Investors traded cautiously in Tuesday's session. Equities posted losses across the U.S. and Europe, and sovereign yields were volatile even as energy prices declined. The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield surged to levels not seen since the early 2000s, despite finding a partial reprieve after NY Fed President John Williams signaled no urgency to deliver the next rate hike.
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Wednesday's session carried a cautious tone. U.S. stocks were mixed and European equities fell broadly, while crude oil edged higher and TTF natural gas surged sharply, reversing recent declines. In FX markets, the dollar strengthened moderately, weighing on the euro.
Thursday's session carried a sharply divergent tone between the two sides of the Atlantic. France's risk premium reached 140 bps as investors intensified their fiscal concerns and continued to lead a widening in sovereign spreads, with yields on German Bunds dropping amid safe-haven flows. European stocks fell markedly, with France leading losses.
Financial markets started the week in a cautious tone. Tensions in euro area sovereign bond markets remained in focus, even though the French spread narrowed, as peripherals were flat. Sovereign curves steepened on both sides of the Atlantic as short-term references fell, while long-term ones rose. The euro weakened against its main peers.
Risk sentiment improved on Tuesday as Treasury yields retreated from multi-decade highs and energy-related inflation concerns continued to ease. Technology stocks led gains, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh record while the Eurostoxx50 rose 0.5%.
A broad risk-off move dominated Wednesday's session, with Brent crude remaining above $100/barrel amid reports of increased Iranian attacks on tankers crossing Hormuz. In the eurozone, concerns over France's fiscal situation deepened after comments from the Banque de France governor ruling out an ECB intervention.
Energy prices rose on Thursday amid reports of intensified Iranian attacks on tankers crossing Hormuz, before Trump ruled out new US attacks on Iran ahead of the midterms. Eurozone short-term inflation expectations rose, while ECB and Fed hike expectations remained stable, as officials struck a cautious, mildly hawkish tone and did not endorse an October move.
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remained at the center of investors’ attention on Monday. Oil prices moved higher following attacks on Saudi Arabia, offsetting earlier optimism around Russian diesel exports and a potential Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire announced by Trump over the weekend. Brent crude rose 1.8% to USD 106.7/bbl.
World stocks fell, led by chipmakers and concerns over AI spending. Wall Street closed lower (the Nasdaq 100 dragged by semiconductors) and Asian shares hit a two-month low before steadying as the selloff eased. In Europe, the STOXX 600 touched a one-week high on softer oil and yields. US big-bank earnings (JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo) kicked off to mixed reviews.
Moderate risk-off sentiment prevailed across markets following the upside surprise in U.S. inflation, while oil prices remained elevated amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The CPI data came in slightly higher than expected, standing at 3.7% YoY, driven primarily by energy prices, particularly gasoline.
Thursday's session carried a cautious tone. Market concerns over the sustainability of AI investments weighed on chipmakers and technology equities, but the main U.S. stock market benchmarks ended higher while European indices were mixed. Brent oil and TTF natural gas prices nudged down.
Friday saw a mixed session across asset classes. Energy prices rose amid elevated geopolitical risks in Hormuz and Ukraine, keeping short-term inflation expectations under pressure, particularly in the US.
Risk sentiment weakened in Europe as persistent investor concerns over France’s fiscal outlook continued to weigh on equities, the euro and sovereign bonds. In contrast, U.S. equities advanced, led by gains in AI-related and semiconductor stocks.
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.
Thursday's session carried a distinctly risk-off tone, driven by tensions in the Middle East and AI investor concerns. Brent oil surged on Saudi Arabian supply disruption fears, and TTF gas rose in tandem with oil prices. Stock markets declined across the board, further dragged by a selloff in technology equities.
Investors ended the week shaking off some of the previous risk-off mood. In the eurozone, German yields rose and peripheral spreads narrowed (particularly in France) as flight-to-quality demand faded, while weaker-than-expected October PMIs (French Composite: 48.7) reinforced expectations of an ECB pause on Thursday.
Equities rallied on both sides of the Atlantic on Monday, as investors looked ahead to earnings releases from major technology companies and Spanish banks later this week. Oil prices remained broadly stable, while Dutch TTF natural gas gained 3% to 96.7 €/MWh, reaching its highest level since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East.
Brent and TTF saw significant volatility during the session, with initial gains fading on signals from Iran regarding potential peace negotiations, before prices recovered some ground later in the day. Brent recorded its second consecutive daily decline (-1,7%), while TTF edged slightly lower.
Markets traded cautiously in yesterday's session as investors digested earnings releases and the Fed's and the ECB's on-hold meetings. Sovereign yields declined across the board while stocks were mixed (rising in Europe but declining in the U.S., dragged down by AI concerns). The dollar eased modestly against the major currencies, and Brent oil held near $115.
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.