General Electric's Final Act, March Payrolls: Investing Action Plan

The stock market closed the first quarter with the Dow Jones gaining 5.6% for the quarter and the Nasdaq gaining 9.1%. The S&P 500 surged 10.2% in its best first-quarter performance since 2019. For the Nasdaq, it was nowhere near the 16.8% rally in the first quarter of last year. The Dow's advance narrowly surpassed its 3.8% gain in the first quarter of last year. S&P Global analyst Howard Silverblatt reports that the S&P 500 set record closing highs on 22 of the 61 trading days this year through Thursday.

General Energy (G.E.) shares rose nearly 38% in the first quarter ahead of its long-awaited final act as a diversified company on Tuesday. Everyone interested in the Federal Reserve's interest rate strategy will closely monitor March payrolls data and other employment data over the next week. And a handful of rapidly evolving names report, including PVC (PVC) and Kura Sushi (CROSS), as the fourth quarter earnings season nears its end.

Five leaders near buy points to watch in the stock market

While tech leaders take a pause, several other stocks are rising, including On hold (ONON), medical space (MEDP), Uber Technologies (UBER), M/I Houses (WHO) and Axon Company (AXON). On Holding is teasing a cup-with-handle buy point following some wild post-earnings swings. M/I Homes showed some early buying signs and is moving up toward a traditional cup-based entry. Medpace, Uber and Axon are firmly consolidating after strong earnings moves. Medpace remains firm at its 21-day exponential moving average. Uber fell below its 21-day moving average to bounce off its 50-day moving average. Axon is trading above its 21-day level and no clear pattern is emerging.

Stock Market Economics: Job Strength Vs. Rate cuts

As long as the labor market appears strong, the Federal Reserve will need to see clearer progress on inflation before cutting rates, and the stock marketThe market will receive a lot of employment data next week. The monthly jobs report, released Friday, is expected to show that employers added 180,000 payroll positions in March, including 157,500 in the private sector, according to the FactSet consensus estimate.

The unemployment rate is forecast to fall to 3.8%, while 12-month wage growth is expected to slow to 4.1% from 4.3%. The February Job Offers and Labor Turnover Survey comes out on Tuesday. Wall Street expects job openings to fall from 8.86 million to 8.7 million. The ADP jobs report will be released on Wednesday. The payroll processing giant's private hiring estimate is expected to show 150,000 new jobs.

Key Fed inflation data keeps June rate cut in play; Powell agrees with the dissent

GE Final Transformation Set

General Electric will split in two on Tuesday. GE Aerospace will maintain the GE stock symbol on the stock market. GE Vernova, a gas and wind power company, went public Thursday as GEV. It is priced based on when it was issued and therefore probably won't be active until Tuesday. GE will remain in the S&P 500 index, while GE Vernova will join it. The first part of the division, GE Healthcare Technologies (GEHC), debuted in January 2023. Last year, GE stock soared nearly 89%. It's a notable turnaround for a stock that collapsed in 2017-18 amid fears of a possible bankruptcy. The company then underwent an extensive reorganization under the leadership of CEO Larry Culp, who took the reins in October 2018. GEHC shares are up 18% in the past 12 months, against a gain of 32% of the S&P 500 index.

GE Stock Nears High Amid Countdown for GE Aerospace: Is It a Buy?

Hot Ticket Season Late Earnings Report

As the stock market's first quarter winds down, the December-January quarter earnings season slows down. But there are still some big names to keep an eye on next week. Clothing brands PVC (PVC) and Levi Strauss (Levi) have shown strong stock action this year. payroll administrator pagox (PAYX) remains near support on a three-month basis. AND Kura Sushi (CROSS) is recovering, up 54% this year.