NEW YORK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - A double dose of potentially
market-moving events arrives in the coming week as Americans
vote on their next president and the Federal Reserve offers more
insight on the path of interest rates at its monetary policy
meeting.
The Nov. 5 vote culminates an election cycle that has
captivated the country and sparked swings in corners of
financial markets. Among these has been the waxing and waning of
the so-called Trump trade, a bevy of asset price moves
reflecting sentiment that Republican Donald Trump is gaining
momentum in his race against Democrat Kamala Harris for the U.S.
presidency.
Those trades have included a rise in the U.S. dollar and a
sell-off in Treasuries possibly fueled by strong economic data
and a bitcoin surge spurred by hopes that Trump would deregulate
the crypto industry.
Still, polls remain deadlocked and bets leaning toward Trump
were narrowing at the end of the week. Some investors expect
volatility to accompany next week's vote, no matter the result.
"In either scenario, it seems like there's some near-term
risk," said Walter Todd, chief investment officer at Greenwood
Capital.
Todd said a win by the Republican could be a "sell the news"
event that sparks profit-taking in Trump trades. A win by Harris
could spark a more serious unwind, he said.
Control of Congress will also be determined with Tuesday's
vote, adding another wrinkle for investors as they weigh how
various political outcomes could impact assets over the longer
term, with the two candidates offering starkly different paths
for the U.S. economy.
For example, the expectation that Trump would seek to lower
regulations stands to benefit banks, while higher tariffs could
benefit domestically focused small-cap companies while ramping
up the potential for volatility in broader markets.
Expectations that Harris would be more supportive of clean
energy initiatives means solar and other renewable energy stocks
could rise in the event she prevails, analysts said.
Investors are also wary of volatility from an election
result that is not immediately clear due to the closeness of the
race or is contested by one of the parties. In 2020, Trump tried
to overturn the results of his loss to President Joe Biden,
falsely claiming it was the result of voter fraud in multiple
states.
"The market did fine under Trump. It can do fine under
Harris," said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota
Wealth. "We just need clarity."
FED AHEAD
Thursday's Fed decision on monetary policy looms as another
risk for the S&P 500's rally of some 20% this year, though mixed
earnings from several tech giants this week led the index to end
October in the red, following five straight months of gains.
Fed funds futures trading shows the market expects the U.S.
central bank to cut its benchmark policy rate by a modest 25
basis points, LSEG data showed, after easing rates in September
for the first time in four years.
For many investors, the focus will be on guidance from Fed
Chair Jerome Powell, including whether the central bank might
consider pausing its rate-cutting cycle at future meetings in
light of strong economic data.
Citigroup's ( C/PN ) economic surprise index, which
measures how economic data performs versus expectations, is at
its highest level since April. Data this week showed the U.S.
economy grew at a solid 2.8% pace in the third quarter.
Friday's monthly employment report, the last key piece of
data before the Fed meeting, ran counter to that trend as it
showed job growth almost stalled in October. The data, however,
was clouded by aerospace industry strikes and hurricanes that
impacted the response rate for the payrolls survey.
"This week's data ... suggest the reasoning for a cut is
still valid," JPMorgan economist Michael Feroli said in a note.
"Even if the election is decided by Thursday, we think there are
enough uncertainties in the outlook to warrant a cautious
approach to forward guidance" from the Fed.