Donald Trump, who took office as U.S. president on January 20, has just said he would demand that interest rates drop immediately. Will the Federal Reserve do so on Wednesday (January 29)?

The Japanese yen has recently strengthened from almost 159.00 against the dollar to around 155.00, as investors are expecting the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to raise interest rates next week. Earlier, BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda and his deputy said that the central bank will debate whether to raise interest rates in the coming policy meeting next Friday (January 24).

Canadian-listed stocks that align with the principles of James O’Shaughnessy’s “trending value” strategy.

Minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s last (December) policy-meeting showed that policy makers were concerned about upside risks to the inflation outlook. Before the Fed decides on interest rates again on January 29, major U.S. inflation data will be released on Wednesday (January 15).

The strength of the U.S. labor market remains a key factor in the central bank’s consideration of cutting rates. According to Trading Central's "Economic Insight", the U.S. economy may have added 200,000 Non-farm Payrolls in December with the Unemployment Rate ticking up to 4.3%.

The first important economic data set should be the U.S. Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index. The ISM Manufacturing PMI has been indicating a contraction (a reading below 50) in the U.S. manufacturing sector since April 2024.

Data on U.S. Durable Goods Orders, to be released on Tuesday, December 24, will provide investors with clues on the country’s economic health. According to Trading Central's "Economic Insight", Durable Goods Orders are expected to decline 0.2% month on month in November.

Smart traders know that cutting losses quickly and focusing on winning positions is the key to success.

This week, we analyzed the top-performing sectors to identify U.S.-listed stocks with upward price and earnings momentum, supported by above-average TC growth factor ratings. Our focus was on stocks demonstrating robust quant-based metrics across these leading sectors.