S&P500
Main US indexes dropped sharply on Thursday. The Dow Jones lost 1%, the NASDAQ dropped by 2.1%, and the S&P 500 decreased by 1.5%.
The S&P 500 is trading at 4,394 and is expected to be in the 4,350-4,440 range.
The US stock market went down on Thursday following the latest statements by Fed chairman Jerome Powell. Powell stated that a 50 basis point hike would be considered at the May meeting, and that the Fed was ready to further increase the rate at the following meeting. The Fed chairman's statements triggered a sell-off in the market.
Crude oil prices retreated early on Friday, with Brent decreasing by 1.5% to $106 per barrel. Commodity prices remain above the $100 mark, supported by the war in Ukraine and falling stockpile levels in the US. The US authorities are ready to issue new oil and gas drilling permits on public lands. Natural gas prices remain near $1,100 per thousand cubic meters at the ICE.
According to US unemployment data, which was released yesterday, initial jobless claims have increased by 188,000 over the past week, while continuing claims fell to 1,417,000. The US labor market remains strong.
Elon Musk has announced that he has secured $46.5 billion to acquire Twitter.
The UK has issued a temporary license allowing payments for Russian natural gas to Gazprombank and its subsidiaries until May 31, 2022.
USDX is trading at 100.60 and is expected to be in the 100.30-100.90 range. The US dollar has bounced upwards after falling earlier, and remains within the price range. The euro has dropped on Powell's statements regarding interest rate hikes.
USD/CAD is trading at 1.2615 and is expected to be in the 1.2560-1.2800 range. The pair reversed course once again on Fed chairman's statements. Now, a new uptrend seems more likely.
The US stock market has bounced off the 200-day MA line downwards. Breaking above the highs of April 21 would be necessary to resume the uptrend.
In Ukraine, there has been no reports of significant Russian movements, as the renewed Russian offensive has entered its third day.
