Wall Street's roil has stabilized somewhat in recent days, with the S&P 500 brushing up against its 200-day moving average and rising more than 10 percent since its October lows, as of publication time.
The index's 50-day moving average is trending up, according to financial data firm Refinitiv. But it still must climb another 7.4 percent to form a "golden cross," which is when a stock or index's short-term moving average rises above one of its longer-term moving averages. The S&P 500's 20-day and 100-day moving averages are closer to the milestone, only needing increases of 5 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has already formed a small golden cross: its 20-day moving average is 1.2 percent higher than its 200-day moving average.
Investors Optimistic about Healthcare Sector
- Investors are most optimistic about the Healthcare sector, which is trading close to its 3-year average "price to earnings-per-share" ratio of 48.1x, according to Simply Wall Street.
- Analysts are expecting an annual earnings growth of 13.4 percent, higher than the sector's past year earnings growth of 5 percent.
- Merck and Johnson & Johnson were among last week's top gainers driving the market.
Inflation Appears to be Slowing
- The recent lower-than-expected inflation figures could indicate it is slowing.
- The Fed may continue raising rates, considering the strength in recent labor market and retail sales data.