The Week Ahead –  Fed Chairman Jerome Powell Will Again be the Focus

This Week We’ll See if the Small-Cap Rally Continues, and Which Individual Stocks Move from the Russell Reconstitution

The FOMC interest rate pause at 5.00-5.25% last week created investor uncertainty as there was little forward guidance as the policymakers insist they remain data dependent. Chair Jerome Powell was emphatic in his comments to the press on Wednesday that getting inflation down to the 2 percent average inflation target is the FOMC’s unanimous goal – although there may be differences on the speed or level at which rates need to be adjusted.

Powell will have the spotlight again this week as he gives two testimony’s, the first on Wednesday before the House Financial Services Panel, and then on Thursday before the Senate Banking Committee.

While the mood of markets is still apprehensive, this did not stop the S&P 500 from rallying and reaching the highest weekly close since April 2022.

Monday 6/19

•             US Markets closed in celebration of the Juneteenth holiday.

Tuesday 6/20

•             8:30 PM ET, May Housing starts are expected to hold steady after experiencing a bounce in April. Exonomists expect May’s starts to have been 1.433 million, they were 1.416 million in April.

Wednesday 6/21

•             10:00 AM ET, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell will appear before House Financial Services Panel.

•             10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET, While Fed Chair Powell will be getting the attention as he reads prepared remarks and answers question, the day will be filled with other FOMC members speaking and sharing their view and outlook for the first time since the June FOMC meeting concluded. This includes Lisa Cook at 10:00 AM ET, Philip Jefferson also at 10:00 AM ET, Austan Goolsbee at 12:25 PM ET, and Loretta Mester at 4:00 PM ET.

Thursday 6/22

•             8:30 AM ET, Jobless Claims for the June 17 week, is expected to remain near the previous weeks level. The consensus is 261,000 versus 262,000 last week.  

•             10:00 AM ET, Existing Home sales for May are expected to slip slightly to a 4.25 million rate. The National Association of Realtors described sales as “bouncing back and forth” but remaining “above recent cyclical lows.”

•             10:00 AM ET, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell will again be the focus as he appears before the Senate Banking Panel.

•             10:00 AM ET, The Index of Leading Indicators was down by 0.6 percent in April, for May it is expected to post a 14th straight decline, the consensus is down 0.7 percent. This index has been in sharp decline and has long been a trendline toward slow or no economic growth. signaling a pending recession.

•             4:30 PM ET, Factors Affecting Reserve Balances, otherwise known as The Fed’s Balance Sheet or the H.4.1 report is a weekly report of a consolidated balance sheet for all 12 Reserve Banks that lists factors supplying reserves into the banking system and factors absorbing reserves from the system. The report is officially named Factors Affecting Reserve Balances, otherwise known as the “H.4.1” report.

Friday 6/23

•             9:45 AM ET, The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is not expected to show significant change in June compared to May; manufacturing underperformed at 48.5 and services even though services were strong at 53.5.

What Else

On Friday the Russell Indexes will have new components beginning the moment the market closes. The following Monday morning the indexes will reflect these changes, and index funds that are designed to match the performance of the funds will hopefully have gotten their trades off in time. Expect some interesting moves of a few stocks on Friday as a result.  

Small-cap stocks have joined the stock market rally in June and, according to an article in Morningstar, “trouncing the larger indexes.”

Noble Capital Markets has been hosting road shows of interesting small-cap companies in various cities and towns throughout the US. This week features a very busy week with company’s speaking to potential investors in St. Louis and Florida. Also there will be two virtual events, so that no one is excluded by geography. Become informed here.

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

Sources

https://www.bing.com/search?q=small+cap+stocks+on+a+rolll&filters=ex1%3a%22ez2%22&pglt=41&cvid=480e1d5e96354e0f85be232f12f9721e&aqs=edge..69i57j0l8.5031j0j1&FORM=000017&PC=LCTS&qpvt=small+cap+stocks+on+a+rolll

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/key-events-week-no-data-releases-fed-speakers-galore-including-powell-twice

https://us.econoday.com/byshoweventfull.aspx?fid=562858&cust=us&year=2023&lid=0&prev=/byweek.asp#top

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