Stocks rose on Monday as Wall Street looked set to capitalize on a weekend rally sparked by a weaker-than-expected jobs report, spurring bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates early. Stock prices rose.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.6%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (^IXIC) rose 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose about 0.2%.
Stocks rebounded over the weekend, buoyed by a “Goldilocks” jobs report that balanced out some welcome news for both the market and the Fed. More than two-thirds of bets are now on the Fed's September interest rate cut, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Most traders now expect at least two rate cuts by the end of the year.
The return of Fedspeak this week could swing those bets, as Fed officials are free to speak but are emerging from a pre-meeting blackout.
New York Fed President John Williams said Monday that officials will base their decision to cut interest rates on a more comprehensive set of data as they become available. Williams said there will eventually be a rate cut.
Also on Monday, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin expressed optimism that inflation would fall to 2%, saying “the full impact of the rate hikes is not yet felt.” Neel Kashkari of Minneapolis is scheduled to speak Tuesday.
In corporate news, Disney (DIS) will be in the spotlight this week as earnings season comes to a close. The company's stock price has increased about 25% since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) shares rose 6% after Friday's earnings after Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett revealed over the weekend that the company had reduced its holdings in the iPhone maker. After rising, it fell by about 0.5%.
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