Can the Market Have the Best of Both Worlds?

What’s in Today’s Report:

• Can the Market Have the Best of Both Worlds?
• Weekly Market Preview: The Problem Isn’t the Fundamentals, It’s the Expectations
• Weekly Economic Cheat Sheet: Flash PMI Data in Focus

U.S. futures are tracking international equity markets higher this morning as investors remain optimistic about more fiscal stimulus bolstering a continued rebound in growth.

Economically, the German ZEW Survey was slightly better than expected overnight with the Sentiment component notably improving from the previous month.

There are no economic reports today and no Fed officials are scheduled to speak however Janet Yellen will speak before the Senate Finance Committee at 10:00 a.m. ET before the committee votes to confirm her nomination as Treasury Secretary. Her remarks are expected to be very accommodative and support significant fiscal stimulus for the foreseeable future, so any disappointment on that topic could weigh on stocks.

Beyond Yellen’s commentary, Q4 earnings season continues today with several notable financials reporting ahead of the bell: BAC ($0.56), GS ($6.99), and SCHW ($0.70) while NFLX ($1.38) will release results after the close.

Bottom line, it appears Friday’s risk-off move into the long weekend is being reversed this morning as there were no notable or market moving developments over the weekend and hope for stimulus clearly remain one of the most important supporting factors for this market right now.