Infrastructure Capital Advisors’ Jay Hatfield believes that the S&P 500 still has room to grow and that it could end the year at 5,500, which would be a 9% increase from its current record high above 5,000. However, he expects the market to remain largely stagnant in the near term as investors wait for the Federal Reserve to begin cutting rates. Hatfield predicts that the index will hover around 5,000 or 5,100 until there is greater clarity on potential rate cuts from the Fed and ECB, which could potentially happen in June or possibly May.
In the week in review section, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.04% higher, the S&P 500 gained 1.37%, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 2.31%, marking the fifth consecutive positive week for all three major averages. This continuous rise reflects an overall bullish trend in the market, with all three indices increasing for 14 of the past 15 weeks.
Despite the positive trends from last week, stock futures opened little changed on Sunday night, with the three major futures contracts trading within 0.1% of their previous close. This indicates a possible lull in the market as investors wait for additional clarity on potential rate cuts before deciding on their next moves.
It seems that the volatility and uncertainty in the market are expected to continue, with a potentially stagnant market in the near term, followed by a hopeful rise in the S&P 500 by the end of the year.