Market Commentary

We’re in a new environment that could shift if markets sense the Fed is making a policy mistake. This new backdrop calls for caution and selectivity, as companies now must earn investor approval as markets adjust, says Quincy Krosby, Prudential's chief market strategist in her Q3 2018 Market Commentary: “The Road to Normal”

Three meetings will dominate markets this week: the U.S.-North Korea summit, and the meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) and the governing council of the European Central Bank (ECB), Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

Headlines could have an important influence on the market this week with earnings season all but finished — pushing trade, tech, and the run-up to the back-on-again U.S.-North Korea summit to the forefront, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

Coming out of Memorial Day weekend, global markets have been gripped by political crises in the European Union, as Italy—the EU’s third-largest economy—will face another election and Spain’s prime minister faces a no-confidence vote, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Tuesday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

Worries over a potential trade war with China subsided this weekend as Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced that the Trump administration “agreed to put the tariffs on hold” while negotiations focus on drafting a framework for addressing trade imbalances, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

An update on NAFTA negotiations, continued U.S.-China trade talks, retail data and a parade of Fed speakers may dominate market-related headlines this week, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

Important barometers of inflation—the Producer Price Index (PPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) come out this week; however, U.S.-China trade negotiations and the Trump administration’s deadline on the Iran nuclear deal may dominate headlines, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

Earnings reports continue to maintain investor focus this week as Apple and other big names report; the U.S. and China begin trade negotiations; and steel and aluminum tariffs are due to be imposed May 1, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.

The second quarter 2018 edition of PGIM Fixed Income’s quarterly outlook leads off with “Air Pockets at Cruising Speed—Welcome to QT” by Robert Tipp, CFA, chief investment strategist and head of Global Bonds. In examining some prevalent market concerns, including quantitative tightening, Tipp provides some perspective on how investors might consider these issues after Q1’s volatility.

Fears that the targeted missile strike in Syria by the U.S. and its allies could cause a widening of the conflict in the region have not yet impacted the market, while investors will turn attention to earnings, retail sales and a parade of speakers from the Federal Reserve, Prudential’s Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby said Monday in her weekly “Connecting the Dots” outlook.