Live Coverage Has Ended

Stock Market Live May 19: US Debt Downgraded, S&P 500 (VOO) Falls

Photo of Joel South
By Joel South Updated Published

Key Points

  • Moody’s downgraded U.S. debt one notch on Friday, joining S&P and Fitch in negatively assessing U.S. creditworthiness.

  • UBS upgrades U.S. airline stocks.

  • It sounds nuts, but SoFi is giving new active invest users up to $1,000 in stock for a limited time, and all it takes is a $50 deposit to get started. See for yourself (Sponsor)
    DISCLOSURE:
    INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, member FINRA(www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Advisory services are offered by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Information about SoFi Wealth’s advisory operations, services, and fees is set forth in SoFi Wealth’s current Form ADV Part 2 (Brochure), a copy of which is available upon request and at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Probability of Member receiving $1,000 is a probability of 0.026%; If you don’t make a selection in 30 days, you’ll no longer qualify for the promo. Customer must fund their account with a minimum of $50.00 to qualify. Other fees, such as exchange fees, may apply. Please view our fee disclosure to view a full listing of fees. Investing in alternative investments and/or strategies may not be suitable for all investors and involves unique risks, including the risk of loss. An investor should consider their individual circumstances and any investment information, such as a prospectus, prior to investing. Interval Funds are illiquid instruments, the ability to trade on your timeline may be restricted. Brokerage and Active investing products offered through SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA(www.finra.org) /SIPC(www.sipc.org). There are limitations with fractional shares to consider before investing. During market hours fractional share orders are transmitted immediately in the order received. There may be system delays from receipt of your order until execution and market conditions may adversely impact execution prices. Outside of market hours orders are received on a not held basis and will be aggregated for each security then executed in the morning trade window of the next business day at market open. Share will be delivered at an average price received for executing the securities through a single batched order. Fractional shares may not be transferred to another firm. Fractional shares will be sold when a transfer or closure request is initiated. Please consider that selling securities is a taxable event. Options involve risks, including substantial risk of loss and the possibility an investor may lose the entire investment Before trading options please review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options  Investing in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) involves substantial risk, including the risk of loss. Further, there are a variety of risk factors to consider when investing in an IPO, including but not limited to, unproven management, significant debt, and lack of operating history. For a comprehensive discussion of these risks please refer to SoFi Securities’ IPO Risk Disclosure Statement This should not be considered a recommendation to participate in IPOs and investors should carefully read the offering prospectus to determine whether an offering is consistent with their investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation. New offerings generally have high demand and there are a limited number of shares available for distribution to participants. Many customers may not be allocated shares and share allocations may be significantly smaller than the shares requested in the customer’s initial offer (Indication of Interest). For more information on the allocation process please visit IPO Allocation.

Live Updates

Today's Number is 6

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF closed Monday at 546.82, up 0.1%, it’s sixth straight trading day of gains.

 

Bond Panic Moderates

Following Moody’s downgrade of U.S. debt this morning, 30-year U.S. treasury yields passed 5% and 10-year bonds rose to 4.5%, but as the day wears on, some investors are filtering back to buy the dip, and lower bond yields accordingly. As we approach the noonday mark, 30-year T-bills have fallen below 5% (4.975% to be precise) while the 10-year Treasury is still 4.5% (but less than the 4.562% it hit earlier in the morning).

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is down only 0.3% now.

 

Not Everyone Loves Air Travel

Taking a somewhat different view from UBS and its optimism, Northcoast Research downgraded an aerospace company (and S&P 500 component) this morning, taking GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE | GE Price Prediction) down a notch to neutral.

Northcoast warns that the global trade war isn’t over just yet, and despite improved aircraft production reports, it’s not convinced the air industry is ready to boom again. With GE Aerospace shares up 36% since April, “the stock’s risk/reward is no longer appealing,” says Northcoast.

UBS is on a Roll

In further UBS upgrades news, the Swiss banker upgraded Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE: ADM) stock to buy this morning. As UBS explains, “the Budget Reconciliation bill drafted by the the House Ways and Means Committee, makes it clear that no production tax credit will be given to renewable diesel made from imported feedstocks,” potentially creating additional demand for as much as 1.3 billion gallons of domestically produced soybean oil annually.

UBS values ADM stock at $60 per share, up from $55 previously.

This article will be updated throughout the day, so check back often for more daily updates.

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) has downgraded U.S. debt from Aaa to Aa1, and investors aren’t happy about that. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) opened 0.9% lower on Monday, the first trading day after the credit downgrade, which was announced after close of trading Friday.

Moody’s cited risks including a growing budget deficit and rising borrowing costs in making its change. Worse, this may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Debt markets responded to the downgrade by making U.S. debt even more expensive. 30-year U.S. treasury yields climbed past 5% and 10-year bonds rose past 4.5%.

The news isn’t entirely horrible.  At Aa1, America’s debt remains “investment grade” and Moody’s fuller explanation of the new credit rating says that U.S. obligations “are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.” It’s still a painful cut, though, and Moody’s no longer considers U.S. debt to be “of the highest quality, with minimal risk.”

S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) and Fitch, the world’s other two big credit raters, had previously made similar moves to downgrade U.S. debt.

Earnings

Earnings season is slowing down, with only a few companies reporting this morning. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM) reported $2.45 per share this morning, beating earnings. Global Ship Lease (NYSE: GSL) likewise beat earnings with profits of $2.65 per share.

Analyst Calls

UBS upgraded both Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) to buy. The Swiss banker called United “one of the best positioned airlines to take advantage [of] a recovery in corporate travel and continued resilience in Premium and International.” Delta is also “well placed to capitalize on any improvement.”

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
Photo of Joel South
About the Author Joel South →

Joel South covers large-cap stocks, dividend investing, and major market trends, with a focus on earnings analysis, valuation, and turning complex data into actionable insights for investors.

He brings more than 15 years of experience as an investor and financial journalist, including 12 years at The Motley Fool, where he served as an investment analyst, Bureau Chief, and later led the Fool.com investing news desk. He has also co-hosted an investing podcast and appeared across TV and radio discussing market trends.

Stock Market Live May 19: US Debt Downgraded, S&P 500 (VOO) Falls

© zakokor / iStock via Getty Images

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

ENPH Vol: 7,410,703
DXCM Vol: 3,888,940
FDS Vol: 371,244
NOW Vol: 16,539,260
OXY Vol: 7,159,091

Top Losing Stocks

CTRA Vol: 73,319,495
COIN Vol: 7,198,191
F Vol: 52,448,821
NEM Vol: 3,113,454
INTC Vol: 72,129,668