The Dow Jones Industrial Average to post an eight-session winning streak after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell pointed out clearly that the central bank is not likely to hike rates in its next move, and the U.S. official jobs report showed an easing labor market. The next market-moving economic event should be the U.S. reporting inflation data on Wednesday (May 15).

In this edition of the Fundamental Report we take a look at companies with strong momentum and out performance relative to the S&P 500.

A Comprehensive Approach: TC Technical Insight and Options Insight in Trading Strategies

With the S&P/TSX Composite Index trading within 2.5 per cent of its 52-week high set on April 9, our research team delved into Canadian equities using a Quantitative perspective, which combines quantitative and fundamental analysis. Quantamental investing seeks to identify investment opportunities with a deeper understanding of market dynamics and a focus on generating alpha, or excess returns, for investors.

Value plays that have shown outperformance relative to the S&P 500 in the past 5 years.

U.S. inflation rates remain firm (“sticky”) as the labor market stays tight, leading investors not to expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates very soon. According to Trading Central's "Economic Insight", the central bank will announce on Wednesday (May 1) its decision on keeping key interest rates unchanged.

In the face of market uncertainty driven by inflation and interest rate speculation, traders should consider portfolio adjustments. While the S&P 500 experienced a notable decline, the Utilities sector showed resilience, with our report highlighting four standout companies poised to weather market volatility.

With the S&P 500 dropping below its 20- and 50-day moving averages, showing a bearish market trend, we’re focusing on finding defensive value stocks. We’re using a simple approach to find undervalued stocks with potential for growth despite the current market conditions.

As the U.S. inflation rate is not cooling as fast as expected, investors do not expect the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates very soon. This has led to pressure seen in the stock markets recently. Another set of closely-watched inflation data will come out next week.