General Market Comment
US indices closed mixed on Tuesday. Shares in the Consumer Durables & Apparel (-1.91%), Media (-1.34%) and Transportation (-1.23%) sectors closed lower while shares in the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences (+1.77%), Telecommunication Services (+1.76%) and Energy (+1.31%) sectors gained momentum. On the economic data front, the FHFA house price index increased by 0.2% in May, below the estimate of +0.3%, from +0.2% in April. In addition, Markit manufacturing PMI increased at a preliminary estimate of 55.5 in July (estimated 55.1) from 55.4 in June while Markit service PMI decreased at a preliminary estimate of 56.2 in July (estimated 56.3) from 56.5 in the previous month. Finally, Richmond Fed’s manufacturing survey increased to 20 in July (estimated 18) compared to a revised 21 from the prior month. The S&P 500 (2,820.40) remains above both its 20d moving average (2,770.13 – positive slope) and 50d moving average (2,754.86 – positive slope). read more