Experiencing an exceptional end to 2023, investors are closely eyeing the US employment report for December

Markets are set for a wild ride in 2024, with a soft landing and significant rate cuts among the factors that have prompted investors to bet on a potential recovery. But, even with the changes that have occurred in the past few years, the scenario for central banks remains far from certain.

After all of the excitement of the start of the year, investors may start wondering if their evaluations have become stretched. They may start looking past the first trading day of the year, even just a week into it.

If the markets start to show signs of a slowdown in the first quarter, it doesn’t signify a significant change in the outlook for the rest of the year.

Highlights:

• The oil price has started to ease as the focus turns to demand

Despite the slight decline in oil prices, it remains close to the middle of its range from December. The volatility in the market is due to the various factors that affected it, such as the exit of Angola from the OPEC+ alliance and the interest rate expectations. Now that the focus is on demand, investors are looking for signs that the global economy is improving. If the economy is able to perform well, it could help ease the pressure on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), which is struggling with its compliance with quotas.

The outperformance of the global economy could help ease the burden on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+). It’s not clear how successful the organization’s efforts will be in achieving compliance with its quotas.

• Interest rate is expect to boost gold price 

Prior to December, gold had been hovering around record highs. It then surged in early trade before settling down. The second half of December was very encouraging, with data showing a recovery and lower rate expectations. Now, investors may be wondering if the current rally has gone too far.

Central banks have been forced to accelerate their rate cuts due to the faster-than-expected rise in inflation.

• The comeback for bitcoin 

Bitcoin has started 2019 on a positive note, rising over 6% in the first two days of trading. The community is expecting a lot from this year, not to mention a less contentious year than in 2023. If the initial two days of 2019 are anything to go by, it’s likely that people will start talking about record highs in the near future.