Evolution of the international financial markets and evaluation of the main events and economic indicators of the previous day session. Available in English.
Negotiations to raise the US debt ceiling progressed over the course of Thursday, with both the Government and the opposition party suggesting talks were in a better place, though not finalised yet. Should a deal be reached soon, Parliament would have to approve it before June 1, the deadline stated by Treasury Secretary to run out of cash.
Tensions around the US debt ceiling negotiations continued weighting on investors’ sentiment. Even though the opposition leader, McCarthy, signaled optimism about a deal after the latest round of talks, rating agency Fitch Ratings warned the nation’s AAA rating may be downgraded due to the political standoff.
The political impasse over the US debt ceiling continued weighing on investors sentiment in yesterday's session, as staff-level negotiations held on Tuesday yielded little progress.
Investors started the week with no clear direction, focused on the US negotiations over the debt ceiling, which were due to start after markets closed. The opposition leader, McCarthy, said his Monday meeting with President Biden set the talks “on the right path” while Biden called the meeting “productive”, but no agreement was reached yet.
Investors closed the week trading more cautiously than in previous days. Negotiations on the US debt ceiling, which had seemingly advanced since Monday, were halted on Friday, causing US stocks to slide after a generally positive session in Europe. Negotiations are set to resume today.
In yesterday's session, investors traded with an optimistic mood as negotiations between Democrats and Republicans to raise the US debt ceiling seemed to advance fast. Accordingly, House speaker (McCarthy) and Senate Majority Leader (Schumer) are already preparing the vote count for a bipartisan deal to avoid reaching the debt ceiling.
In yesterday’s session, US debt ceiling negotiations continued to center the stage in financial markets as President Joe Biden and Republican speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy keep pushing for a deal to avoid a default on sovereign bonds. Biden specified that negotiations are on the fiscal budget, not on whether the US will pay or not its debt.
In yesterday’s session, investors continued to trade with caution amid intensifying political negotiations in the US to raise the debt ceiling and mixed economic data releases. In Europe, the May’s ZEW survey fell in the euro area and Germany, showing that investors’ sentiment remains gloomy.
In the first session of the week, investors traded with a cautious mood amid hawkish rhetoric from regional Federal Reserve presidents and an upbeat revision of the euro area forecasts done by the European Commission.
In the last session of the week, investors’ expectations on additional interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve were seen as more probable. That, together with debt ceiling concerns and an increase of inflation expectations seen in the University of Michigan survey, pushed US Treasury yields higher.
Another session with mixed results across financial markets. The key themes were signs that inflationary pressures are abating coupled with data suggesting an economic slowdown. In the UK, the BoE raised policy rates by 25 pb to 4.5%, in line with expectations, while signalling that additional rate hikes are likely.
Financial markets closed with mixed results on Wednesday. On one side, inflation data in the US suggested upside pressures in core prices are moderating while, on the other, ECB officials reiterated the need for further policy tightening. Today, the Bank of England unveils its monetary policy decisions.