A Post-Covid Hangover: Should you worry about your portfolio?

Last week Pinterest and Amazon announced that they might soon be suffering from a post-Covid hangover, saying growth won’t be as robust as during Covid.  Amazon executives noted shifting consumer habits as the pandemic eases and people become more mobile. Amazon forecasted the next quarter’s sales at between $106 billion and $112 billion, compared to Wall Street expectations for right around $119 billion.

Amazon’s projections would still represent growth of +10% to +16%. Keep in mind, bears are also pointing to ongoing fears of supply chain hiccups, higher-trending inflation, and new coronavirus outbreaks. Earnings come at a busy pace again today with results from Caterpillar, Cerner, Chevron, CNH Industrial, Colgate Palmolive, Enbridge, Exxon Mobil, Johnson Control, and Procter & Gamble.

The worry on Wall Street is that this new normal rate of growth will be slower than many analysts and trading firms are forecasting coupled with higher inflation and or supply chain dislocations corporate profits could fall under some pressure or in this case be less than Wall Street is forecasting for the next few quarters. Bulls expect more consumer spending will shift from goods and pandemic-related services (delivery, video games, cloud/collaboration software) but are still betting on pent-up demand for things people missed out on during lockdowns, as well as goods and services that are currently in short supply.

Data to watch

Updated inflation data is also on tap with the ISM Manufacturing Index on Monday and the Services Index on Wednesday.

There will be plenty more earnings next week too, including Simon Properties and Zoom on Monday; Activision Blizzard, Alibaba, Amgen, Clorox, ConocoPhillips, Eli Lilly, Fidelity, Match Group, Monster Beverage, Occidental Petroleum, and Phillips 66 on Tuesday; Allstate, CVS, Etsy, General Motors, Kraft Heinz, Marathon Petroleum, MetLife, MGM Resorts, Rocket Companies, Roku, Trane, and Uber on Wednesday; Adidas, AMC, Carvana, Cigna, Cloudflare, Corteva, Duke Energy, Kellogg, Moderna, Nintendo, Novo Nordisk, Siemens, Square, Wayfair, Zillow, and Zoetis on Thursday; and Dish Network, Dominion Energy, and DraftKings on Friday.

Insider Accumulation

I have mixed feelings about SP500. There are a few signs of weakness. However, it might be the result of low summer activity. Advance Decline Line is clearly bearish. Insider Accumulation is also not that strong. Moreover, the Volatility Index is very low and potentially it could bring a pullback. In any case, SP500 futures failed to close the week above Gann resistance. And that is also a negative sign.

The Federal Reserve policy is still supportive. But keep in mind, that SP500 has rallied around 100% since the pandemic bottom without any pullback. And the retest of key support zones near 4200 and 4000 is realistic.

On the other hand, the continuation of the rally is also possible but only if price sustains above 4400. If that happens, bulls will target 4500 and 4600 in extension.