The First Slice for Wednesday, November 29, 2023
In the bustling world of U.S. stocks, a recent surge has kept traders on the edge of their seats, extending the November rally. This momentum follows comments by Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller, who hinted that signs of a cooling economy might bring the inflation rate back to the target of 2%. Waller, known for his historically hawkish stance on interest rates, surprised Wall Street with a more dovish tone, prompting shifts in the market.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up 83.51 points, or 0.2%.
- The S&P 500 rose 4.46 points, or 0.1%.
- The Nasdaq Composite increased 40.73 points, or 0.3%,.
Despite this, there’s a difference of opinion among Federal Reserve members. Michelle Bowman, another Fed governor, believed that further increases in the federal funds rate are necessary to combat inflation. The market eagerly awaits Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s upcoming speech, adding another layer of anticipation and uncertainty to the financial landscape.
The S&P 500 has seen an 8.5% surge in November, contributing to an 18.5% advance for 2023. This positive movement resulted from evidence of cooling inflation, pushing benchmark bond yields to three-month lows. Treasury yields dropped after Waller’s comments, emphasizing the impact of central bank communications on the financial markets.
As investors eagerly await the Fed’s favored inflation report for October, there’s a 96% expectation that the benchmark interest rate will remain unchanged, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Looking ahead, economic data, including the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home-price index, provides additional factors for consideration………[read more]
Share this content: