Skip to main content

The Market's Tepid Start to 2025

The stock market's lackluster beginning to 2025 isn't surprising, as we anticipated a more cautious approach. Citadel, a major hedge fund, is advising its investors to take profit. 

While 2024 saw impressive gains, we expect 2025 to be more challenging, with potentially slower growth and less predictable market movements. This initial sluggishness suggests our cautious outlook might be on the right track. However, we'll need to wait until next week to get a clearer picture of the market's direction. Key indicators to watch include European inflation (projected to rebound to 2.4%), US employment figures, and trading volume.

The US dollar has already strengthened against the Euro, reaching 1.027/€, and could potentially reach parity by the end of the year. Beyond next week's European inflation report, we'll be closely watching US inflation data on the 15th, Trump's inauguration on the 20th, and the Fed and ECB meetings on the 29th and 30th. January is likely to be a period of uncertainty and potential weakness in the market.

Today's economic releases, such as German unemployment figures and the US ISM Manufacturing Index, won't significantly impact today's trading. While US futures are showing a slight rebound, European futures are reflecting yesterday's bearish close in New York. It's difficult to predict the market's direction with certainty, but based on current data and trends, the first two sessions of 2025 could see a slight decline in stock prices, rising bond yields that stabilize at current levels, and continued appreciation of the US dollar.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Analysis of ASML's Latest Results

Key Figures Compared to Market Consensus (Bloomberg): - Revenues: €9,263 million (+28%) vs. €9,021 million expected. - *Gross Margin: 51.7% vs. 49.62% expected. - EBITDA: €2,693 million (31.5%) vs. €2,624 million expected. - Order Backlog: €7,088 million vs. €3,530 million expected. ASML has provided its usual guidance for Q1'25, which exceeds expectations: - Revenues: Between €7,500 million and €8,000 million (vs. €7,247 million expected by consensus). - Margins: 52%-53% (vs. 51.2% expected by consensus). For the full year 2025, ASML maintains its previous guidance: - Revenues: €30,000 million to €35,000 million (vs. €32,185 million expected by consensus). - Margins: 51%-53% (vs. 52% expected by consensus). ASML's latest results confirm that 2025 will be a year of recovery, with revenues expected to grow by 15%. This growth is supported by the development of chips for Artificial Intelligence. The strong financial performance and robust order book are likely to posi...

Global Financial Markets Report: February 2025

Executive Summary The February 2025 Multi-Asset Barometer report highlights a cautious outlook for global financial markets, emphasizing the need for strategic asset allocation and vigilance amidst increasing economic risks. This report provides an in-depth analysis of global economic risks, market resilience, emerging market opportunities, sector performance, fixed income and currency outlooks, and the role of gold as a hedge against volatility. 1. Global Economic Risks - Risk Assessment: The global economy faces increasing risks, prompting a downgrade of equities to a neutral position and an upgrade of cash. - Key Concerns: Newly imposed trade tariffs, stretched equity valuations, and potential economic slowdowns are major concerns. - Investor Guidance: Recent market turbulence underscores the transient nature of market rallies, necessitating investor vigilance. 2. US Market Resilience - Market Outlook: The US market is expected to outperform others due to strong corporate earnings a...

Navigating Uncertainty and Anticipating Volatility. Solana

The financial markets took a momentary pause this week, largely influenced by concerns over potential trade wars and the persistent geopolitical uncertainties in Ukraine. This brief respite comes after a period of steady growth, indicating a moment of reflection and caution among investors. Despite this temporary halt, the broader upward momentum that has characterized the markets since the beginning of the year remains robust, suggesting that the fundamentals driving market growth are still firmly in place. As we look ahead, investors are advised to brace for potential volatility, with several significant events on the horizon. This Sunday, Germany will hold legislative elections, the outcomes of which could have far-reaching implications for European politics and economics. Investors will be closely monitoring the results for any indications of policy shifts that could impact the markets. Next Friday will see the release of crucial inflation data for France, Germany, and ...