Markets Brace for Volatility Ahead of Tariff 'Liberation Day
E-mini S&P (June) / E-mini NQ (June)
S&P, last week’s close: Settled at 5623.00, down 116.25 on Friday and 95.25 on the week
NQ, last week’s close: Settled at 19,457.00, down 533.25 on Friday and 504.00 on the week
E-mini S&P and E-mini NQ futures closed sharply lower Friday. Core PCE, the Fed’s preferred inflation indicator, came in a touch warmer than expected, and Michigan Consumer data showed higher inflation expectations and deteriorating confidence. This stagflationary stew smacked the market while it was already hobbling, and had surrendered much of the week’s gains through the prior two sessions. Adding fuel to the fire, President Trump made firm geopolitical comments towards Iran and Russia over the weekend. This morning, we are seeing S&P targets from Goldman, JPMorga,n and Morgan Stanley all get slashed to 5700, 5500, and 5800, respectively. All of this comes ahead of April 2nd, which Trump has coined ‘Liberation Day’, where he plans to unveil a broad set of tariff measures.
Price action is battered, E-mini S&P futures briefly slipped below the March 13th low, whereas the E-mini NQ opened last night below there and has not regained the mark. Given Friday’s late selling, the news cycle, and the likely panic this morning after the opening bell, traders should plan for a new session low and use the updated support levels to manage a choppy trade. Our Pivot and point of balance comes in at 5578.25 in the E-mini S&P and 19,249-19,319 in the E-mini NQ. If price action regains this mark and can hold above it, it could pave the way for a bit of a rebound that could extend to resistance aligning with Friday’s settlement prices. With that said, uncertainties have bombarded the market ahead of the April 2nd tariff announcement, and one scenario would be to see continued selling through this announcement, allowing the market to quickly discount the worst-case scenario before economic data later this week is not as pessimistic as that from last week. We have had rare major four-star support in the E-mini S&P at….
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