It’s been a rollercoaster start to what was always going to be a massive week in the markets and there’s little reason to expect that to change in the coming days.
The turnaround on Monday was incredible. From eye-watering losses to ending the day in the green; it’s not often you see that kind of action. Investors will no doubt be relieved but that could prove to be short-lived. US futures are back in negative territory ahead of the open – albeit to a much lesser degree at the moment – and even at the close on Monday, the Nasdaq was more than 13% off its highs.
The next couple of days will be huge. So much could hang on the communication from the Fed tomorrow and whether they strike the right balance between taking inflation seriously and not raising rates too aggressively. It’s a tightrope situation but if the central bank can find the right balance, more may be tempted by these levels.
It’s not just on the Fed, of course. On Monday, it was geopolitics that appeared to tip investors over the edge. The reaction looked over the top but that is indicative of the level of underlying anxiety in the markets at the moment. And if things don’t improve this week, we may see more episodes like that.
Which brings us to earnings season and a week in which numerous companies release fourth-quarter results, including a number of big tech names. A disappointing start to the season hasn’t helped to lift the mood but that could change this week. If not, the January blues could turn into something far more unsettling.
Fundamentals remain bullish for oil
Oil got caught up in the sell-everything panic at the start of the week, sliding more than 3% at one stage before recovering a little. There wasn’t much sense behind the move, but the fact that the dollar was strengthening and crude was already seeing profit-taking after peaking just shy of $90, probably contributed to it.
The market remains fundamentally bullish and conflict with Russia does nothing to alleviate supply-side pressures. If anything, the risks are tilted in the other direction, not that I think it will come to that. Nor does the market at this point, it seems.
Still, it was only likely to be a matter of time until oil bulls poured back in and prices are up again today. The correction from the peak was less than 5% so that may be a little premature, but then the market is very tight so perhaps not.
Conditions remain favourable for gold
Gold continues to be well supported at the start of the week, following some turbulent trading conditions and dollar strength. It continued to hold over the last couple of sessions around $1,830 and has pushed higher with $1,850 now in its sights.
The yellow metal is pulling back a little today, off a few dollars, but it remains in a good position. There still appears to be momentum behind the rally which could continue to take it higher. A move through yesterday’s lows could see that slip but at this point in time, conditions continue to look favourable. Of course, the Fed tomorrow could have a huge role to play in whether that continues to be the case which may explain the consolidation in recent days.
A strong recovery for bitcoin
Bitcoin rebounded strongly on Monday, alongside other risk assets that had also been pummelled earlier in the day. It’s trading a little lower today but that won’t be a major concern at this stage as broader risk appetite is holding up so far. Whether that is sustainable will determine how bitcoin responds and that may depend on the Fed tomorrow.
Bitcoin found support at $33,000 on Monday which isn’t far from a hugely important support zone around $30,000. If risk appetite takes a turn for the worse again, we could see that come under severe pressure. If the price can hold above here in the short term, it could be a very positive sign.
