US Stocks May Not Be Ready For Hawkish Powell At Jackson Hole, Options Data Show  

• Investors may be underestimating the degree of potential market turbulence stemming from the Federal Reserve's economic symposium at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, potentially leaving them more vulnerable to a hawkish surprise, options strategists said.
• Some strategists believe that the outlook may not be cautious enough, especially if last year is any guide.
• A more hawkish-than-expected message from Powell at Jackson Hole last August sank the S&P 500 by 3.4% on the day of his address - the biggest reaction to a Fed chair’s speech at the annual symposium in at least 11 years, a Reuters analysis showed. At that time, options markets were primed for a move of around 1.4%.
• With many investors sitting on big year-to-date gains in stocks and bond yields pushing higher, investors may be caught flat-footed if a hawkish Powell spurs a run out of risky assets, Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, said. Markets "have shaken off some of the outright complacency that existed about a month or two ago but (they) are hardly risk averse," he added.
• Though the Fed has made significant progress in cooling consumer prices, the pressure may be on Powell to reinforce his "higher for longer" mantra on rates to avoid giving the impression that the battle against inflation was already won, BofA's analysts wrote.

(Source: Reuters)