US EARLY MORNING: Stocks continue higher at the start of 2024; this week, attention will be on jobs data, ISM surveys and Fed minutes

US PRE-MARKETS: US equity futures have started 2024 on the front foot, continuing to rise in wake of the Fed’s December pivot towards a more dovish brand of monetary policy. There are also hopes of improving geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East, after Israel will move thousands of troops out of Gaza (though still expects the war to continue for many months), while the US will move the USS Gerald Ford from the eastern Mediterranean, helping to support the positive mood. However, crude traders remain cautious about ongoings in the region, with oil benchmarks rising on Tuesday amid fears of supply disruptions after the US sunk three vessels in the Red Sea as they repelled an attack on shipping freighters; strong holiday demand in China and continuing hopes of stimulus are also supporting oil. In fixed income, Treasury yields are rising solidly, though the shape of the curve is little changed; yields began picking up at the start of the European morning in sympathy with German Bunds, which are on course for a third straight day of losses. Today’s docket is thin for scheduled events, allowing traders to continue digesting the themes of a monetary policy pivot this year, as well as geopolitical updates. Attention will shift to US jobs data and ISM surveys this week, as well as Eurozone inflation metrics. 

STARTING 2024: With the 2024 trading calendar starting off on a quiet note, in terms of scheduled data out of Europe and the US, traders are continuing to debate how risk assets will perform this year, after the stock market surge confounded many doomsayers in 2023 as the US avoided a hard landing. The S&P closed out 2023 with gains of around 24%; Reuters cites market strategists who suggest that such a strong annual performance often carries over into the next year, underpinned by momentum and solid fundamentals. LPL Research's data going back to 1950 shows that years which follow a gain of more than 20% have seen the S&P rise by around 10% on average. Yardeni Research, which was correct in calling the 2023 rally, offers a dozen reasons to remain bullish as we start the year: 1) Interest rates are back to normal; 2) consumers have purchasing power; 3) households are wealthy and liquid; 4) demand for labour is strong; 5) onshoring boom is boosting capital spending; 6) housing is all set for a recovery; 7) corporate cash flow is at a record high; 8) inflation is turning out to be transitory; 9) the High-Tech Revolution is boosting productivity; 10) leading indicators are mostly misleading; 11) the rest of the world’s challenges should remain contained; 12) the Roaring 2020s will broaden the bull market (a brief of its research can be found here). In the near-term, the strength of the recent equity rally (Q4 saw gains of 11% alone amid the Fed pivot) may be tested by corporate earnings, with the Q4 season set to get underway (big banks begin reporting at the end of next week), while traders will also be looking to the Fed's January 31st meeting for signs that the central bank is following through on its dovish pivot made in December; money markets are pricing a little over six 25bps rate cuts this year, though the FOMC’s projections see around 75bps worth of cuts. This week’s data may contribute to how forcefully Fed officials push back on that dynamic – the BLS employment situation report for December, JOLTs data for November and the ISM surveys are all released this week.

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02 Jan 2024 - 09:30- Fixed IncomeData- Source: Newsquawk

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