The Fred Report – Mid Week Update January 14, 2026
We still look for a rally into the end of January after a choppy week. TLT is starting to perk up as well, as long as it can stay above 87.50.
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We still look for a rally into the end of January after a choppy week. TLT is starting to perk up as well, as long as it can stay above 87.50.
We note that RSP and Small Cap ETFs continue to look stronger than IYW (Technology), which we view as a plus suggesting leadership change. We still maintain our forecast for an intermediate peak near the end of January with a solid tradable low in May.
We have moved above 692 today, faster than we thought! Ideally, we will close above 692 in the next few days/week to absolutely confirm our view. We have been asked what bond ETF to buy for a trade into the summer. Our favorite here is MUB. QTUM is breaking out of a consolidation and as long as it holds 107 it is strong enough to buy.
Short-term breadth indicators reinforce this: the next few weeks look favorable for gains, likely strongest in the indexes and sectors that have lagged thus far. Indicators suggest that tech may perform less well than other sectors in the first part of the year, but if they get a significant enough pullback, they should show strength in the second part of 2026. For now, we look for slightly lower rates in 2026.
Our outlook for the end of 2025 remains unchanged: we expect the market to finish higher, albeit with thin trading volume and limited participation.
We provide an update on our Tax Bounce list. All stocks on the list have triggered at their buy limits, the last on December 22nd. To recap, the rules for the list are to buy at the buy limit until the last trading day of December, and then sell at either the price target or the last trading day of January 2026, whichever is sooner.
From our end here, it looks as if the numbers for Christmas may come in a bit better than expected. We will still sell the remaining half of our SILJ (Pure Funds Junior Silver Miners ETF) trading position by the end of December.
SPY moved down to test the 676-area support and has held it. An SPY close below Tuesday’s low would call our forecast for an advance into New Year’s into question and we would start to sell some trading positions.
So far, all indexes are holding support areas so we are not concerned with the trading, although sentiment is a bit too bullish. XLI has started a breakout and has real potential into 2026.
We are waiting for the FED news like everyone else. If there is a sharp drop on the FED news, we would buy it. We note that SLV outperforming GLD is often part of a topping process. Be careful with the metals here.