December 26, 2024

close video America is more likely to see a Harris victory after Trumps debate performance: Shah Gilani

Money Map Press chief investment strategist Shah Gilani weighs in on Trump and Harris debate performance and its potential impact on the U.S. economy.

U.S. stocks saw big swings Wednesday as investors toggled between the Federal Reserve’s looming interest rate cut and the race for the White House following the high-stakes debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump.  Ticker Security Last Change Change % I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 40861.71 +124.75 +0.31% SP500 S&P 500 5554.13 +58.61 +1.07% I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 17395.531033 +369.65 +2.17%

The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered a good portion of its 600-plus point drop by mid-afternoon, as did the broader S&P 500, while the Nasdaq Composite turned positive, rising over 1%. 

INVESTORS REACT POST TRUMP, HARRIS DEBATE

Dow Jones Industrial Average

Tech stocks did the heavy lifting, the only S&P sector with gains, helped by the likes of chip stocks, including Nvidia, Intel and AMD, as well as Apple. Consumer staples, financials and energy remained laggards. Ticker Security Last Change Change % XLK TECHNOLOGY SELECT SECTOR SPDR ETF 217.38 +7.09 +3.37% NVDA NVIDIA CORP. 116.78 +8.68 +8.03% INTC INTEL CORP. 19.66 +0.68 +3.56% AMD ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC. 149.84 +7.00 +4.90% AAPL APPLE INC. 222.56 +2.46 +1.12%

INFLATION COOLED IN AUGUST AHEAD OF FED MEETING

The consumer price index for August showed prices continued to ease, rising 2.5%, the lowest since February 2021. Still, year-over-year prices for food remained elevated with eggs +28%, ground beef +4.9%, whole milk +3% and food away from home +4%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Traders dialed back expectations for a 50 basis point rate cut by the Federal Reserve next week to a mere 13%, while the odds of a 25 basis point cut stand at 87%, as tracked by the CME’s FedWatch Tool, which measures the probabilities of rate moves. Policymakers are expected to cut interest rates on Sept. 18 for the first time since March 2020. 

Big money center banks, which profit from higher interest rates, were mixed, including JPMorgan, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Ticker Security Last Change Change % XLF FINANCIAL SELECT SECTOR SPDR ETF 44.30 -0.17 -0.38% JPM JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. 207.16 +1.60 +0.78% BAC BANK OF AMERICA CORP. 39.00 -0.29 -0.75% WFC WELLS FARGO & CO. 53.71 -0.23 -0.44%

The debate between Trump and Harris, on the Disney-owned ABC network, was contentious at times, but gave the vice president a boost. 

"When you look at the predicted order of odds in those betting markets, you did see Kamala Harris’ odds increase for a potential victory in November. Trump declining," Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist for LPL Financial, said during an appearance on "Mornings with Maria" on Wednesday. 

Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are shown on screen in the spin room during the debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Energy stocks such as Chevron, ExxonMobil and Marathon Oil, which could benefit from a Trump win, declined. Ticker Security Last Change Change % XLE ENERGY SELECT SECTOR SPDR ETF 84.33 -0.78 -0.92% CVX CHEVRON CORP. 137.84 -0.39 -0.28% XOM EXXON MOBIL CORP. 109.71 -1.10 -0.99% MRO MARATHON OIL CORP. 25.89 -0.33 -1.26%

Trump Media and Technology Group, of which the former president is the largest stockholder, fell to a record low.

Trump Media & Technology Group

 Its market cap now sits at $3.3 billion, valuing Trump’s stake at $1.9 billion. Following the assassination attempt in July, his stake was worth over $5 billion.