S&P 500 Index Rises to Psychological Level

The US stock market experienced an upswing following the release of inflation data yesterday. According to ForexFactory:
→ The annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) matched expectations at 2.9%.
→ The monthly Core CPI came in at 0.2%, below analysts' forecast of 0.3%.

Market participants interpreted this as a positive signal, leading to the S&P 500 index (US SPX 500 mini on FXOpen) gaining over 1% in the first 30 minutes after the data release.

As reported by Reuters:
→ Concerns about inflation eased, reviving hopes for a potential Federal Reserve rate cut, buoyed by a strong start to the earnings season (which we will cover in more detail later);
→ However, the rally may be short-lived, as inflation in the US remains uncomfortably high and could increase further due to aggressive tariff and tax policies under the new Trump administration;
→ Analysts caution that the Federal Reserve's rate is likely to remain unchanged for some time.

Technical analysis of the S&P 500 index chart (US SPX 500 mini on FXOpen) shows that since early August—when the Japanese stock market crash triggered concerns of a global recession, dragging US equities lower—the price has been in an upward trend, marked by a blue channel. The January mid-month low has provided a more precise point to define the lower boundary of this channel.

From this perspective, traders should note that the current S&P 500 price has reached a resistance zone, which consists of:
→ The median line of the blue channel;
→ The psychological level of 6,000 points;
→ The upper red line, drawn through the local highs of December 2024 and January 2025, suggesting that the decline beginning on 18th December could be viewed as an intermediate correction within the blue ascending channel.

This resistance area may serve as a key test of the bulls' determination to complete the correction and resume the upward trend.