US Market Review 20th May 2021

by Elina Nikolova

The S&P registered new all-time highs on 10th May 2021 reaching as high as 4238.00 points, before falling to close the day below 4200.00. The price action since then failed to reach record highs, registering losses for 3 consecutive days. The MACD indicator is trending just above the zero level in bullish area but is pointing downwards with the signal MACD crossed below the MACD line, which is a signal of weakness. The price is trading above the uptrend line which provided support since May 12th and is attempting to penetrate the 50 Day Moving Average (MA 50) which sits just below the trendline at 4075.00.
A break and close below the MA 50 may signal a further sell-off. Important support levels at 4075.00 where the MA 50 lies, also at 3961.00 level formed from an inside support from March, and at 3843.00 level formed from a previous low on March 25th. A cross of the MACD lines below the zero level will strengthen the bears case.
A return of the price today above resistance level at 4121.00 may reverse the fall. Other important resistance derived from 0.236 Fibonacci Retracement level at 4146.00 and the recent all-time high and strong psychological level of 4238.00.

• It’s a relatively busy day ahead on the economic calendar. CAD Non-Farm employment data will draw interest in parallel with important data from the U.S. Investors should expect jobless claims to be the main area of focus.

• Stocks on Wall Street ended down but well off session lows on Wednesday as minutes from the last U.S. Federal Reserve meeting showed participants agreed the U.S. economy remained far from the central bank's goals.

• Minutes of the U.S. central bank's April 27-28 meeting said a number of Fed policymakers thought that if the economy continued rapid progress, it would be appropriate "at some point" in upcoming meetings to begin discussing tapering government bond purchases.

• The two main digital currencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum, fell as much as 30% and 45% respectively, but significantly pared losses after two of their biggest backers - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Inc chief Elon Musk and Ark Invest's Chief Executive Cathie Wood - indicated their support for bitcoin.

• Gold was down on Thursday morning in Asia but remained just below the four-month high reached during the previous session, as the U.S. Federal Reserve hinted that it has begun debating whether to taper its current dovish monetary policy. Gold futures were up 0.28% to $1,876.20 this morning after hitting its highest since Jan. 8 at $1,889.75 on Wednesday.

• Oil prices steadied on Thursday after a two-day slump, reflecting the world's mixed economic recovery from the pandemic, with U.S. demand expected to keep rising, while a second coronavirus wave raging in India has led to more curbs on movement. Crude inventories in the United States increased by 1.3 million barrels last week, against analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.6 million-barrel rise.

• At 12:30 (GMT) CAD ADP Non-Farm Employment Change is due to be announced. This measures the estimated change in the number of employed people, excluding the farming industry.

• At 12:30 (GMT) US Unemployment Claims is due to be announced. This measures the number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time during the past week.

• At 12:30 (GMT) USD Philly Fed Manufacturing Index results will come out. This is a survey of about 250 manufacturers in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve district which asks respondents to rate the relative level of general business conditions.

• At 14:30 (GMT) US Natural Gas Storage figures coming up. The figure is the change in the number of cubic feet of natural gas held in underground storage during the past week.

• AT 15:00 (GMT) CAD - BOC Governor Tiff Macklem is due to speak. The Governor will hold a press conference about the Financial System Review, via satellite. Volatility is sometimes experienced during his speeches as traders attempt to decipher interest rate clues.

US Indices yesterday:

• Dow Jones -0.48%
• S&P 500 -0.29%
• Nasdaq -0.03%

Sources: Investing.com, forexfactory.com, Benzinga.com.