Every Monday morning, before Wall Street opens, the major newsrooms publish their list of "10 things to watch this week." CNBC, for example, makes it a regular feature. Useful? Yes. Magical? No. Let's see what's really in it, and how to use it without fooling yourself.
What it's actually for
Imagine a car's dashboard. You don't just look at the speedometer. You also watch the fuel, the engine temperature, the warning lights that come on. These lists do exactly the same thing: they gather the indicators capable of moving the major US indices.
Two names come up again and again. The US30 (also called the Dow Jones) brings together the 30 largest American companies: it's the basket of the stock market's "heavyweights," established and solid groups. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, mainly gathers technology companies: more dynamic, but also more sensitive to shifts in mood. One moves like a loaded truck, the other like a sports car: same road, very different reactions.
What you most often find there
- Economic figures (inflation, employment): these are the economy's "weather reports." Inflation is the general rise in prices — when your grocery cart costs more from one month to the next.
- Policy rates: the price of money set by the central bank (the Federal Reserve in the United States, the ECB in Europe). When this price rises, borrowing costs more, a bit like a tap being tightened. Mortgages, credit cards, corporate financing: everything becomes heavier to bear.
- Company earnings: their quarterly "report card." Good grades or bad, the reaction can be immediate.
- The dollar and gold, two witnesses to the general mood. The dollar is the reference currency for global trade; gold, the safe haven we watch when the climate grows tense.
- Sometimes politics, trade tensions or a central bank decision: these are the "grains of sand" that can jam the machinery.
Three reflexes to keep
One: a list is a map, not a crystal ball. It tells you where to look, not what will happen. No one knows the markets' reaction in advance — and that's a very good thing.
Two: indicators influence each other, like two children on a seesaw. The dollar rises? Often, gold falls back. Rates move? Tech stocks react more strongly, because their value lies mainly in their future profits, which we discount using the cost of money.
Three: watch volatility — the amplitude of movements, the equivalent of waves at sea. Calm sea or heavy swell, it's not the same navigation. An index moving 2% a day is not the same day as an index moving 0.3%.
An example to make the numbers speak
Let's take an inflation figure that goes from 3% to 3.5% over a year. On €100 of groceries, that represents about €3.50 more than a year earlier, versus €3 before. The difference seems small. Yet, for a central bank, that half-point can change the trajectory of rates — and therefore the general climate of the markets. It's the domino principle: a small piece falling knocks over the whole row.
The classic trap
Many beginners read these lists as a program for the day. They conclude "if this figure comes out high, the index rises." Reality is more nuanced: what matters is not only the figure, but the gap between the published figure and what the market expected. A "good" figure can push indices down if it is better than expected, because the market then fears monetary tightening. Conversely, a "bad" figure can support prices if it raises hopes of softer rates. The market doesn't react to the weather, it reacts to the gap between the weather and the forecast.
Another trap: information overload. Ten signals is already a lot. Trying to follow everything at once is like watching ten screens at the same time: you see nothing. Better to choose two or three indicators, understand them thoroughly, and leave the others in the background.
How to organize yourself without drowning
- Choose your reference points: for example, volatility, the dollar and gold. Three witnesses are enough to read the general mood.
- Write your observations in a journal: what you saw, what you thought about it, what happened next. That's how you progress — not by accumulating predictions.
- Keep a routine: a short brief in the morning, a review in the evening. Consistency is better than intensity.
- Don't try to guess. Try to understand. Understanding is built, it isn't guessed.
And on the JARVIS platform?
To support you in this reading, the Institute provides several tools. The JARVIS METHOD indicator on TradingView helps visualize useful market zones, without exposing the details of the know-how, which is reserved for members. A position calculator makes it possible to size your trades methodically, and session and exchange reference points make it easier to track hours and active sessions.
On the learning side, the complete training as a pathway (accessible via the Training page) structures progress step by step, with bootcamps, mentoring and events to go further. The member area adds progress tracking, an orientation test, a trading journal (screenshots, result, mini psychological test) and a "My Trading" hub with statistics. For those who are also interested in stocks, ETFs and crypto, the investment journal offers price tracking and a weekly report.
In addition, mindset coaching works on discipline and emotional management, while the "My fitness" section addresses the trader's lifestyle — sleep, sport, diet. The Telegram assistant sends a market brief every morning, the day's plan, a news watch and targeted reminders. Finally, the comparative directories (brokers and prop firms) gather practical information, such as withdrawal times, and the blog with the "JARVIS Readings," the glossary and the country fact sheets complete the toolbox.
To remember
Monday's lists are a starting point, not a conclusion. They teach you to look in the right place: inflation, employment, rates, earnings, the dollar, gold, volatility. The rest — interpreting, deciding, managing risk — is your job, and it is learned with method and consistency. Start small, write everything down, and let time do the rest.
Educational content, trading involves a risk of capital loss, neither investment advice nor tax advice.