US Market Technicals Ahead (5 Apr – 9 Apr 2021)Stock market gains could continue with with the $SPX index scaling the 4,000 level for the first time last Thursday. IMF’s spring meeting and minutes from the last FOMC meeting and the ECB’s latest meetings will be in the spotlight this coming week.
Investors will also be watching if Congress will pass President Joe Biden’s massive 2 Trillion infrastructure plan announced last week. Markets in China, Germany, the UK and Australia will be closed on Monday for holidays.
Here is what you need to know to start your week.
S&P500 (US Market)
The benchmark index ($SPX) surged to its all time high with a gain of +1.61% (+64.1 points) for the week, scaling the 4,000 level for the first time last Thursday.
Those gains could continue after the Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy added 916,000 jobs in March, the most in seven months, while jobs growth in February was also larger than previously estimated. T
The immediate support to watch for $SPX is at 3,989 level, a previous resistance turned support level going forward.
IMF meeting
The IMF is to begin its spring meetings (virtually) on Monday where policymakers will give a snapshot of the economic fallout from the pandemic, but also release updated forecasts for growth for 2021 and 2022.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has already indicated that the updated World Economic Outlook will see an upward revision to January’s forecast for 5.5% global economic growth this year.
Central bank minutes
The Federal Reserve is to publish the minutes of its March meeting on Wednesday and investors will be on the lookout for any fresh insights on inflation amid concerns that unprecedented stimulus will lead to rising price pressures.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell played down concerns about inflation after the bank’s March meeting, saying policymakers see inflationary pressures as transient.
The ECB is to release its latest meeting minutes on Thursday. Last week ECB President Christine Lagarde said investors could test the bank’s willingness to rein in rising borrowing costs “as much as they want”.
Powell, Fed speakers
Investors will be watching an appearance by Fed Chair Jerome Powell who is due to discuss the global economy on an IMF panel Thursday.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is to speak at a webinar hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on Monday to discuss the global economic recovery from the pandemic.
Spxbreakout
US Market Technicals Ahead (22 Mar – 26 Mar 2021)For this upcoming week, Investors will be watching the scheduled testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday and Wednesday before Congress, as 10-year bond yield reached its highest in 14 months. Personal consumption expenditures inflation data will also be released at the end of the week.
Before his joint testimony to Congress with Yellen, Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak Monday at the start of a four-day conference organized by the Bank for International Settlements on innovation in the digital age.
Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
S&P500 (US Market)
The benchmark index ($SPX) traded the week to a all time high of 3,989, before returning all its gain with a weekly loss of -0.77% (-30.2 points) for the week. Optimism about the prospects for the economic recovery has accelerated a shift into bank and other value stocks, powering the $SPX to record levels during the week.
With $SPX remaining above its 20DMA & 50DMA and at a higher low trend formation, the immediate support to watch for $SPX is at 3,860 level, a break on the convergence of both major moving averages. Resistance to watch for $SPX is at 3,989 level, a continuation to break its all time high level.
Powell, Yellen testimony
Powell and Yellen testify before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday and the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday where they will discuss the health of the U.S. economy and the importance of fiscal and monetary stimulus in the recovery from the pandemic.
Financial markets have diverged from the Fed on the possible future outlook for monetary policy, sending yields on U.S. Treasuries to their highest in more than a year.
Investors are pricing in a first rate hike sooner than the Fed currently expects, amid fears that the economy could overheat as it recovers from the pandemic given President Joe Biden’s massive stimulus package combined with the Fed’s easy money policy.
U.S. economic data
On the data front, durable goods orders and the personal income and spending reports are set to be the highlights of the week, along with figures on new and existing home sales.
The housing data together with the personal income and spending figures, which includes the PCE deflator, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, will probably show weakness, due to the impact of severe winter storms on economic activity in February. However, economists expect the slump to be short-lived.
The U.S. is also to publish the latest revision of fourth quarter 2020 GDP, which was last reported at an annualized 4.1%.
