What Happened?
A number of stocks jumped in the morning session after markets rebounded following a sharp sell-off in the previous trading session as weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data fueled investor hopes for a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
The July Nonfarm Payrolls report revealed a gain of only 73,000 jobs, significantly below the 110,000 expected. Compounding the news, prior months' figures were revised downward by over 250,000 jobs. This data, indicating a cooling labor market, has led investors to dramatically increase bets on a September interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, with the probability jumping to over 80% according to the CME FedWatch Tool. The prospect of lower borrowing costs typically stimulates economic activity and boosts consumer spending on non-essential goods and services, which directly benefits companies in the consumer discretionary space.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Apparel and Accessories company Levi's (NYSE: LEVI) jumped 3%. Is now the time to buy Levi's? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Apparel and Accessories company PVH (NYSE: PVH) jumped 3.7%. Is now the time to buy PVH? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Apparel and Accessories company Carter's (NYSE: CRI) jumped 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Carter's? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Broadcasting company AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX) jumped 6.2%. Is now the time to buy AMC Networks? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Broadcasting company E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ: SSP) jumped 3.1%. Is now the time to buy E.W. Scripps? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On AMC Networks (AMCX)
AMC Networks’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 35 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 12 days ago when the stock gained 3.6% on the news that a new trade agreement between the United States and Japan spurred a broad market rally. The positive sentiment swept across markets after it was announced the U.S. and Japan had reached a new trade deal. The agreement included a 15% tariff on Japanese goods imported into the U.S. and a commitment from Japan to invest $550 billion in the U.S. and open its markets to American cars and agricultural products. This development boosted investor confidence and contributed to a widespread rally, lifting stocks across many sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both posted gains, creating a favorable environment that likely benefited individual stocks.
AMC Networks is down 40.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $5.96 per share, it is trading 44.3% below its 52-week high of $10.70 from August 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of AMC Networks’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $243.96.
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