Stocks jumped in early trading Thursday as investors shrugged off fears of higher interest rates. The 10-year yield pulled back from a 4-year high, which caused some investors to push the sell button towards the end of the trading day Wednesday. John Petrides, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager at Point View Wealth Management was with us to give us the good and the bad of the current state of the markets.
Investors aren't too complacent. He said they were in 2017. Volatility over the last 3 weeks has brought everyone back to a "normalized state," according to Petrides. He believes the market is pricing in the possibility of a fourth rate hike, adding to the volatility.
Even in a rising rate environment, Petrides thinks stocks can still rise. He said the markets have been propped up by the Fed, but now stocks will have to growth through strong earnings and demand for their goods and services.
Chair Jerome Powell says the Federal Reserve only expects to cut rates once in 2024. But at least, as one economist says, ‘rate hikes are off the table.’
With the Fed likely set to leave rates unchanged, lower and middle income Americans will continue dealing with higher credit card interest and expenses.
Markets soared in May after Nvidia’s Q1 success, but concerns over slowing consumer spending, especially among middle—and lower-income groups, loom large.
