The U.S. stock market closed slightly higher on Friday, ending what has been its worst week since late October. The rocky start to 2024 erased the gains from the last two weeks of 2023, casting uncertainty over the trajectory of the market.
Job Growth And Key Economic Indicators
Job Growth: December showcased a pickup in U.S. job growth, exceeding wage gain expectations. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 216,000, although with downward revisions for the previous two months. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, while average hourly earnings rose by 0.4% compared to the previous month.
Institute of Supply Management (ISM) Services Index: Released on Friday, the ISM services index dropped by 2.1 points to 50.6 in December, falling below Bloomberg estimates.
Market Response
The stronger-than-expected jobs data initially led to selling but later prompted a reversal during the day, only to meet selling pressure again by day’s end.
Market Projections And Reactions
Rate Cut Probability: Implied probability of a March rate cut has reduced to around 70%, signaling a shift in market expectations. Swaps for 2024 point to a total of 137 basis points of rate cuts, down from about 160 basis points noted last Wednesday.
Week’s Performance: The Dow closed down 0.59%, the S&P lost 1.52%, and the Nasdaq plummeted 3.25% in the first week of the year.
Here are the closing levels for Friday, January 5th, 2024:
| Index | Last | Change | %Change |
| DOW JONES | 37,466.11 | +25.77 | +0.07% |
| S&P 500 | 4,697.24 | +8.56 | +0.18% |
| NASDAQ | 14,524.07 | +13.77 | +0.09% |
| U.S. 10Y | 4.046% | ||
| VIX | 13.35 | -0.78 | -5.52% |
Market Behaviour And Outlook
The market showed two potential reactions to the jobs report: one favoring a rise due to strong labor market indicators indicating a robust economy, and the other prompting concerns about prolonged higher rates by the Fed.
Friday’s trading reflected this uncertainty, swinging between attempts to recover earlier losses and renewed selling pressure. While the day ended with gains, they fell short of the day’s highs.
Observations And Predictions
Echoing commentary from last year, the market’s trading pattern indicates signs of being overbought, suggesting a depletion of upward momentum. This doesn’t indicate a bear trend yet, but a lack of sustained buying might lead to a deeper correction.
Buyers seem focused on the anticipation of Fed rate cuts, while sellers are testing the resilience of dip buyers. Absence of sustained buying in the near term could indicate a potential for a more significant market correction.
Source: CBOE, Bloomberg
This commentary is written by James Gomes, a seasoned finance industry veteran with extensive experience of over 30 years, including a substantial tenure at a reputable U.S. bank exceeding 20 years.
Risk Disclosure
Trading in financial instruments involves high risks due to the fluctuation in the value and prices of the underlying financial instruments. Due to the adverse and unpredictable market movements, large losses exceeding the investor’s initial investment could incur within a short period of time. The past performance of a financial instrument is not an indication of its future performance. Investments in certain services should be made on margin or leverage, where relatively small movements in trading prices may have a disproportionately large impact on the client’s investment and the client should therefore be prepared to suffer significant losses when using such trading facilities.
Please ensure you read and fully understand the trading risks of the respective financial instrument before engaging in any transaction with Doo Prime’s trading platforms. You should seek independent professional advice if you do not understand any of the risks disclosed by us herein or any risk associated with the trade and investment of financial instruments. Please refer to Doo Prime’s Client Agreement and Risk Disclosure Statement to learn more.
[Disclaimer]
This information is addressed to the general public solely for information purposes and should not be taken as investment advice, recommendation, offer, or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument. The information displayed herein has been prepared without any reference or consideration to any particular recipient’s investment objectives or financial situation. Any references to the past performance of a financial instrument, index, or a packaged investment product shall not be taken as a reliable indicator of its future performance. Doo Prime and its holding company, affiliates, subsidiaries, associated companies, partners, and their respective employees, as well as managers, make no representation or warranties to the information displayed and Doo Prime and its holding company, affiliates, subsidiaries, associated companies, partners and their respective employees, as well as managers, shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special or consequential loss or damages incurred a result of any inaccuracies or incompleteness of the information provided. Doo Prime and its holding company, affiliates, subsidiaries, associated companies, partners, and their respective employees, as well as managers, shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, or consequential loss or damages incurred as a result of any direct or indirect trading risks, profit, or loss arising from any individual’s or client’s investment.
