A key (and largely underappreciated) factor behind recent stock market resilience, with the S&P 500 Inex (^SPX) reversing from early losses to record highs late last week, was a meaningful shift in Federal Reserve sentiment, writes Tom Essaye, president of the Sevens Report.
As the CME’s FedWatch tool shows, rate hike odds between now and the end of 2026 have reversed sharply to two-week lows – fading below 50% after being as high as 70% the week before.
That is noteworthy in the context of last week’s Goldilocks PCE data and lower-revised Q1 GDP growth. The data reduced the threats of runaway inflation and a run-hot economy.
Those were two simmering risks behind May's Treasury yield breakout, including the 30-Year Treasury Bond yield hitting its highest level since 2007. With the 30-year now 20 bps below its mid-May peak, accelerating inflation and run-hot economy risks are being priced out. Plus, Fed policy expectations have shifted from a market headwind to a market-neutral/market-positive influence on risk assets.
In the sessions ahead, it will be important to see rate hike odds and Treasury yields continue to fade, as those fixed income dynamics are acting as a meaningful new tailwind for stocks.
