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Investors in the U.S. may be coming off Easter weekend eager to trade.
Many stock exchanges—including in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.—were closed on Good Friday.
Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6%, the S&P 500 fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite dipped 1.1%.
Keep reading to see what market participants should know about trading hours on Easter Monday.
Is the U.S. Stock Market Open Today?
The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market will resume regular hours and open at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on Monday. Trading for stock-index futures resumed on Easter Sunday at 6 p.m.
The U.S. bond market and over-the-counter markets will be open regular hours, as well.
Are International Markets Open Today?
Today is a public holiday in some countries. Most markets in Europe, including the Madrid Stock Exchange, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the London Stock Exchange, will be closed in observance. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is also closed.
How Has the Market Historically Performed the Week After Easter?
Since 1960, the
Dow Jones Industrial Average
has gained an average of 0.2% and the
S&P 500
has climbed an average of 0.4% the week after Easter, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Since its inception in 1971, the
Nasdaq Composite
has averaged a 0.6% gain in the week after the holiday.
What Should Investors Look Out for This Week?
On Wednesday, the Labor Department will release the monthly consumer price index report—which could provide more clues as to what the Federal Reserve’s next decision on rate hikes might be.
Economists surveyed by FactSet estimate that inflation climbed 5.2% year-over-year in March, down from the prior month’s 6%.
Other data will likely impact the Fed’s decision. The February job openings and labor turnover survey, the March ADP report, jobless claims data for the week ended April 1, and the U.S. jobs report for March were all released last week. While the reports showed signs that the U.S. labor market is slowing, some investors still think that the Fed may not be satisfied with the pace of the labor markets loosening.
Traders of Fed funds futures were pricing in a 70.7% chance of a 25 basis point rate hike by the Fed in May after the jobs report on Friday. That’s up from last Thursday’s 49.2% expectations.
“Labor market imbalances are becoming less of a concern for the Fed, but inflation is still running way too high,” Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, wrote Friday. “The Fed will more likely than not hold their target rate unchanged at the next decision in early May, but an upside surprise from next week’s inflation reports could tip the balance toward a final quarter percentage point hike of this cycle.”
Write to Angela Palumbo at [email protected]
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