Federal Reserve System
The Federal Reserve System may enact on the recent challenges in the market
Last week, a Congressional testimony took place where Federal Reserve Chair Powel declared that the economy is slowly improving. However, Powel said a lot of work was still to be done, and the Federal Reserve System would be patient before removing any accommodations. In recent times, there has been a rise in bond yields, implying that investors are pulling forward on their expectations of policy normalization by the Federal Reserve System. Given the economic effects of COVID-19, policymakers will try and not increase bond rates, which would hurt consumers through increasing borrowing costs and mortgaging rates. Because of this, some industry experts claim that monetary policy will continue to serve as a tailwind as interest-rate peaks are still years away.
SPACs
SPAC market is booming
On Monday, it was reported that the SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) market is worth around $700 billion. A SPAC is a publicly-traded company where shares don’t represent claims in a business but rather ownership of a pool of capital that will be enacted when acquiring other companies. Through February 26, 175 SPACs debuted on the market. For context, 223 SPACs hit the market, and this number was a record high. Already this week, 12 more SPACs debuted on the market, meaning 2020’s number could be beaten within the next few weeks. As the value of the SPAC market rises, the value of a company taken public via a SPAC also rises. In 2021, the value is $2.9 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 2020.
COVID-19 Relief
Democrats aim to send President Biden a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Schumer announced that Democrats would start the debate on a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill later this week. After 20 hours of debates, the Senate can pass its legislation, and House Majority Leader Hoyer expects the bill to be passed on either Friday or Saturday. If passed, the bill would sen $1,400 in direct payments to most Americans along with a $400 per week unemployment program. The legislation also includes $20 billion to speed up the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations along with $350 billion in aid for local and state governments. Even with the legislation, some Democrats believe that President Biden has to provide more direct relief to the people that are severely impacted by the consequence of COVID-19.
Rocket Stock
The new GameStop?
According to the Wall Street Journal, the people that powered the rise of GameStop have decided that Rocket, the largest mortgage lender in the US, will be their next target. Since last week, shares of Rocket have suggest 28%. The Reddit community, WallStreetBets, has encouraged each other to invest in Rocket and have shared evidence of their gains. Ironically, Rocket was chosen as the stock is “fueled and ready for takeoff”. Although WallStreetBets has encouraged the trading of Rocket shares, trading has halted multiple times due to volatility. Rocket Cos. had its largest one month dividend payment at $1.11 because of its excess capital from Q4 of 2020. Going forward, Rocket Cos. has other upsides due to rising mortgage rates, boosting the earning potential for mortgage lenders.
Works Cited
Kourkafas, Angelo. “Weekly Market Wrap.” Edward Jones, 26 Feb. 2021, www.edwardjones.com/us-en/market-news-insights/stock-market-news/stock-market-weekly-update.
McCaffrey, Orla. “Rocket Stock Is the New Meme Trade. Move Over, GameStop.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 3 Mar. 2021, www.wsj.com/articles/rocket-is-becoming-the-new-meme-stock-move-over-gamestop-11614782903?mod=markets_lead_pos3.
Pramuk, Jacob. “Democrats Aim to Send $1.9 Trillion Covid Relief Bill to Biden by the End of next Week.” CNBC, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2021, www.cnbc.com/2021/03/02/stimulus-update-democrats-aim-to-pass-1point9-trillion-covid-relief-bill-next-week.html.
Udland, Myles. “SPACs Are Now a $700 Billion Market.” Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo!, 3 Mar. 2021, finance.yahoo.com/news/spacs-700-billion-market-2021-goldman-sachs-morning-brief-110126053.html.