U.S. equities and stock exchange traded funds lost their momentum Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial Average set to break its longest streak of record highs since 1987, as cautious investors reevaluate the so-called Trump rally.
The S&P 500 Index, along with related funds including the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: SPY), iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: IVV) and Vanguard 500 Index (NYSEArca: VOO), were 0.3% lower mid-Friday.
Meanwhile, the Dow was on pace to end its 10-day record-setting streak Friday, with the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSEArca: DIA) down 0.3%.
U.S. markets have jumped toward record levels since the U.S. election as traders grew more optimistic on President Donald Trump’s promises of increased fiscal spending, deregulation and tax reforms, especially in the past week after Trump announced major tax changes ahead.
“Markets are pricing in the Trump agenda and they’re pricing in lot of high expectations,’’ Stephen Wood, chief market strategist for North America at Russell Investments, told Bloomberg. The firm oversees more than $258 billion. “The likelihood that there are going to be some legislative and political bumps on the road is certainly very high. A rally predicated on political policy can expect some volatility within it.’’
However, market gains began to falter and switch into a tighter range, like previous sessions, as traders wait on Trump to provide greater clarity on policies., such as one on Thursday to bring millions of jobs back to the U.S.
“There is an expectation that the tax cuts promised by the new administration may not be as large or as early as expected,” Mohannad Aama, managing director at Beam Capital Management, told Reuters. “Investors had priced in the most rosy outlook for the market under the Trump administrations and now their reality is slowly changing as they realize a lot of the new policies will take time and maybe the market has run up too fast too soon.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also warned that any policy changes would likely only have a limited impact this year.
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