Rollercoaster week in US stocks leaves investors braced for bumps ahead

NEW YORK, Aug 9 (Reuters): A week of wild market swings has investors looking ahead to inflation data, corporate earnings and presidential polls for signals that could soothe a recent outbreak of turbulence in US stocks.
Following months of placid trading, US stock volatility has surged this month as a run of alarming data coincided with the unwinding of a massive, yen-fueled carry trade to deal equities their worst selloff of the year.
The S&P 500 is still down around 6 per cent from a record high set last month, even after making up ground in a series of rallies after Monday's crushing selloff.
At issue for many investors is the trajectory of the US economy. After months of betting on an economic soft landing, investors rushed to price in the risk of a more severe downturn, following weaker-than-expected manufacturing and employment data last week.
"Everybody is now worried about the economy," said Bob Kalman, a portfolio manager at Miramar Capital. "We are moving away from the greed portion of the program and now the market is facing the fear of significant geopolitical risks, a hotly contested election and volatility that is not going away."
Though stocks have rallied in recent days, traders believe it will be a while before calm returns to markets. Indeed, the historical behavior of the Cboe Volatility Index - which saw its biggest one-day jump ever on Monday - shows that surges of volatility usually take months to dissipate.
Known as Wall Street's fear gauge, the index measures demand for options protection from market swings. When it closes above 35 - an elevated level that it topped on Monday - the index has taken 170 sessions on average to return to 17.6, its long-term median and a level associated with far less extreme investor anxiety, a Reuters analysis showed.
For now, futures markets are pricing in a 55 per cent chance the central bank will bring down benchmark interest rates by 50 basis points in September, at its next policy meeting, compared with a roughly 5 per cent chance seen a month ago.
"Slower payroll growth reinforces that US economic risks are becoming more two-sided as inflation cools and activity slows," said Oscar Munoz, chief US macro strategist at TD Securities, in a recent note.
Companies in the S&P 500 have reported second-quarter results that are 4.1 per cent above expectations, in line with the long-term average of 4.2 per cent above expectations, according to LSEG data.
Walmart and Home Depot are among companies reporting earnings next week, with their results seen as offering a snapshot on how US consumers are holding up after months of elevated interest rates.
The end of the month brings earnings from chip giant Nvidia, whose shares are up around 110 per cent this year even after a recent selloff. The Fed's annual Jackson Hole gathering, set for Aug. 22-24, will give policymakers another chance to fine tune their monetary policy message before their September meeting.
Lemonides believes the recent volatility is a healthy correction during an otherwise strong bull market, and he initiated a position in Amazon.com to take advantage of its weakness.