empty
26.03.2025 08:00 AM
Markets Won't Rush Headfirst into the Fire

Donald Trump has dealt such a heavy blow to globalization that conditions and outlooks for the future have changed—now divided along territorial lines. While European banks believe the S&P 500's decline will continue, their American counterparts argue that the time to sell the rally is over. In both cases, tariffs play a central role.

JP Morgan sees the risk of a renewed correction in the broad stock index as low, while Morgan Stanley considers the S&P 500 rally to be gaining momentum, expecting clarity on the White House's tariffs after April 2. The idea is that markets mostly feared the approach of import duties. Once that materializes, there'll be nothing left to fear. "The anticipation of death is worse than death itself." Time to buy U.S. stocks! Increasing the likelihood of consolidation.

In contrast, Swiss bank UBS and UK-based HSBC remain in the bearish camp. UBS cut its S&P 500 forecast to 5,300, citing warning signs in the latest U.S. macro data, which they argue justify selling the index. HSBC claims the chances of uncertainty disappearing after April 2 are slim. Ongoing tariff noise will affect American business and the economy, leading to further stock declines.

S&P 500 Forecast Trends

This image is no longer relevant

The Wall Street consensus expects a 13% rise from current levels to 6,539. Oppenheimer's John Stoltzfus target is the most bullish, at 7,100, while Stifel's Barry Bannister's target is the most bearish, at 5,500.

Overall, it must be acknowledged that markets have absorbed the negative impact of Donald Trump's policies without the upside. We're talking about a cooling U.S. economy, fading hopes for additional fiscal stimulus from Washington, an unstable tariff strategy, and an unexpectedly strong response from Europe. All this has led to capital outflows from the New World to the Old, contributing to the S&P 500's decline. Is the rough patch for the broad index over?

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Dynamics

This image is no longer relevant

Markets had been climbing on rumors of less severe White House tariffs than previously feared. Trump mentioned potential exemptions but then stated he doesn't like granting them. Combined with the consumer confidence index dropping to a four-year low, this clipped the wings of S&P 500 buyers.

This image is no longer relevant

Until the import tariff situation is clearer, the chance of the broad index consolidating remains high. Few investors are willing to jump into the fire ahead of such a key event, making choppy, directionless fluctuations more probable.

Technically, the bulls' counterattack continues on the S&P 500 daily chart. Traders who opened long positions from 5,670 are "sitting pretty." However, if the index bounces off resistance levels — the pivot zones at 5,815, 5,835, and 5,885 — it may trigger a reversal and shift toward selling.

Marek Petkovich,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

GBP/USD Overview. April 10: Trump Meets His Match

The GBP/USD currency pair showed gains and losses throughout Wednesday. The afternoon decline once again raised some questions, though market movements in recent months have lacked much logic. The market

Paolo Greco 03:21 2025-04-10 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview. April 10: From Prince to Pauper

The EUR/USD currency pair continued to trade higher on Wednesday, once again failing to settle below the moving average line. Donald Trump keeps announcing new tariffs — or previously announced

Paolo Greco 03:21 2025-04-10 UTC+2

The Dollar – A Toxic Currency

Trouble often comes in pairs or groups. The decline of American exceptionalism is only one of the challenges facing EUR/USD bears. The main currency pair remains resilient and occasionally goes

Marek Petkovich 00:59 2025-04-10 UTC+2

GBP/JPY: Down, Only Down

The pound is plummeting against the yen. The cross has dropped by over a thousand points in just one week, reflecting the British currency's weakness and the yen's "crisis resilience."

Irina Manzenko 00:59 2025-04-10 UTC+2

Update on US stock market: Trump chronicles, April 9

As announced by Trump's administration yesterday, on April 8, new and even higher tariffs on Chinese goods will take effect in the US starting from April 9, reaching an enormous

Jozef Kovach 12:55 2025-04-09 UTC+2

The Market Invites a "Fools' Rally"

104%! Who's next? The stakes in the U.S.–China trade war are skyrocketing, causing the S&P 500 to slide deeper and deeper. And this came right after a strong opening

Marek Petkovich 10:36 2025-04-09 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on April 8? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

Once again, no macroeconomic events are scheduled for Wednesday. However, the market is paying little attention to traditional macroeconomic indicators, so standard economic reports are unnecessary. The market is entirely

Paolo Greco 06:57 2025-04-09 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview. April 9. Disinformation, Rumors, Fakes, and Opinions

The GBP/USD currency pair traded relatively calmly on Tuesday, but Monday brought a full-on whirlwind to the markets. For several days now, we've been using terms like "storm," "chaos,"

Paolo Greco 02:55 2025-04-09 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview. April 9. The American Circus

The EUR/USD currency pair traded much more calmly on Tuesday. That's no surprise—the market has already reacted to all the news about tariffs and counter-tariffs, and the actual implementation date

Paolo Greco 02:55 2025-04-09 UTC+2

NZD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

The NZD/USD pair is attempting to regain positive momentum, supported by renewed US dollar selling. However, given the underlying fundamentals, bullish traders are advised to proceed with caution. Investors appear

Irina Yanina 19:45 2025-04-08 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.