On October 28, Mike Wilson, Chief U.S. Equity Strategist at Morgan Stanley, stated in a client report that a combination of AI financing pressures, the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, and tightening financial conditions could push the S&P 500 index down to around 7100 points in the coming weeks, representing a decline of about 8% from recent levels. This would mark the largest adjustment since the market turmoil triggered by the Iran war earlier this year. The firm noted that approximately 60% of the Russell 3000 index components have fallen over 20% from their peaks since early June, and about 96% of semiconductor stocks have also declined by more than 20%. They anticipate that the semiconductor sector may drop an additional 10% to 15% before mid-November. Credit spreads on bonds related to data centers have widened, with CoreWeave's debt entering distressed territory this month. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to 3.75% to 4.00% in September, leading to rising bond yields. The firm maintains a year-end target of 8000 points for the S&P 500 and a fundamental target of 8300 points over the next 12 months, noting that markets typically perform better after midterm elections, with data from 1950 to 2022 showing an average increase of about 8% in the three months following elections.
All Comments