Friday the 13th Market Mayhem

Fresh news and strategies for traders. SPY Trader episode #1237. Hey there, stock slingers, and welcome back to Spy Trader! It's your pal, Chip Chopsworth, comin' at ya live from my bunker, where the coffee's strong and the market's…well, you'll see. It's 6 pm on Friday, June 13th, 2025, Pacific time, and things have been a little wild today, so let's dive right in. Okay, so the big news is that the US500 took a tumble, down 1.13% to 5977 points. That's right, Friday the 13th lived up to its name! We were actually on track for a third straight week of gains, but that got squashed. The Dow took a bigger hit, down 1.8%, with the S&P 500 shedding 1.1% and the Nasdaq losing 1.3%. Ouch! For the week, the Dow's down 1.3%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, and the Nasdaq declined 0.6%. So much for those weekly gains! What spooked the market? Well, the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel sent investors running for safety. Think dollar strength, volatility spikes, gold prices soaring, and a retreat from those highflying tech stocks – you know, the Magnificent Seven. And crude oil jumped on the news, naturally. Let's talk sectors. Remember how hot tech, consumer discretionary, and communication services were in May? All up at least 8%. Well, the party might be slowing down. Tech, even though it was up big, is now trading near fair value. Communication Services is still looking undervalued, though, so keep an eye on that one. Also, a big shoutout to Tesla for carrying the Consumer Cyclical sector in May! On the other hand, utilities and energy took a beating last month, but the energy sector is still looking like a bargain, trading at a 14% discount. Now, for some companyspecific buzz: Oracle stock went bonkers after a great earnings report and a rosy forecast. Adobe, on the other hand, got punished even after beating expectations. Go figure! AMD launched some new GPUs that are supposed to be super powerful, and Super Micro Computer, or SMCI, got a huge boost from a $20 billion deal with a Saudi Arabian data center company. Kaching! From a macro perspective, GDP shrank a bit in the first quarter of 2025, mostly thanks to more imports and less government spending. Inflation is supposed to chill out a bit this year, but tariffs could throw a wrench in those plans. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.1%, and all eyes are on the Fed to see what they're gonna do with interest rates. Right now, the market's betting on a rate cut in September, but who knows what'll actually happen? Okay, Chip's gonna give you the lowdown. Given all this craziness, it's time to spread your bets around. Diversify, diversify, diversify! Think international stocks, maybe some gold, and look into some alternative investments. With slower growth and those pesky tariffs possibly causing inflation, think about defensive plays, like lowvolatility stocks. I'm liking value stocks right now, as they're looking cheap. I'd be a little cautious with growth stocks, since they're trading at a premium. Keep your peepers peeled for those economic reports, especially the jobs numbers and the CPI, and watch out for those geopolitical risks – things could get bumpy! But remember, folks, I'm just a dude in a bunker with a microphone. This ain't financial advice. Do your own homework and talk to a pro before making any big moves. Now get out there and make some smart trades! Chip Chopsworth, signing off!