S&P 500 Ekes Out Gain to Notch 55th Record in 2024: Markets Wrap
Live MintA rally that drove stocks to a series of all-time highs showed signs of exhaustion, with investors awaiting this week’s key jobs report and Jerome Powell’s remarks for clues on whether Federal Reserve officials will cut interest rates in December. “The question for investors isn’t ‘will the Fed cut again.’ but rather ‘will the next cut be in December or January’,” said Lauren Goodwin at New York Life Investments. Macroeconomic indicators remain decidedly muddled, as all cues in our economic regime model show sputtering momentum.” History suggests a Fed easing cycle could offer resolute support for stocks, and clearly more if it’s accompanied by steady economic conditions, according to Nathaniel T. Welnhofer at BI. “The US economy continues to hum along, the Fed is on its path to lower interest rates, and earnings growth remains strong,” said Bret Kenwell at eToro. “While we expect bouts of volatility and corrections in the year ahead, we continue to believe that the S&P 500’s next leg up to our December 2025 target of 6,600 will be fueled by solid economic growth, the Fed’s easing, and AI advancement.” Within the US equity market, she favors technology, utilities and financials.