XOP and the rate narrative – what are we missing?
Watching $XOP today, down to 166.4, it just feels like the market's still trying to reconcile the hawkish lean from the Fed with the underlying energy demand narrative. You've got crude ticking up, but E&P names are lagging. Are we seeing the start of a broader rotation out of these cyclicals due to higher-for-longer rates making future capex harder, or is this just a momentary blip while institutions re-evaluate their exposure? My watchlist is heavily skewed towards re-evaluating the betas of these names against rate hikes. Thinking about trimming some energy exposure if we don't see a clear bounce above 168.0 soon. It's a tricky one to call right now.
That's a good point about the capex. It definitely feels like the market is weighing the cost of future projects against current demand. Could also be some profit-taking after a good run, but the rate narrative certainly adds another layer of complexity.