Markets week ahead: US indices, Powell, RBA

Global risk appetite improved this past week

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones and S&P 500 rallied 1.79% and 1.86%, respectively. Meanwhile, Across the Atlantic Ocean, the DAX 40 and FTSE 100 rallied 2.59% and 0.46%, respectively. This is as Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1.73% and 2.79%, respectively.

The rosy mood meant a disappointing week for the anti-risk US dollar as gold prices aimed higher.

Will this momentum keep up?

What to expect in the week ahead?

Notable event risk for financial markets includes a few central bank rate decisions. These are the RBA, BoC and BoJ for the Australian dollar, Canadian dollar and Japanese yen, respectively.

Meanwhile, traders will be closely scrutinizing testimony by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before Congress. Recent signs that inflation might be stickier than thought have seen markets price in more rate hikes this year. At the end of the week, we will wrap things up with non-farm payrolls data.

This information has been prepared by DailyFX, the partner site of IG offering leading forex news and analysis. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.