French bond stress deepens The French spread reached 153bps, its widest since early October, as France's fiscal and political pressures continued to weigh on sovereign debt. The euro weakened as the French spread widened, with ECB Governing Council member Rehn acknowledging the spread had moved "somewhat”.
Resultats de la cerca
Financial markets started the week with less optimism than in the previous sessions, despite the positive comments around the U.S. - China trade negotiations.
In yesterday's session, investors' sentiment improved amid optimistic comments from Russian officials, which increased the odds of a diplomatic solution, and following the description of the outlook from Jerome Powell, who said the US economy is very strong and with an extremely tight labor market.
On Thursday, German Bund yields rebounded by +5bp, partially reversing the broad decline seen earlier this week, following a positive surprise in the country’s industrial orders data in November (+5.6% mom). Other euro area sovereign yields were broadly stable, leading to a further narrowing of peripheral spreads.
Market sentiment remained downbeat due to persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and continued weakness in AI-related market segments. In commodities, energy prices lacked clear direction, with Brent edging lower and TTF prices rising. The dollar strengthened modestly against the euro, on expectations of a resilient U.S. economy.
Financial markets were whipsawed on Tuesday, with an early equity rebound led by AI-related stocks giving way to renewed volatility after the US announced strikes on Iranian sites late in the session. In commodities, crude oil and natural gas prices fell, reflecting easing Middle East tensions earlier in the day before geopolitical risks re‑emerged towards the close.
Sovereign bond markets remained under pressure as investors grappled with persistent inflation risks, higher energy prices and uncertainty surrounding the AI-driven growth story. US Treasury yields stayed elevated while in Europe peripheral spreads widened further amid fiscal concerns, with French yields hitting the 5% threshold for the first time since 2002, while UK gilt yields rose after stronger-than-expected inflation data.
Markets ended the week on a cautious note, driven by a deterioration in investor sentiment towards the Middle East conflict and a selloff in tech stocks. Brent oil prices rose nearly 5% to close above $88 per barrel, and TTF gas surged towards €60 as the U.S. and Iran stepped up attacks across the Gulf.
In a session where the inflow of macroeconomic and sentiment data was abundant in the U.S. and in the euro area, investors read it, overall, in the downside.
Investors ended the week on a cautious note as they assessed the prospects for renewed US–Iran talks over the weekend. Energy prices were volatile, with Brent crude finally settling around $105/bbl and European TTF gas near €45/MWh.
Macroeconomic events and data releases shadowed latest developments of the Ukrainian war, as the ECB meeting and US CPI inflation centered stage in financial markets. On the latter, headline inflation rose as expected in February from 7.5% to 7.9% and core inflation rose from 6.0% to 6.4%.
Financial markets were less volatile in the first session of the week as investors digested the latest Jerome Powell's comments on the upcoming official interest rate moves (more flexible and aware to risks).
Investors traded cautiously amid heightened tariff uncertainty, fresh rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine, and mixed macro data. In the US, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence index fell to its lowest level since 2021, while the German Ifo business climate index rose, as companies' expectations about the future improved.
Financial markets extended the gains on Tuesday, with investors' sentiment boosted by dovish comments on inflation and monetary policy from some key Fed officials. As a result, stocks in the US fluctuated around record highs while the decline in US treasury yields stabilized. In Asia, equity indexes advanced further on Wednesday.
In the last session of the week, investors traded in a cautious mood as they continued to digest the Fed's more dovish and patient tone.
Trade tensions between China and the U.S., the extension of the U.S. government shutdown and positive surprises in the earnings season determined yesterday investor's mood.
Markets ended the week on a risk-off note. Stocks tumbled, led by a selloff in technology equities, while oil and gas prices jumped amid investor concerns about a potential escalation of the Middle East conflict. U.S. and German sovereign yields nudged down, driven by safe-haven flows, while euro area peripheral spreads widened, and the USD and the EUR weakened.
In the last session of the week, equity markets edged modestly higher, despite lingering doubts over the return on Big Tech investment in AI and questions around the robustness of corporate fundamentals, set against a backdrop of generally supportive macroeconomic data.
As no major developments were reported in the Middle East, investors remained cautiously optimistic that US–Iran talks could resume in the coming days and the ceasefire will hold. Energy prices were broadly stable to softer, with Brent crude trading around $95/barrel and TTF gas easing toward €41/MWh.
Investors ended the day with positive results, after strong sentiment data in Europe (Germany’s Ifo business climate index rose to the highest level in two years) and labour statistics in the US (new jobless claims fell to 411,000 weekly). In addition, President Biden announced a deal in the Senate on an infrastructure package worth USD 1.2 trillion.