What’s moving markets today: June 11, 2019

Lovesac (LOVE), which sells sectional couches and beanbags, tumbled 23% on Tuesday after the retailer disclosed that tariffs hurt its business during the start to 2019.

The retailer said that a 10% tariff on imported goods from China squeezed profit during the first quarter of 2019.

Lovesac manufacturers parts of its furniture in China, but said it is working to diversify its manufacturing base.

Other retailers, such as Walmart (WMT), have warned that tariffs will lead to higher prices for consumers.

The market is closed for the day and investors are looking ahead to what’s next.

US stocks ended slightly lower today, marking the end of a rally that has lasted for more than a week. Ahead of today’s close, the Dow had logged gains six days in a row. A winning streak like that was last seen in May 2018.

United Technologies (UTX) was the weakest stock in the Dow, dropping 4%. Raytheon (RTN), which is set to merge with United Technologies, was the biggest loser in the S&P 500. Its shares dropped 5.1%.

Policy uncertainty, especially when it comes to trade, could weigh on earnings in coming quarters, according to LPL Financial.

While tariffs on Mexican imports were avoided thanks to the United States and Mexico reaching a deal, the picture is less clear when it comes to China. On top of that, new tariffs, for example against the European Union or Japan, could still be in store as well.

A prolonged trade war with China could mean companies would incur the tariffs or have to change supply chains, leading to rising costs and worsening profit margins, said Lynch:

But policy uncertainty concerns more than just trade, said Lynch. Monetary policy is also part of it. Expectations for what the Federal Reserve might do next have changed quite a bit. The market is penciling in an interest rate cut this year.

Amid all this, LPL cut its 2019 S&P 500 earnings forecast from $172.50 per share to $170, which is still above the consensus estimate of $168.

President Donald Trump’s liberal use of tariffs in negotiations could impact markets and investor confidence, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said during an interview with CNBC at the Code Conference in Arizona.

Stocks have been rallying for more than a week. If the Dow ends in the green today, it will have logged gains for seven days in a row. Investors have been breathing a sigh of relief after Mexico and the US agreed to a deal that avoided tariffs on Mexican imports.

Boeing (BA) shares slipped more than 1% after it reported no new commercial aircraft orders in May.

That’s the second straight month that Boeing’s orders were at a standstill in the face of the 737 Max crisis.

The drop in orders isn’t only because of the grounding of the 737 Max. Boeing also has a massive backorder of about 5,000 planes. Many of its customers do not need to place orders for additional jets right now.

Read more about Boeing’s orders here.

Have we reached the top of this stock rally?

At midday, the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite have paired their gains and turned red. The Dow and the S&P are both down 0.1%, while the Nasdaq has slipped 0.2%.

Nevertheless, the S&P remains less than 2% away from it’s all time record closing high. And if the Dow closes in the green today, it will be its longest streak of gains in over a year. All in all, this slightly more sluggish day doesn’t seem like a cause for concern.

Technology and telecommunications services stocks are leading gains across the board. Verizon (VZ) and Cisco (CSCO) are among the biggest gainers in the Dow, up 1.9% and 1.5%, respectively.

Beyond Meat’s stock had soared more than 570% from its initial public offering price as of the market close on Monday. But one Wall Street analyst thinks the plant-based protein company’s valuation is now beyond reason.

JPMorgan’s Ken Goldman downgraded Beyond Meat (BYND) to a “neutral” rating on Tuesday, news that sent shares plummeting nearly 20% in early trading.

Goldman, who just raised his forecast for the stock to $120 a share last Friday, noted in newly released report that Beyond Meat had surged “beyond our price target.”

This is particularly noteworthy since JPMorgan Chase (JPM) was one of the lead underwriters of the Beyond Meat offering. Investment banks typically lavish praise on the companies that they advise.

Goldman said that he still believes the company’s fundamentals look solid, but he also now thinks the valuation is way ahead of itself.

Read the full story here.

Sprint (S) shares tumbled 7% following a report that several state attorneys general are planning to file a lawsuit blocking its planned merger with T-Mobile (TMUS).

Reuters reports New York’s state AG Letitia James is leading the lawsuit, with 9 other attorney generals expected to join.

T-Mobile shares also fell nearly 2%.

The proposed $26 billion merger between the two telecommunication companies has faced a rocky path.

In May, the pair announced that they adjusted their merger terms to address concerns brought to them by the FCC. The regulator and the US Department of Justice both have to approve the deal before the companies can complete their merger.

Tax preparation company H&R Block (HRB) has agreed to acquire Canadian financial solutions platform Wave Financial for $405 million in cash.

Wave provides payment processing and bookkeeping services, which are “significant pain points for small business owners and essential to successful annual tax preparation,” said H&R Block president and CEO Jeff Jones, according to a press release.

The company also reported its earnings for the fiscal year 2019 today, including revenues of $3.1 billion, slightly below last year’s $3.2 billion, and a 4% dividend increase to $1.04.

H&R Block’s shares are the best performer in the S&P 500 today, having climbed 5.8% so far.