Patti Domm

A speculative frenzy after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell spoke last week helped drive record buying in call options Thursday, even more than during the meme craze.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield is hovering close to a key level that strategists say could give stock investors a fright.

The S&P 500 is flirting with a key resistance area that, if broken, could mean some more downside for stocks, say analysts who watch charts.

The seesaw-like tension between interest rates and stocks should remain in play, as investors focus on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and the February jobs report.

The S&P 500 dodged a negative chart signal and found support around a key level, but it is interest rates that will drive the index in the near term.

The shape of the Treasury yield curve is flashing the biggest recession warning in nearly 42 years, but some strategists say a recession may not be coming soon.

Economists expect hiring stayed strong in February and that wages grew even faster than they did in January.

February’s consumer inflation report should be a big driver for markets in the week ahead, as investors watch for continued Silicon Valley Bank fallout.

Consumer inflation may have cooled off a little in February, but economists expect it is still running at a high pace.

Strategists warn that tech and big internet names could begin to suffer again as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates or even holds them at high levels.