Stock Market Today: Stocks Rise on Powell’s Latest Interest Rate Outlook

what is the outlook for the stock market today?

Dan also leads the investing group Conviction Dossier, where his focus is on helping investors get the big picture right and stay ahead of the curve. He shares model portfolios, and exclusive trade ideas to help investors make better decisions. The point here is to say that the S&P 500 posting just https://www.forex-world.net/ a -5% y/y EPS decline this past Q4 against all the other headwinds can be seen as very impressive, all things considered. From the chart above, what stands out is the level of annual earnings for the full year 2022, 35% higher, compared to EPS of $163.13 in 2019 as a pre-pandemic benchmark.

what is the outlook for the stock market today?

While we don’t have a crystal ball, we do believe that a “pause” by the Fed can and will occur in the next six months, with the implied easing of policy conditions working as a tailwind for stock market sentiment. We expect two more 25 basis point hikes in the Fed funds rate between the March and May meeting to hold the rates steady from there. A bullish scenario would be continuation of the ongoing decline of the CPI, leading the Fed to hold the Fed funds rate steady and marking a key turning point in the cycle. One possibility is that core-consumer prices reflecting goods and services beyond food and energy can surprise lower through components like shelter and transportation prices stabilizing going forward.

The SPDR SSGA US Sector Rotation ETF (XLSR) and the Main Sector Rotation ETF (SECT) are examples. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. While FOMC officials are no longer forecasting a recession, the latest Federal Reserve economic projections in December suggest a sharp drop in U.S.

From the latest Q4 numbers, the headline data shows that the average revenue growth is 4% while EPS is down by -5% suggesting some softness at the end of the year. Keep in mind that the period in Q was exceptionally strong for the U.S. economy and corporate earnings which left a particularly difficult year-over-year comparison. The end https://www.currency-trading.org/ of 2021 will be remembered as fueled by the wave of federal stimulus and the momentum from the early post-pandemic reopening which worked as a boom for companies at the time. The path we see playing out is that of a “soft landing” where the Fed will manage to successfully bring down inflation, while the economy averts a deep recession.

It may be very difficult for the FOMC to justify a rate cut until the jobs market cools down. The longer the Fed is forced to maintain interest rates at current levels to get inflation under control, the higher the likelihood of economic fallout at some point down the line. This risk is reflected in the New York Fed’s U.S. recession probability index, which still projects a 61.5% chance of a recession within the next 12 months. In other words, interest rates at the current level are not the end of the world. Indeed, compared to fears last year of deteriorating economic conditions that would translate into surging unemployment and crashing corporate earnings, the story has been the stronger than expected trends overall.

Featured Reports: AAPL, DAL, HRL, AVGO, CENT, EW, CHK, GM, INTC, TGT

Despite a challenging macro backdrop pressured by stubborn inflation, higher interest rates, and global growth concerns; the setup for stocks today can be best defined by a new sense of resiliency and a more positive outlook. Utility stocks, consumer staples stocks and healthcare stocks are typically considered defensive investments and may be relatively insulated if economic growth slows to a crawl. For value investors, the market sector that currently has the lowest forward price to earnings ratio is the energy sector at 11.8. The 2024 stock market rally has picked up steam as investors consider whether the latest batch of economic data will force the Federal Reserve to delay its upcoming—and long-awaited—interest rate cuts.

The chart above shows the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s FedWatch tool, which uses the federal funds futures market to show the odds of different interest rate scenarios. It’s kind of like using betting odds to predict the outcome of a game — it’s not foolproof, but it provides a very educated guess about an uncertain future event. He is also a staff writer at Benzinga, where he has reported on breaking financial market news and analyst commentary related to popular stocks since 2014.

Dolby Laboratories(DLB Quick QuoteDLB) Downgraded: 03/02/24

Strength across all product groups is a positive catalyst for Edwards Lifesciences. The company’s bullish long-term growth strategy buoys optimism on the stock. We cover more than 1,000 of the most widely followed stocks in our Equity Research Reports. Each report features independent research from our analysts and provides in-depth analysis on a company, its fundamentals and its growth prospects.

  1. In terms of valuation, it can be said that the S&P 500 is trading at an 18.5x 2023 consensus earnings or 16.5x looking out towards 2024.
  2. December and January represent the first time the U.S. has reported back-to-back months adding more than 300,000 jobs since June and July of 2022.
  3. Neither the author nor editor owned positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.
  4. Keep in mind that the period in Q was exceptionally strong for the U.S. economy and corporate earnings which left a particularly difficult year-over-year comparison.
  5. David Bahnsen, chief investment officer at The Bahnsen Group, says the recent enthusiasm for tech stocks reminds him of the dot com bubble and investors should tread carefully.

This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. Popular growth-oriented exchange-traded funds include the Invesco QQQ Trust Series I (QQQ), the Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF). In addition to CPI inflation coming in above expectations, the personal consumption expenditures price index, or PCE, was up 2.4% year-over-year in January.

NRG Energy(NRG Quick QuoteNRG) Downgraded: 03/02/24

The just-released January update shows the annual headline figure printing at 6.4%, taking important steps in the right direction. By this measure, it’s fair to maintain an expectation that stocks will continue to climb which is supported by a combination of both economic fundamentals and market technicals. CrowdStrike is benefiting from the soaring demand for cyber-security solutions owing to rising data breaches. Also, its sustained focus on rolling out new products, acquisitions and partnerships will continue to boost sales. MasTec will benefit from strong backlog and growth prospects of the segments, along with the recent acquisitions. You can also find a report on the ticker of your choice, or access all of the stock reports covered by Zacks analysts.

Log in or register for a NerdWallet account to see the full earnings calendar. After the March meeting, the Fed will announce its next interest rate decisions at the conclusion of its May 1 and June 12 meetings. On March 20, the Federal Reserve will wrap up its second Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of 2024 and announce a new interest rate decision. Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us.

You’ll receive continuously updated Zacks Rank and Style Scores, Earnings Estimate Revisions, Broker Recommendation Changes, Earnings Surprises and more. Note that you should also add your mutual fund and ETF positions to monitor changes in their Zacks Rank as well. Hormel Foods intends to strengthen its business on the back of strategic acquisitions.

If there was room to be very bullish on stocks going higher at the lows last year, it’s fair to say the job is now more difficult considering what has already been a strong rally. Our message today is that we see more upside, but it’s not going to be a straight line higher, and the market will need some cards to land right to really drive a true breakout. Already in this cycle, the Fed has hiked the benchmark Fed Funds Rate to 4.75%, from the zero level out of the pandemic.

Green Dot is not planning to declare dividends deterring investors seeking cash dividends while its revenues are troubled by seasonality. Natural gas futures settle lower https://www.forexbox.info/ in cautious trade ahead of the EIA’s storage report. Neither the author nor editor owned positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Shopping Cart