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%.
