Morning Commentary
Headline news:
U.S. stock index futures were lower by 2.91 points as of 7:48 a.m. on Monday. The S&P 500 has moved higher for seven straight days, as investors will now await corporate earnings. Analysts are expecting a 2.2% decline in earnings for the first quarter of 2019. This would be the first decline in earnings since 2016.
Markets:
The S&P 500 broke out of a small trading range and closed at a new high for the year at 2892.74 on 4/5/2019. The index may hit resistance at 2984.84 before the all-time high of 2939.86 becomes major potential resistance. However, the recent up moves have come on lower than average volume, so we feel the market still needs to consolidate recent gains at these levels.
Economy:
On Friday 4/5/2019 the Non-Farm payroll report came out at 196,000 new jobs created in March. Markets did not show much of a reaction to the number that was well above the 33,000 number for February. Today the U.S Factory orders number will be released at 10:00 a.m. So, investors will continue to wait on more data that will show the economy is not set for a slowdown.
We are currently bullish with short term caution.
John N. Lilly III
Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor℠
Accredited Asset Management Specialist℠
Portfolio Manager, RJ
The Relative Strength Index (RSI), developed by J. Welles Wilder, is a momentum Oscillator that measures the speed and changes of price movements.
The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S stock market. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investors’ results will vary. Opinions expressed are those of the author John N. Lilly III, and not necessarily those of Raymond James. “There is no guarantee that these statements, onions or forecast provided herein will prove to be correct. “ The information contained was received from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy is not guaranteed. Investing always involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss. No investment strategy can guarantee success. The charts and/or tables presented herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as the sole basis for your investment decision.