S&P 500

"Triple Threat Thursday" is now a distant memory, with both the ECB and Comey testimony "non-events" for the market, although the UK general election was a shocker in which contrary to expectations, Theresa May lost her majority in Parliament, sending sterling tumbling overnight and prompting even more confusion about the UK's political fate and the future of Brexit. That however did not spook risk assets, and on Friday morning, European stocks gained with Asian stocks little changed, while S&P500 futures were set for new all time highs. Just like after Brexit, it was U.K.

At the end of May, we highlighted that after an unprecedented buying spree, which has sent the Nasdaq to nosebleed record levels, a crack had appeared in the second tech bubble: after weeks of relentless inflows into the sector, tech had suffered its largest outflow in over a year.

So far "Triple Threat Thursday" has been a dud. In the day with the greatest concentration of market-moving risk events so far in 2017, market action - at least for the time being - has been a whimper, with European stocks and US futures modestly higher ahead of the ECB’s rate decision and Comey's testimony (which has now been fully publicized, removing much of the risk), as the U.K. voting is underway. Asian stocks fell led by a decline in Japan as the yen first strengthened, only to tumble later in the session.

The number of S&P 500 companies reporting negative earnings is rising rapidly.

Why does this matter?

It matters because this usually signals right before a stock market peak.

Below is a chart illustrating the percentage of S&P 500 companies reporting negative earnings running back to 1999.

As you can see, we are now at levels that have usually occurred just before stock market peaks (the last two times we were at these levels were 2007 and 2000, respectively).

European and Asian stocks, as well as S&P futures were little changed ahead of "Super Thursday's" events which include the U.K. general election, Comey's testimony and the ECB policy decision. That however may change following a Bloomberg news report that the ECB is set to cut inflation forecasts through 2019 due to weaker energy prices, suggesting the "hawkish" ECB announcement some had expected tomorrow has been postponed.