|

What’s to lead after NFPs?

S&P 500 rose following NFPs beat, but alongside Nasdaq sold off into the close – unlike Russell 2000. Markets chose to ignore weakening macro elements from prior months‘ downside revisions (95K for two months is a lot), decreasing participation rate or wobbly used car prices. The consumer is simply more pinched (economy bifurcated), and part-time jobs gained confirm that assessment too.

As I talk in Sunday‘s extensive weekend video, this gives the Fed no reason to cut, and yields reversed their retreat after poor ADP employment change Wednesday. Where does that leave the dollar? Not appreciating nearly enough. Review the video, macro data explanations are included.

How to explain gold declining then? Well, I told Trading Signals clients that the yellow metal would have a hard time keeping up on a daily basis, but silver was poised to outperform/ These dollar moves and real economy performance (forget not that this is a time of both decent GDP growth and very high debt issuance with rollovers, still before the big beautiful bill ) – and certain differentiations in real asset prospects can be made, and I‘ve been making them clear to Trading Signals clients throughout the week.

Way more details and actionable thoughts follow in the client section, where I start by looking at breadth and sectoral performance takeaways (the XLY:XLP ratio is a bit skewed through TSLA performance, understandably).

Chart
Chart
Chart

Author

Monica Kingsley

Monica Kingsley

Monicakingsley

Monica Kingsley is a trader and financial analyst serving countless investors and traders since Feb 2020.

More from Monica Kingsley
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD recovers to 1.1750 region as 2025 draws to a close

Following the bearish action seen in the European session on Wednesday, EUR/USD regains its traction and recovery to the 1.1750 region. Nevertheless, the pair's volatility remains low as trading conditions thin out on the last day of the year.

GBP/USD stays weak near 1.3450 on modest USD recovery

GBP/USD remains under modest beairsh pressure and fluctuates at around 1.3450 on Wednesday. The US Dollar finds fresh demand due to the end-of-the-year position adjustments, weighing on the pair amid the pre-New Year trading lull. 

Gold retreats to $4,300 area, looks to post monthly gains

Gold stays on the back foot on the last day of 2025 and trades near $4,300, possibly pressured by profit-taking and position adjustments. Nevertheless, XAU/USD remains on track to post gains for December and extend its winning streak into a fifth consecutive month.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP prepare for a potential New Year rebound

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple are holding steady on Wednesday after recording minor gains on the previous day. Technically, Bitcoin could extend gains within a triangle pattern while Ethereum and Ripple face critical overhead resistance. 

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).