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The bid for global equities continues, led by the United States on the back of renewed strength in the ‘Trump Trade’. Last week saw solid gains not only in the U.S., but in the UK and Japan as well, while in Europe the DAX managed to recoup early week losses to close near unchanged. Global risk appetite for stocks is a theme which continues to hold steady in the absence of a perceived reason for market participants to sell.
S&P 500
In the U.S., this coming week we have very little economic data to start, with the only notable event coming Tuesday when Fed Chairwoman, Janet Yellen, will appear before the Senate Banking Panel at 15:00 GMT time. The more highly anticipated event, though, is her semi-annual testimony to the House Panel on Wednesday at 15:00. The January FOMC meeting held a dovish tone, which buoyed equities, and while the Fed still wants to keep the market prepared for another rate hike at some point, it’s unlikely given the proximity of her testimony to the last FOMC meeting that Yellen will say anything new which will spark substantial volatility. However, with that said we should always be prepared for the unexpected. Further adding to potential for volatility on Wednesday are the releases of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Advance Retail Sales at 13:30 GMT. The back half of the week cools off with little market-moving data on the docket.
Looking at the technical picture, the S&P 500 once again finished in record territory. There is no interest on this end in fighting the trend. But with that in mind, we still favor fresh longs on dips over chasing momentum. There is a top-side trend-line extending back to the Feb ’16 lows, which could act as minor resistance (~2318). The first level of support comes in at 1/26 high of 2301, then around the 2285 mark, which is last week’s low and near the rising trend-line from the 12/30 swing low.
