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Investors started the week trading with a risk-off sentiment, still digesting the hawkish comments from the US Federal Reserve and ahead for March’s US CPI inflation data, to be released today.

Investors ended the week with cautious optimism, with equity indices rising across Europe and emerging markets but with mixed results in the US. Bank shares continued to outperform, reflecting expectations of a more aggressive interest rate normalization in advanced economies.

Another session dominated by risk aversion, as investors continued to digest the hawkish rhetoric from central banks in major advanced economies and mixed signals from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Sentiment deteriorated across financial markets on Wednesday, as investors digested the hawkish narrative in the accounts of the Fed’s latest meeting and the likely new imposition of sanctions against Russia.

Investors traded with a risk-off sentiment during a volatile session on Tuesday, weighting in a potential ban on Russian coal exports by the EU and taking on board a new round of hawkish commentary from the Fed. The minutes of the March meeting will be released by the Fed later today.

Financial markets started the week with cautious optimism, with investors looking ahead for the release of the minutes of the March meetings later this week by the Fed and the ECB. Talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to continue, while western governments called for new sanctions against Russia, prompting a new rise in oil prices.

Investors ended the week with mixed results, balancing out a solid employment report in the US (payrolls rose by 431.000 in March and the jobless rate fell to 3.6%) with upside surprises in inflation in the eurozone (HICP went up by 7.5% y/y in March). Ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine also remained in focus.

In the last session of Q1, investors traded with a pessimistic tone amid rising inflationary concerns and mixed signals coming from the war in Ukraine. In addition, economic sentiment data in China worsened (manufacturing and services PMI declined in March below the 50 threshold).

In yesterday's session, investors' sentiment worsened amid mixed signals in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian talks, concerns about gas supplies in Germany and rising inflationary pressures in the euro area. In Germany and in Spain, inflation rose in March to 7.6% and 9.8%, led by an increase in energy prices.

Financial markets experienced risk-on flows as investors read positively the advances in Russian-Ukrainian talks. Despite not reaching a deal to cease fire, both sides agreed to de-escalate the conflict. In this context, volatility declined and stock indices rose across advanced and emerging economies' trading floors.

Financial markets started the week with cautious optimism as headlines on the war in Ukraine continued to weigh on investors' sentiment. Today, Russian and Ukrainian delegates are holding meetings in Turkey, with the Ukrainian authorities reportedly willing to discuss neutrality and other conditions.

Investors traded with cautious optimism at the last session of the week, taking on board a new round of hawkish comments from Fed officials, weak survey data (e. g. the monthly fall in the IFO business climate in March) and the EU-US plan to cut reliance on Russian natural gas. The Ukraine-Russia war has now extended for over 1 month.