Clean-energy stocks experienced a major boost on Tuesday as recent government statistics indicated a cooling of inflation. This decrease in inflation could potentially lead the Federal Reserve to halt the increase of interest rates, consequently making it more affordable for companies to borrow money for solar, wind, and electric-vehicle projects.
Investor Optimism
The drop in the 10-year Treasury yield by 0.19 percentage point to 4.44% on Tuesday, marking its largest decline since March, served as a clear indication that traders are betting on lower interest rates. For clean-energy investors, this news was met with enthusiasm. In fact, the Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF (PBW) recorded an impressive surge of 8.2%, marking its best performance in a year.
Impressive Stock Gains
This rally also had a positive impact on individual clean-energy companies. Solar-equipment makers Enphase Energy (ENPH) and SolarEdge (SEDG) observed respective increases of 16% and 11%. Sunrun (RUN), a solar developer, witnessed a remarkable rise of 19%, while wind developer Orsted (DNNGY) experienced a 9% increase in their stock value. Renewable-focused utilities AES (AES) and NextEra Energy (NEE) observed respective gains of 9% and 6%.
However, it is essential to note that despite Tuesday's gains, these companies have had a challenging year and continue to face significant losses for 2023. The clean-energy ETF alone has declined by 30% this year. Nonetheless, this rally demonstrates the impact that interest rates have had on these stocks. Investors are hopeful that lower rates will help these companies recover from their current slumps.
Challenges and Progress
Clean-energy projects require substantial initial investments, which become significantly more expensive with rising interest rates. High rates have hindered wind installers from constructing large turbine projects in recent months. Additionally, they have discouraged homeowners from installing solar panels due to the increased cost of financing during periods of high interest rates.
While Tuesday's rally is promising, investors will need to witness further progress on interest rates and address other issues such as supply-chain problems before these stocks experience a more consistent recovery.
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