U.S. stocks were choppy on Monday ahead of a key week that could provide important signals on the direction of near-term interest rates.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) was flat, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (^IXIC) rose 0.1% after the indexes hit new all-time highs on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) lost 0.2%, erasing a gain from the previous day.
The S&P and Nasdaq are on track to hit new records after Friday’s jobs report suggested the labor market continues to cool, sparking a buying spree in anticipation of a September interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve, which about three in four traders expect a rate cut in September, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Several events this week could spur momentum for rate cuts. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to give his semi-annual testimony before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the latest Consumer Price Index is due to be released on Thursday. Economists expect headline inflation to have risen 3.1% from last year, matching the lowest level of the Consumer Price Index at the beginning of the year.
In other market-moving news, France’s left-wing coalition won the most votes in the country’s general election, surprising the far-right who had hoped it would secure a parliamentary majority. The French benchmark index (^FHCI) rose slightly.
In the corporate sector, Boeing (BA) pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with the two deadly crashes of its 737 Max planes. Shares rose nearly 1% during trading hours.
Meanwhile, electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc.’s shares (TSLA) erased early losses and turned higher as the company’s stock is on track to rise for an eighth straight day.
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