(This is a wrap-up of the key money moving discussions on CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” exclusive for PRO subscribers. Worldwide Exchange airs at 5 a.m. ET each day) Worldwide Exchange Word of the Day: Fed Mimi Duff from GenTrust said the Federal Reserve decision on Wednesday will dominate the market action this week. But Duff said she is more focused on the Jerome Powell news conference and the tone of that than the actual decision to cut by a quarter or half point. “You could make a totally neat case for either one,” she said. “The summary of economic projections and the press conference I think will matter a lot more.” Even as the Fed is expected to enter a rate cutting cycle, Duff sees the biggest opportunities in defensives like consumer staples and healthcare. According to fed futures pricing, a majority of traders believe the Fed will actually cut rates by a half point on Wednesday. The case for Big Tech Alan McKnight of Regions Bank said going into the expected Fed rate-cutting cycle, he sees opportunities in communication services, particularly Big Tech bellwethers Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta (META) . The stocks and sector have traded lower since the Fed’s Jackson Hole update and have seen lesser investor interest in recent weeks as mMoney has moved to more interest rate sensitive sectors. GOOGL YTD mountain Alphabet, year-to-date But McKnight says it all comes down to two factors: The are “cash cows” and have “the ability to deliver on earnings.” The case for US Treasurys Both McKnight and Duff see opportunities in bonds and say they look as attractive, and in some cases, more attractive than the equity market. The short of the curve looks more attractive to McKnight who sees yields on that end declining more rapidly during the Fed rate cutting cycle. He added: “As the Fed begins to cut rates we will see more on the shorter to midterm part of the yield curve versus the long end of the curve.” Duff sees the best returns in the “belly” or the middle of the curve, generally seen as 2-year to 10-year Treasurys. She added: “The projections are horrible for the deficit, it’s hard to get excited about the long end” Worldwide Exchange Chart of the Day: Intel (INTC) Intel shares moved higher in the pre-market on a Bloomberg News report the chipmaker has qualified for $3.5 billion in federal grants to make chips for the Pentagon. INTC 1D mountain Intel, 1 day Intel continues to be a laggard in the chip space with shares down 60% year to date.
