Dow Jones Industrial Average opens with minor gains, still well below last week’s highs

• Dow Jones ticks up Tuesday in a calm pre-Easter trading session.
• Market sentiment is moderately positive, buoyed by hopes that the Fed will start cutting rates in June.
• Trading volume remains at low levels with investors awaiting Friday’s PCE Prices Index data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) shows a mild advance on Tuesday’s early trading. Wall Street has opened the session in green, with mega-cap growth stocks leading gains.

The index, however, remains far from the historic highs reached on Thursday. The dovishly-tilted monetary policy statement by the Federal Reserve boosted investors’ confidence that the Fed will start rolling back its restrictive policy in June, pushing global equity markets higher.

The US calendar is light this week, and investors are focusing on Friday’s US Personal Consumption Expenditures Prices Index data for further clues about the Fed’s monetary policy outlook.

Dow Jones news

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is 0.2% higher on Tuesday’s morning trading. Wall Street has opened the session with marginal gains, retracing Monday’s losses in an Easter-shortened week.

Down to sectors, Consumer Discretionary and Communication Services are leading gains, while Energy and Utilities are the worst performers.

United Health Group (UNH) is leading gains on Tuesday with a 1.3% advance, followed by Honeywell International (HON), up 1.1%, and Goldman Sachs (GS) with a 1.0% advance. On the downside, 3M (MMM) is the worst performer, losing 1.5%, followed by Boeing (BA), 1.2% down, on the back of news that CEO Jeremy Calhoun is leaving the company.

Dow Jones technical outlook

The broader bias for the Dow Jones Index remains bullish despite the recent reversal from all-time highs. Bears have been contained above previous highs, at the 39,260 area, which leaves the trend of higher highs and higher lows intact so far.

Sellers should breach that level to increase bearish momentum and open the path toward 39,000 and 38,650. On the upside, resistances are at the 39,900 previous high and the 40,000 psychological level.

Dow Jones Industrial Average 4-Hour Chart