First Word

COVID-19 UPDATE: Incrementally positive developments on vaccine from AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Case data solid. Speculation unwound = good

Click HERE to access the FSInsight COVID-19 Daily Chartbook.

STRATEGY: Decent incoming weekend data and speculative excess unwound...
It was a pretty decent weekend for US COVID-19 data, particularly on the vaccine front.  AstraZeneca is set to resume its trials (paused last week due to an illness of a participant) and Pfizer CEO, in a CNBC interview, stated that a vaccine might be given to Americans before year-end.  Thus, progress continues on the healthcare front.  

The video in this report is only accessible to members

Source: WSJ

The video in this report is only accessible to members

Source: CNBC

And incoming case data over the weekend was encouraging as well.  We expect the headwind of surging college cases to slow/impair progress, but daily cases managed to fall throughout the weekend.  In fact, as we discuss below, daily death trends are also accelerating in their improvement, even faster than case trends.  The 7D moving average of deaths is now 729, well below the 2,000 levels seen in March/April.

If there was any negative headline, it is this one below.  Israel is moving to a full 3-week lockdown to stem the surge in cases there.  This, by the way, contrasts with the reaction of Spain and France, both nations have seen new highs in cases, but have not taken a similar step.

The video in this report is only accessible to members
The video in this report is only accessible to members
Source: Washington PostGiven how mu...

Unlock this article with a FREE 30-Day Trial!

An FSI Pro, or FSI Macro subscription is required in order to access this content.

*Free trial available only on a monthly plan

More from the author

Disclosures (show)

Get invaluable analysis of the market and stocks. Cancel at any time. Start Free Trial

Articles Read 2/2

🎁 Unlock 1 extra article by joining our Community!

You’ve reached your limit of 2 free monthly articles. Please enter your email to unlock 1 more articles.

Already have an account? Sign In

Want to receive Regular Market Updates to your Inbox?

I am your default error :)