Dow Jones churns near fresh highs on Tuesday

The Dow Jones Industrial Average cycled familiar territory on Tuesday.
The equity index is holding near 41,000.00 as investors take a breather.
Equities poised for further upside as investors brace for Jackson Hole.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) churned on Tuesday, eking out a fresh two-week high near the 41,000.00 handle but overall holding close to the day’s opening bids as markets shuffle in place with key activity data and major central bank appearances in the barrel this week.

US Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) business activity survey results are slated for release on Thursday, as well as the kickoff of the annual Jackson Hole Symposium which is set to run through the weekend. Wednesday will deliver the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) latest Meeting Minutes, but market forces will broadly be looking ahead to Thursday’s outings for reasons to move.

US S&P Global Manufacturing PMI activity expectations are forecast to hold steady at 49.6 in August, while the Services PMI component is expected to tick down a full point to 54.0 from 55.0. The kickoff of the Jackson Hole Symposium is expected to draw plenty of investor attention on Thursday, but Friday’s appearance from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell can be expected to set the overall tone of market sentiment heading into next week.

Dow Jones news

The Dow Jones is mostly in the green on Tuesday, with roughly one third of the board testing into the low end for the day. Losses were led by Boeing Co. (BA) which fell another 4.2% to $172.09 per share, followed by Intel Corp. (INTC) which shed 2.22% and declined to $21.05 per share. On the high side, Walmart Inc. (WMT) rose roughly 1% to $74.44 per share, closely followed by Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) which climbed nearly the same and tested $74.50 per share.

Dow Jones price forecast

With the Dow Jones back to testing the waters near the 41,000.00 major price handle, bulls will be looking for a fresh boost in momentum to drag the DJIA back into record highs set in June near 41,400.00. Short pressure could build in the charts with the index taking a breather after rallying for five straight trading days, but the index remains well-bid north of the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) near 39,674.00.

Dow Jones daily chart

Economic Indicator

S&P Global Services PMI

The S&P Global Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), released on a monthly basis, is a leading indicator gauging business activity in the US services sector. As the services sector dominates a large part of the economy, the Services PMI is an important indicator gauging the state of overall economic conditions. The data is derived from surveys of senior executives at private-sector companies from the services sector. Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month and can anticipate changing trends in official data series such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial production, employment and inflation. A reading above 50 indicates that the services economy is generally expanding, a bullish sign for the US Dollar (USD). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 signals that activity among service providers is generally declining, which is seen as bearish for USD.