U.S. Indices Open In The Green

For the second day in a row, the U.S. indices have met the opening bell in the green. However, the bullish sentiment has faded, with the DJIA, S&P 500, and NASDAQ closing the first half-hour of trade slightly in the red.

Aside from Thursday’s U.S. Q4 GDP release, this week’s economic calendar is a bit thin. The pre-Wall Street open brought a few peripheral releases:

Event                                                                    Actual      Previous

MBA Mortgage Applications (March 18)           8.9%            1.6%

Goods Trade Balance (Jan.)                              $-72.14B    $-80.39B

Trade Balance (Jan.)                                           $-51.1B      $-59.9B

This group of figures is overwhelmingly positive. Potential home buyers are becoming more active and the Trade Balance for January has fallen substantially. If nothing else, these secondary metrics may give investors reason for optimism going into tomorrow’s GDP report.

New All-Time Highs For The NASDAQ?

Last Friday was a brutal session for June E-mini NASDAQ futures. Sellers took control of the market with vigor, driving values off of all-time highs to an extremely negative close. This week has been better for tech stocks. Bargain hunters have stepped in to ensure the NASDAQ stays in bullish territory.

June E-mini NASDAQ Futures (NQ), Daily Chart
June E-mini NASDAQ Futures (NQ), Daily Chart

If the early optimism continues to fade, a key downside support level may come into play:

  • Support(1): Daily 38% Retracement, 7323.50

Bottom Line: For the remainder of the session, I will have buy orders queued up from 7325.25 in the June E-mini NASDAQ. With an initial stop at 7319.25, this trade produces 30 ticks on a standard 1:1 risk vs reward management plan.

While my current bias toward the U.S. indices is to the bull, today’s positive open has been wiped out. In the event we see further weakness ahead of Thursday’s GDP release, buying dips ahead of the weekend break will be a popular way to get in on the action.

Check out our free forex signals
Follow the top economic events on FX Leaders economic calendar
Trade better, discover more Forex Trading Strategies
ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More
Shain Vernier
US Analyst
Shain Vernier has spent over 7 years in the market as a professional futures, options and forex trader. He holds a B.Sc. in Business Finance from the University of Montana. Shain's career includes stretches with several proprietary trading firms in addition to actively managing his own accounts. Before joining FX Leaders, he worked as a market analyst and financial writer.
Related Articles
Comments
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Add 3442

Add 3440

Best Forex Brokers

🥇
Minimum Deposit
$100
Visit Broker
🥈
Minimum Deposit
$5
Visit Broker
🥉
Minimum Deposit
$25
Visit Broker
4
Minimum Deposit
$200
Visit Broker
5
Minimum Deposit
$5
Visit Broker
6
Minimum Deposit
$10
Visit Broker
7
Minimum Deposit
$1
Visit Broker