Stocks Gear Up for Monday After Record-Setting Performance

Stocks rallied on Friday as investor fears about inflation faded even after the Federal Reserve turned unexpectedly hawkish recently. The S&P 500’s modest gains were enough to send the index to yet another record high, reaching 4,280.70.

Financial stocks helped to catapult the broader market index higher after banks passed the Fed’s stress test with flying colors, giving them the all-clear to distribute dividends and buy back shares once again. May personal consumption expenditures, data that monetary policymakers use to gauge inflation, rose 3.4% YoY, as expected, which helped to tame inflation worries.

The S&P 500 advanced 2.7% for the week, its biggest weekly gain since early 2021. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also closed in the green, fueled by gains of more than 15% in apparel stock Nike. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq took a slight step backward after feeling pressure from higher bond yields.

In early Sunday evening, stock futures are higher across the board as investors look to keep the rally going and potentially send the S&P 500 to another new peak. This week, all eyes will be on Friday’s employment report, but there are some stocks to keep an eye on in the interim.

Stock Spotlight

Nike might have risen by a double-digit percentage on Friday, but there could be more room for this growth stock to run. Not only did Nike see its quarterly revenue about double YoY, but both the company and Wall Street expect the good times to continue.

UBS analysts said in a report that Nike has not yet reached a top, as the company continues to benefit from a shift in consumer behavior toward healthier habits as well as its own digital push. UBS has a price target of USD 185 on the stock, which closed last week at USD 154.

Other Stocks to Watch

• GameStop muscled its way into the large-cap scene. As expected, the meme stock was added to the Russell 1000 index after qualifying once its market cap ballooned by billions of dollars YTD.
• On the earnings front, Bed Bath & Beyond, which has attained meme stock status among retail investors, will report its quarterly earnings on Wednesday.

Look Ahead

On the economic front, there are a handful of indicators to watch out for. On Thursday, the Construction Spending report will be released for May. Also on Thursday, investors will get a read on ISM Manufacturing for June after the index beat estimates in May, climbing to a reading of 61.2.

And finally, on Friday, the employment report for June will be released after the economy added nearly 560K new jobs in May. Wells Fargo predicts that the economy added 750K non-farm payrolls in June, according to a report.