Edward Jones Associate: Mathias Hoefferle

The last time the Fed achieved a soft landing was in 1995 when a successful pivot to rate cuts supported the start of a multi-year rally. Today, investors are hoping to achieve a similar outcome as most central banks are eyeing the start of rate cuts in the months ahead.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we examine the similarities and differences in the macroeconomic backdrop between now and the mid-'90s and offer our views of where the opportunities lie.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

This past week, markets digested several datapoints that indicated the U.S. labor market may be showing early signs of fatigue.

In our view, given the ongoing easing in inflation and now more signs of a cooling labor market, the Fed likely remains on track to begin a rate-cutting cycle later this year, perhaps starting around the June meeting.

We share more of our takeaways in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

Over the past week, investors digested two key datapoints that continue to support the case for a soft landing in the U.S.: The S&P PMI data, for both services and manufacturing, were in expansionary territory in January, and fourth-quarter GDP growth exceeded forecasts, coming in at 3.3% annualized, versus expectations of 2.0% growth.

While these datapoints are backward looking, they support the narrative that the U.S. economy was not softening entering the new year. In fact, the data indicates that economic growth accelerated at the end of last year. Meanwhile, inflation also showed signs of moderation as we entered 2024.

Read more of our takeaways in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

Weekly market wrap A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.