Investors continued to trade with cautious on Wednesday, taking on board mixed economic data and the hawkish signals in the minutes of the last meeting by the Federal Reserve. European natural gas prices continued to edge higher, despite the intervention by Norway’s government to end an energy workers’ strike.
Resultats de la cerca
In yesterday’s session, investors’ concerns of a decelerating economy spiked after worse-than-expected sentiment data in Germany and the euro area and comments from Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin.
Investors' sentiment continued to improve yesterday following reports that Russia is willing to restart natural gas exports tomorrow, after the maintenance break. On monetary policy, a report suggesting that the ECB might consider a 50bp hike on Thursday pushed interest rates higher in the euro area.
Italian politics and European natural gas developments centered the stage in yesterday’s session. On the one hand, Draghi’s coalition government failed to pass the confidence vote, increasing the odds of snap elections this autumn.
In the last session of the week, investors' recession fears increased following the worse-than-expected economic sentiment data. In particular, July's Composite PMIs for the euro area and the US fell below the 50 points threshold, with decreases in both the services and manufacturing indices.
Investors started the week trading cautiously, taking on board weak sentiment data, hawkish commentary by some ECB officials and news reporting that Russia is due to reduce gas supplies to Europe.
Demand for riskier assets dominated investors mood on Wednesday, following a widely expected interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve and positive signals from various corporate earnings result in both Europe and the US. Adding to the positive sentiment, orders placed with US factories unexpectedly rose in June.
Volatility and risk aversion continued to dominate across markets during the last session of the week, following hawkish signals from central bank officials in Jackson Hole and a further increase in natural gas prices in Europe.
Investors continued to trade with a risk-off mode, taking on board new hawkish comments from central bank officials and data showing job openings in the US unexpectedly rose in July. In addition, the flash HICP readings for both Spain and Germany showed inflation remained elevated in August (the eurozone aggregate will be released today).
During a volatile session, financial markets closed with mixed results, balancing out another upside surprise in HICP inflation data in the eurozone (up by 9.1% y/y in August) with signs that job creation in the US may have moderated in August (according to the ADP survey).
Investors ended the week with mixed results, with sentiment supported by data showing employment growth in the US slowed down in August, in line with expectations, while the jobless rate rose by 0.2 p. p. to 3.7%. In the eurozone, producer prices (PPI) rose by 37.9% y/y in July, fueling concerns that inflationary pressures are building up.
Financial markets started the week on a risk-off mood, as the Russian gas cut off worsened the European energy crisis and the region’s economic outlook.
Investors continued to trade with caution in anticipation of further monetary tightening by the Fed, despite ISM service sector survey in August was consistent with very solid growth in Q3. In the euro zone, the surveys anticipate the ECB will hike interest rates by, at least, 50 bp on Thursday.
Risk aversion continued to set the tone on Thursday, with sentiment hampered by fears that elevated inflation could keep central banks in a tightening cycle for longer and the increasing threat of energy rationing in Europe this winter.
On Friday, investors continued to weigh the hawkish monetary policy agenda of the main central banks and the upside surprises on inflation data. In the euro area, headline HICP inflation jumped from 9.1% to 10.0% and core inflation increased by 0.5pp to 4.8% yoy.
Monetary policy tightening centered the stage again, with several US Federal Reserve members arguing that interest rates needed to be hiked further and that there were no clear signs of inflation having peaked yet. In the euro area, the accounts of the last ECB meeting revealed a broad-based concern of GC members about current inflation figures.
In yesterday's session, investors continued to trade with an upbeat tone amid better-than-expected corporate profits releases and macroeconomic data. In particular, the US industrial production in September rose by 0.4% m/m and the Zew survey expectations index for Germany and the euro area edged up modestly in October.
Investors closed the week trading cautiously under a volatile setting, still digesting political developments in the UK and signs of lingering inflationary pressures. In Europe, natural gas prices fell notably, following reports that Germany is likely to support a price cap to be included in the next EU package, to be agreed in coming weeks.
In yesterday's session, monetary policy took center stage again as US Federal Reserve comments pointed to a higher terminal interest rate than anticipated by financial markets. Investors priced in these comments and yields on sovereign bonds rose in the euro area and, especially, in the US.
In the last session of the week, investors weighed better-than-expected economic data in the euro area with mixed signals from central banks about the pace of rate hikes in the coming meetings, including from ECB member Schnabel.