Date: 20th March 2025.


The SNP500 Remains Shaky As Stocks Attempt To Recover!



Trading Leveraged products is Risky


The SNP500 loses momentum and declines more than 1.00% during Thursday’s European session. The decline results in the SNP500 losing previous gains from Wednesday. The main cause for the lower price is due to the Federal Reserve lowering its projections for the economic outlook. In addition to this, traders are fearing April 2nd. Why is ‘April 2nd’ triggering a lower risk appetite?


April 2nd And What It Means For The Market?


On April 2nd the US is anticipated to impose reciprocal tariffs on global markets. In other words, like-for-like tariffs mean that the US will charge its competition as they are charged themselves. According to the White House’s latest comments, ‘unless the tariff and non-tariff barriers are at the same level, or the US has higher tariffs, the tariffs will go into effect’.





The market’s risk appetite has significantly fallen as this date approaches as investors fear these policies will trigger lower economic growth. This includes the economy globally and within the US. The VIX index, which is known to indicate the risk appetite of the market, fell in value by 16% over the past week. This week, indeed the SNP500 rose in value, however, today the VIX index shows signs of strengthening. If the VIX rises, this may further indicate negative price movement of the SNP500 and the broader stock market.


A potential positive for the stock market is if the Federal Reserve takes a more dovish approach in April and May. In today’s early hours, President Trump attempted to pressure the Federal Reserve into considering a rate cut at the next meeting. According to experts, the President is attempting to prompt the Fed to provide a cushion for April 2nd.


The Federal Reserve


Yesterday, US Fed officials maintained the interest rate at 4.50%, aligning with analysts' expectations. They highlighted rising economic uncertainty due to new trade tariffs and the unclear impact of sanctions on inflation, opting for a wait-and-see approach while monitoring data.


Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that long-term consumer price index projections remain stable, with inflation expected to rise temporarily. The Central Bank changed its predictions for the upcoming quarters. According to updated estimates, Inflation in 2025 is expected to be at 2.7%, compared to 2.5% previously, and Unemployment could be fixed at 4.4%, which is 0.1% more than the previous forecast. Simultaneously, the expected growth rate of the US economy has been revised from 2.1% to 1.7%.


Additionally, the quantitative tightening (QT) program will start slowing down on April 1. Following the meeting, the Dollar strengthened against major currencies.


SNP500 - Technical Analysis


On the 2-hour chart, the price of the SNP500 has witnessed mixed results throughout the day but has managed to remain above the major trend lines and in the bullish regression channel of the Bollinger Bands. However, on intraday timeframes, indications remain mixed, meaning traders should be prepared for volatility in both directions.


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Please note that times displayed based on local time zone and are from time of writing this report.


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Michalis Efthymiou
HFMarkets


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