US equities extended the tech-led rally, with the S&P 500 setting another record and Micron reaching a $1tn valuation. The move rolled into Asia as SK Hynix crossed $1tn, supported by demand for AI-linked names and expectations of a swift end to the US\/Iran conflict. In South Korea, Samsung and SK Hynix account for 40% of the Kospi, helping equities hold up even as the region absorbs an energy price spike.<\/p>\n
European shares rose with risk appetite, while oil slipped 2% on the day; Brent fell back below $94 a barrel and is down 10% over the past week. Bonds firmed and 10-year yields fell across major economies, with the UK 10-year yield down 4bps on the day and 34bps since peaking at 5.17% on 18 May. That came despite Ofgem\u2019s 13% rise in the household energy price cap from July\u2014the highest in more than two years\u2014adding \u00a3221 a year per household, alongside guidance that prices may stay elevated through winter. UK Gilts stabilised after an earlier sell-off; the FTSE 100 lagged as Shell and BP fell, while M&S and JD Sports outperformed, and US index futures pointed higher after Goldman Sachs lifted its year-end S&P 500 call to 8,000.<\/p>\n
We see the current tech rally as a strong momentum play that is likely to continue in the near term. With the Nasdaq 100 already up over 12% year-to-date and volatility, measured by the VIX index, hovering near multi-year lows around 12, conditions are favourable for further gains. We are advising traders to consider buying call options on tech-focused ETFs or individual names like Nvidia to capture this upside.<\/p>\n
The market’s optimism is heavily tied to falling oil prices, which are down on hopes of a US-Iran deal. We believe this makes the energy market vulnerable to a sharp reversal if diplomatic talks falter. A similar situation in early 2022 saw Brent crude prices surge by over 30% in just two weeks, so we feel it is prudent to buy cheap, out-of-the-money call options on oil futures as a hedge.<\/p>\n
This sharp drop in oil is directly impacting the UK bond market, pushing 10-year Gilt yields down. We have seen yields fall more than 30 basis points in the last ten days, a significant move for government debt. Traders should watch this correlation closely, using Gilt futures to speculate on further yield compression if oil prices continue to weaken.<\/p>\n
There is a stark divergence between the booming, tech-led US indices and the lagging FTSE 100. The FTSE 100, heavy with energy and financial stocks, is up a mere 7% over the past year, while the tech-centric S&P 500 has surged by over 25%. This growing gap suggests a pairs trade, going long the FTSE 100 while shorting the S&P 500 or Nasdaq 100, could serve as an effective hedge against a sudden rotation out of tech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tech-led equities rally hit records as oil fell; Asia followed; bonds firmed; traders eye tech calls, oil hedges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":16994,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[54,114,43,11,66],"class_list":["post-54078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-updates","tag-ai","tag-asia","tag-bonds","tag-indices","tag-oil"],"acf":{"acf_article_selection_author":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t