Weekly Focus: GDP, PCE and Record SPY Inflows

The S&P 500 broad market index futures have experienced a slight decline of 0.3%, falling to 5218 points, extending the decrease observed on Friday when prices retreated by 0.3%. Despite reaching a new all-time high last week at 5268 points with a 2.1% upside during the week, high overbought tension and technical correction may lead to downside openings this week. Such declines are considered normal after reaching new records, although more significant negative drivers would be necessary for further downside movement.

The U.S. 10-year Treasuries yields have declined to 4.19% from 4.34%, while bets on an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed) in June have increased to 67.3%. Investors have also bolstered their holdings in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) by $24.7 billion last week, marking the largest capital inflow since December 2023. The dovish tone of the Fed meeting last week was cited as the reason for this record capital inflow, echoing the scenario observed in December.

With no major events expected this week, attention turns to the U.S. Q4 2023 GDP, which is anticipated to be confirmed at 3.2% quarter-on-quarter. Additionally, the February PCE indexes in the U.S. are expected to be relatively neutral, with consensus suggesting a 2.8% year-on-year increase and a potential acceleration to 0.4% month-on-month from 0.3% for the headline index. The core PCE index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is anticipated to remain unchanged at 2.8% year-on-year and decrease to 0.3% month-on-month. This may contribute to the upside for stocks.

Technically, the S&P 500 index has surpassed the final upside target zone at 4850-4950 points and entered a period of potential correction opportunities. Therefore, monitoring any reversal patterns that may emerge on the chart is advisable. The existing reversal pattern suggests a standard correction of 5-7% within the next week, with potential downside opportunities possibly emerging by the end of March. The nearest resistance is at 5300 points, while support is at 5200-5220 points.

In the oil market, prices failed to breach the resistance at $87.00-92.00 per barrel of Brent crude and retreated to $85.00. From a technical standpoint, downward pressure prevails in the market, expected to continue throughout mid-May. The nearest resistance is at $87.00-92.00 per barrel, while support is at $81.00-83.00 per barrel.

Gold prices, having reached mid-term upside targets at $2000-2100 per troy ounce, established a new all-time high at $2222 following the Fed's clear dovish signals to the market. The nearest resistance is at $2210 per ounce, while support is at $2110-2130. A technical period favorable for downside scenarios has commenced, expected to last until mid-April.

The Greenback's strengthening has slowed down, with the Chinese Yuan recovering by 0.5% on Monday. This movement in China's national currency may prompt a correction of the Dollar by 0.5-0.7%, potentially leading to a rise to 1.08700-1.08900 for the EURUSD pair. Betting on both the rising and declining EURUSD remains risky, with a return to the 1.11500-1.12500 area likely, but a drop to 1.05000 should not be excluded.