With a tentative agreement in place to raise the U.S. debt ceiling,
investors are turning their focus towards the Federal Reserve’s interest
rate strategy. The upcoming U.S. jobs report on Friday will be closely
monitored, as a robust figure would bolster expectations for another rate
hike in June.
Over the weekend, President Joe Biden and House Majority Leader Kevin
McCarthy reached a favourable agreement to lift the federal debt ceiling
until January 2025, amounting to $31.4 trillion. This deal includes
spending caps and cuts in government programs, marking a significant
development that will face its initial test in Congress on Tuesday during
the House Rules Committee examination of the bill.
While optimism surrounds this debt ceiling agreement, safeguarding against
a default on U.S. debt, concerns persist regarding its fate as it
progresses through the divided Congress. Nevertheless, investors remain
optimistic that the committee will ultimately endorse the agreement as it
reaches the House.
Economists anticipate that Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report for May will
reveal the addition of 180,000 jobs to the U.S. economy. In April, the
country experienced an accelerated job growth of 253,000, coupled with
solid wage gains.
The forthcoming jobs report represents one of the final pieces of data
before the Federal Reserve’s meeting in June. During the May meeting, the
U.S. central bank signalled openness to pausing its aggressive rate hiking
campaign in June. Since March 2022, the Fed has raised rates 10 times,
amounting to a 5.25%.
However, certain Fed policymakers have expressed concerns that inflation is
not cooling rapidly enough, a viewpoint reinforced by recent data showing
core inflation surging to 4.7% in April, well above the Fed’s 2% target.
Nonetheless, the latest inflation data suggests that the Federal Reserve
might not conclude its rate hikes at the June 14 meeting. According to the
CME FedWatch tool markets are now pricing in a 60% chance that the Fed would
raise rates by another 25-basis points at its meeting on the 14
th
of June.
In April the annual Personal Consumption Expenditures, or PCE index,
expanded at 4.4% versus forecasts for 3.9% and previous growth of 4.2%. In
April alone, it jumped 0.4%, as expected and versus a prior expansion of
0.1%.
Core PCE, which excludes the volatile food and energy prices, experienced a
4.7% annualized gain, surpassing both the projected and previous rate of
4.6%. On a monthly basis, it rose by 0.4%, exceeding the forecast and prior
rate of 0.3%.
Source: Tradingview
From technical analysis point of view, the tech heavy benchmark index has
been trading in an upward trajectory over the past five months with recent
price action breaking above its key resistance of 13,720, which suggests
that further strength could be seen in the coming month(s).
The daily Relative Strength Index indicator has reached overbought
territory suggesting that a pull back to unwind the overbought momentum
conditions could be seen soon. However, a subsequent re-test of the 15,200
zone appears to be highly likely.
The big tech rally from the onset of the year has further to
run as the risk of a U.S. recession drives investors into stocks that offer
growth. Investors have little clarity on interest rates and the economy,
which boosts the appeal of stocks with robust cash flows and promising revenue
growth, despite having hefty price tags. The tech-heavy index has erased
more than half the losses it saw from its November 2021 high and is gaining
more momentum with the buzz around artificial intelligence.
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