The stock market started the year on a positive note after a year filled with macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges.

The rally was driven by the Federal Reserve’s smallest rate increase since the beginning of the monetary policy tightening in March 2022 and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s acknowledgment that inflation was showing encouraging signs.

However, investor sentiment has taken a hit lately as minutes from the central bank’s monetary policy meeting indicated that the rate hikes will not end anytime soon. The Fed officials believe interest rates need to increase and stay elevated until inflation reaches 2%.

The officials’ resolve was backed by the 0.6% sequential and 5.4% year-over-year rise in the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) and the hotter-than-expected jobs report. The market expects the Fed to raise the fund rate beyond 5% this year.

However, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon believes a soft landing is “still possible.” Goldman Sachs believes the chances of the American economy slipping into a recession are now just 25%, down from its previous estimate of 35%. Moreover, President Joe Biden recently said he believes the U.S. economy will not fall into a recession this year or next.

Given this backdrop, it could be wise to make the most of the strong uptrend in fundamentally strong stocks, like…

Continue reading at INO.com