US stocks savouring 'Goldilocks' moment but risks loom: analysts

GOLDILOCKS is back and she's in a hurry. US stock indices will ride momentum to new records this week, as long as inflation data does not spoil the economic fairytale.

US stocks rose last week, continuing one of the strongest openings to a year on record, as a strong jobs report and reassurance from the Federal Reserve that no rate hikes are being planned sustained the so-called "Goldilocks" narrative.

Stock investors' favourite bedtime story is one where growth is neither too hot nor too cold. And that's precisely the scenario Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell described last Wednesday as he spoke about strong economic growth coinciding with contained inflation.

"The situation in the US remains 'Goldilocks'," said Tim Shirata, executive vice-president at money…