US S&P 500 Index

The S&P 500 closed up 0.4% this morning, helped by a bounce in semiconductors, softer inflation data, and a strong financial sector following earnings beats by the first banks to report. The US banks kicked off earnings season strongly, with Goldman Sachs jumping +9% after comfortably beating expectations, while JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America both gained around +2% following bumper second-quarter results, dragging up the broader financial sector, with UBS rallying by 3.6%. The only bank to disappoint was Citi, which fell 5% on a mixed update. We would expect Macquarie to have a good day – nicely poised to break out of it’s recent trading range to new highs.

• We believe it’s a matter of when, not if, the S&P 500 breaks out on the upside with a meaningful resolution to the US-Iran conflict potentially the catalyst needed.