FX.co ★ US pre-market trade on October 18, 2022. Stocks set to extend gains

US stock futures keep rising on Tuesday, extending their rally from Monday's session. Amid positive corporate earnings results, stock indices began to recover. Meanwhile, the pound and UK's shares slid after the Bank of England explained that the news about delaying and wrapping up the bond-buying program may not be true.

The S&P 500 futures contracts advanced by more than 1% after the Nasdaq 100 index gained 1.7% thanks to Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is also trading in positive territory. European stocks have also been gaining ground for the fourth day in a row.

The British pound lost 0.6% after the Bank of England denied that it would delay the quantitative tightening program. The yield on the UK 10-year bond rose by seven basis points to 4.04%.

Apparently, new comments by the BoE supported risk assets that began their recovery yesterday amid positive corporate earnings results. Against such headwinds as rising inflation, economic risks, and aggressive policies of central banks, investors wonder what the financial results of the companies will be in the third quarter. It is widely believed that the bear rally that took place last week will continue. The current improvement in the market may be just a correction.

According to the Bank of America survey, the sentiment on stocks and global growth among fund managers shows full capitulation, opening the way to an equities rally in 2023. Analysts expect the stock market to hit bottom in the first half of 2023 after the Federal Reserve finally stops raising interest rates.

Oil remains highly volatile today as traders are trying to figure out what impact the economic downturn will have on demand. Gold is also fluctuating at comfortable levels while Bitcoin has returned to the level of 20,000 dollars per token.

As for the technical outlook for the S&P 500, the index is trying to break above $3,735 in the pre-market trade, continuing its rapid growth from yesterday. It is too risky to buy the asset at the current highs. However, if you follow a medium-term trading strategy, this option is acceptable. As long as the index is trading above $3,699, the risk-on sentiment will persist. This also paves the way for a breakout towards $3,735. Bulls will definitely attempt to break through this level when the main session starts. This scenario will validate a further upside correction towards the resistance area of $3,773. The level of $3,801 will serve as the highest target. In case the asset declines, buyers are very likely to assert their strength near $3,699 and $3,661. A breakout of this range will push the price down to $3,621 and make the test of the support area of $3,579, the new yearly low, more likely.