It is going to be a quiet day in the stock market day as US financial markets are closed in observance of Thanksgiving. In addition, markets will close earlier on Friday.
In short, it is already the weekend and investors will likely trim their equity exposure especially following the disappointing economic data released yesterday. On Thursday, US futures were edging lower in thin market conditions. The S&P 500 was moving back and forth around the neutral threshold, while the futures on the Nasdaq and Dow Jones edged down 0.0% and 0.05%.
In China, both the Shanghai and Shenzhen Composites fell sharply. The former slid 2.30% while the latter fell 2.96%. The sell-off in Chinese stocks came on the back of a sharp increase in corporate bonds yields. The government has started its deleveraging campaign last year, which is aiming to reduce the overall systemic risk. Weak and highly indebted companies will therefore feel the blow as it would become more and more difficult to refinance themselves as the credit market tightens. This anticipated tightening of credit conditions is spilling over into equities. Further downside adjustment in the Chinese equity market is more than likely. However, investors will reallocate their capital out of weak companies and invest more in companies with a solid financial base. This reallocation will limit the overall sell-off.