Last week saw a significant trading volume spike due to Friday’s “triple witching” event and annual index rebalancing, with $5.5 trillion in options expiring. The S&P 500 advanced 0.6%, setting its 31st record high of 2024, despite modest profit-taking in tech stocks which left the Nasdaq Composite unchanged. Economic indicators painted a picture of a steady but slowing economy, highlighted by soft retail sales, existing home sales, and the Purchasing Managers Index. Notably, a dovish shift in Fed rhetoric emerged, with officials like Neel Kashkari and Adriana Kugler pointing to easing inflation and economic slowdown. This dovish drift aligns with similar moves by foreign central banks, which have either achieved their inflation targets or started easing policies. Looking ahead, the financial markets are keenly anticipating Friday’s PCE price index release, a critical inflation gauge favored by the Fed, with expectations of a 2.6% year-over-year increase.

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