Looking Ahead in the U.S.

Traders will be searching for any signs the economy and job market are really kicking into higher gear, as Friday’s jobs report suggests.  November saw the strongest employment gains in 35 months, and the market instantly re-priced expectations for the first Federal Reserve interest rate hike for June from September. That was also the timing mentioned by New York Fed President William Dudley in comments earlier in the week.

So, markets in the week ahead will be adjusting to the idea that the Fed is beginning to get the confirmation it needs to start normalizing monetary policy. Bond strategists expect to see a bias toward higher rates, and stock traders are watching to see if the Dow will cross the 18,000 threshold —a big round psychological number just 42 points away from Friday’s closing level.

Economic data in the week ahead includes job opening and turnover data Tuesday; retail sales on Thursday and PPI and consumer sentiment Friday. There are a handful of earnings, including Costco and home builders Hovnanian and Toll Brothers.

CNBC

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.