrys-True-Production-Figures.html

National Grid Turns to Shareholders for £7 Billion Energy Transition Investment

One of the biggest fundraisers in the UK this year just hit the market, with National Grid’s pitch to bring £7 billion in over the next five years to help fund its £60 billion energy transition investment plan. The new £60 billion plan is ambitious, with just over half of the investment being spent in the UK, and the rest going to National Grid’s US operations. The plan allows investors to buy seven new shares at a discount of roughly a third, for every 24 shares they already own. “Incentives like this…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/National-Grid-Turns-to-Shareholders-for-7-Billion-Energy-Transition-Investment.html

India Hit by Blackouts as Power Demand Soars During Heat Wave

Amid a relentless heat wave, India’s peak power demand surged this week to above previously expected levels, resulting in long blackouts in parts of the country. Peak power demand in India hit a seasonal high of 235 gigawatts (GW) on Wednesday, due to surging electricity demand in the heat waves in many states.   India’s all-time high peak power demand, currently at 243.27 GW, was recorded last September, Indian media report. The record is set to be shattered as early as this summer amid surging power demand for cooling…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/India-Hit-by-Blackouts-as-Power-Demand-Soars-During-Heat-Wave.html

Oil Prices Rebound After Three Days of Losses

Oil prices rose early on Thursday, recouping some losses of the previous three days, after Russia said it would present a plan to compensate for exceeding its OPEC+ oil production quota in April. Following three consecutive trading days of losses, Brent Crude prices were rising by 0.88% at $82.62 as of 9:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, and the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, was trading 0.93% higher at $78.29. Oil prices still look rangebound in the low $80s, at least until next week’s OPEC+ meeting on June 1, which is expected to decide…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Oil-Prices-Rebound-After-Three-Days-of-Losses.html

Gasoline Prices Ahead of Memorial Day Are 1% Higher Than a Year Ago

The average retail price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States was $3.58 on the Monday before Memorial Day, which was 1% higher than last year’s pre-Memorial Day gas price, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Thursday. Over the past five weeks, Middle East tensions have eased, while U.S. refinery activity has increased after the end of seasonal maintenance, contributing to a 2% decline in average retail gasoline prices, the administration noted.   A near-record number of Americans plan road…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Gasoline-Prices-Ahead-of-Memorial-Day-Are-1-Higher-Than-a-Year-Ago.html

Malaysian Wealth Fund Sues PetroSaudi CEO for $1.8 Billion Over Oil “Sham”

The scandalized Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MBD has filed a lawsuit against PetroSaudi International CEO Patrick Mahoney for $1.83 billion over what it says was a sham oil exploration joint venture.  According to the lawsuit, 1MBD (1Malaysia Development Berhad) had been led to believe that Petrosaudi was owned by Saudi royalty, which served as the basis upon which the fund agreed to the JV deal.  The joint venture “was a sham which resulted in 1MDB suffering a complete loss of its investment” of US$1.83 billion, 1MBD…

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Malaysian-Wealth-Fund-Sues-PetroSaudi-CEO-for-18-Billion-Over-Oil-Sham.html

Democrats Urge DOJ to Investigate Oil Majors for Climate Change Disinformation

U.S. Democratic lawmakers have referred the world’s largest international oil companies to the U.S. Department of Justice, urging an investigation into Big Oil’s ‘deceptive claims’ about its products that have misled the public about the effects on climate. The U.S. House Oversight Committee launched in 2021 an investigation over “the reported role of the fossil fuel industry in a long-running, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming.” …

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Democrats-Urge-DOJ-to-Investigate-Oil-Majors-for-Climate-Change-Disinformation.html

Dow falls 600 points in worst day of 2024 as Nvidia’s blockbuster earnings fail to lift broader market: Live updates

The S&P 500 declined Thursday as Wall Street assessed the latest quarterly results from market bellwether Nvidia.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/22/stock-market-today-live-updates.html

Auto insurance rates are jumping the most since the 1970s, but there could be relief soon

Soaring auto insurance costs have been a principle driver behind inflation over the past year, but there could be relief on the way.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/auto-insurance-rates-are-jumping-the-most-since-the-1970s-but-there-could-be-relief-soon.html

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he favors ‘no tariffs’ on Chinese EVs

Elon Musk said at a conference in Paris on Thursday that he doesn’t agree with President Biden’s tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicle imports.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-says-he-favors-no-tariffs-on-chinese-evs.html

Sudden container crunch sends ocean freight rates soaring, setting off global trade alarm bells

Ocean freight spot rates are experiencing a sudden, surprise spike as a container crunch in peak shipping season roils global trade and could hit the consumer.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/a-sudden-container-crunch-is-sending-ocean-freight-rates-soaring.html

Morgan Stanley tells investors to avoid hedge funds’ overcrowded trades

Owning hedge funds’ most crowded trades could be risky in the event of a herd-like stampede from systematic traders, Morgan Stanley said.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/morgan-stanley-tells-investors-to-avoid-hedge-funds-overcrowded-trades-.html

Norfolk Southern agrees to $310 million federal settlement over Ohio train derailment

The company will pay a $15 million fine for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act as part of the federal settlement.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/norfolk-southern-agrees-to-310-million-settlement-over-train-derailment-east-palestine-ohio.html

GM CEO Mary Barra says she has no plans to retire soon as automaker’s transformation continues

GM CEO Mary Barra on Thursday said she has no plans to retire any time soon, citing a need to ensure the company’s transformation is on “a good path.”

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/gm-ceo-mary-barra-has-no-plans-to-retire.html

Golf champ Scottie Scheffler arrest video released, officer broke body camera rules

The case against Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top golf player is proceeding in Louisville, Kentucky. He is accused of assaulting a police officer.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/scottie-scheffler-prosecutors-to-drop-criminal-charges-against-golfer.html

Justice Department sues to break up Live Nation, parent of Ticketmaster

The lawsuit follows a DOJ probe bolstered by fan complaints following a botched rollout for tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/justice-department-sues-live-nation-ticketmaster.html

Warner Bros. Discovery’s NBA rights offer could put it in competition with Amazon, not NBC

Warner Bros. Discovery may be more interested in going after an NBA package earmarked for Amazon than on games slated for NBCUniversal, sources say.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/warner-bros-discovery-considers-matching-nba-package-slated-for-amazon.html

CNBC’s Inside India newsletter: The secret of the stock market rally

Squirreling away a portion of one’s income for a rainy day would typically be considered prudent behavior. Yet, in India, it’s helping make stocks overvalued.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/cnbcs-inside-india-newsletter-the-secret-of-the-stock-market-rally.html

36% of Americans say real estate is the best long-term investment—financial pros say they may be wrong

In a new poll, 36% of Americans said real estate was the top option for long-term investment, while 22% chose stocks and mutual funds.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/long-term-investments-real-estate-versus-stocks.html

Investing in Space: How the Pentagon is making use of AI with spy satellite data

Space Capital’s NYC summit gathered investors and companies for discussions on key industry topics such as Starship, U.S. national security, China.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/23/investing-in-space-how-the-pentagon-uses-ai-with-spy-satellite-data.html

War Cabinet Approves Resumption Of Truce Talks As Israeli Forces Plunge Deeper Into Rafah

Facing immense pressure at home and internationally, the Netanyahu government said Thursday that Israel’s war cabinet has approved the resumption of indirect truce and prisoner talks with Hamas.

Israel media says that the country’s negotiating team has been issued directives to seek a breakthrough in talks to get the hostages back. The announcement comes the day after families of the hostages released a harrowing video of several female IDF troops being abducted and held on Oct.7. The families are hoping the footage puts their cause back in the spotlight, so that the government will prioritize their return.

Getty ImagesThe office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a new statement confirming a team has been ordered to “continue negotiations for the return of the hostages. …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/war-cabinet-approves-resumption-truce-talks-israeli-forces-plunge-deeper-raffah

White House Makes Nine Corrections To Transcript Of Biden’s NAACP Speech

Authored by Eric Lundrum via American Greatness,

On Monday, the White House was forced to make nine different corrections on the transcript of Joe Biden’s speech to the NAACP…

As Fox News reports, Biden made multiple mistakes during his speech which reflected his increased age and cognitive decline.

Among other errors, Biden incorrectly stated that he was Vice President when the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic began, and further claimed that Obama gave him instructions on how to combat the pandemic; Donald Trump was President when the COVID pandemic began, and Mike Pence was Vice President at the time.

“When I was vice presi …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/white-house-makes-nine-corrections-transcript-bidens-naacp-speech

Iran, China, India, Pakistan And Turkey: Military-Aged Men Making Global Run For Biden’s Open Border

With migrants now rushing to cross into the United States in case Trump wins the November election, Fox News’ Bill Melugin brings us disturbing footage from Jacumba, California – where he interviewed a group of military-aged men hailing from various parts of the world. Notably, not one of them was from Mexico, Central America or South America.

Watch:

The Great Pandemic Walkback

Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,

The pattern is now clearly established. Major figures in and around the pandemic response are slowly walking back all the major claims surrounding the global compulsory regime that ruled life for two and a half years. And each statement is pointing to the same reality. The critics were correct all along. Yes, the very people whose social media accounts were throttled and banned for spreading supposed disinformation.

Consider the statement by Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His tenure there overlapped with the beginning of the lockdowns but he always seemed out of his element, outrun and overwhelmed by the bureaucratic miasma that washed through …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/great-pandemic-walkback

Vennells told not to make Post Office front page news

The former Post Office chief executive faced a second day of questions into the Horizon IT scandal.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl44j0xgeljo

Vet prescription fees could be capped by watchdog

The measure is one move the UK watchdog could take after it completes a formal inquiry into the sector.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx00dl5gwp8o

Kellogg’s recalls chocolate cornflakes over choking risk

The cereal brand asks customers to throw boxes away after “hard lumps” are found in some.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckvvn5xvdw1o

Technical Breakout Stocks: How to trade Garden Reach Shipbuilders, Cochin Shipyard and RVNL on Friday

Sensex rose nearly 1,200 points to hit a record high of 75,499 and Nifty settled near 23,000. Buying was seen in banks, capital goods, auto and consumer durables. Healthcare and metal stocks saw little selling pressure. Garden Reach Shipbuilders rose 20% to hit a fresh record high.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/technical-breakout-stocks-how-to-trade-garden-reach-shipbuilders-cochin-shipyard-and-rvnl-on-friday/articleshow/110371705.cms

TV18 Broadcast, NMDC Steel among top 10 smallcap stocks that mutual funds sold in April

Every month mutual funds buy and sell securities to offer good returns to investors.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/mf/analysis/tv18-broadcast-nmdc-steel-among-top-10-smallcap-stocks-that-mutual-funds-sold-in-april/slideshow/110361441.cms

Tech View: Nifty may rally towards 23,500 in short term. What traders should do on Friday

Nifty formed a long bull candle on the daily chart on Thursday weekly expiry. Once it breaches 23,000, the index might move towards 23,500 in the short term. Nifty has broken above 22,750 – 22,800 resistance zone and is eyeing the upper end of the rising channel placed at 23,100 – 23,150

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/tech-view-nifty-may-rally-towards-23500-in-short-term-what-traders-should-do-on-friday/articleshow/110368186.cms

Dow transportation stocks are ‘area of potential concern’ for stock-market bulls

In a U.S. stock market that has risen to fresh records this week, the Dow Jones Transportation Index stands out for idling since 2021, according to Yardeni Research.

Read more at: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-transportation-stocks-are-area-of-potential-concern-for-stock-market-bulls-de677d29?mod=mw_rss_topstories

The average concert ticket hit $120 last year, but the Live Nation antitrust case may not make them cheaper

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing to break up Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, for allegedly cranking up fans’ costs by controlling the concert industry.

Read more at: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-average-concert-ticket-hit-120-last-year-but-the-live-nation-antitrust-case-may-not-make-them-cheaper-92e06316?mod=mw_rss_topstories

The stock market’s entire return rests on a surprisingly small number of days

Day traders have an almost impossible task ahead of them

Read more at: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-stock-markets-entire-return-rests-on-a-surprisingly-small-number-of-days-ceca0043?mod=mw_rss_topstories

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