In the last session of the week, investor sentiment worsened as uncertainty over the fiscal stimulus in the US rose and the EU-UK trade negotiations seemed to be heading towards a no-deal brexit.
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The accommodative monetary policy stance confirmed in yesterday's Federal Reserve's meeting and the better-than-expected December flash PMIs in the euro area kept optimism among investors. In particular, the manufacturing indices were expected to fall but managed to increase, and the services indices rose but remained below 50.
Financial markets started the week with a mixed tone in a session with the US markets closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Investors traded cautiously as they weighed rising COVID number across the globe, Joe Biden's stimulus plan and Q4 GDP numbers in China. (+2.6 qoq, +6.5% yoy, leaving 2020’s annual growth at 2.3%).
Stocks slid in Europe amid rising concerns over delays to the vaccine rollout in the continent and the economic impact of a new strain of COVID-19. A vaccine produced by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was approved by the EU's regulator on Friday but difficulties in delivering shipments to the bloc are leading to rising tensions.
Investors continued trading in a risk-on mood yesterday as the vaccination process continues, and, symbolically, the number of people vaccinated across the world reaches the number of COVID-19 cases.
European equities performed well on Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised its growth forecast for the US, and the Eurostoxx50 rose 0.5%. Banks and automakers led the gains, as they are favored by rising market interest rates.
Investors traded with a positive tone in yesterday's session as March PMI data surprised on the upside in most regions, particularly in the euro area (Composite Index 52.5 vs 48.8 in February). The advance was more robust in the manufacturing sector, although the services index also increased.
In yesterday's session, stock volatility declined and investors traded with cautious optimism. Federal Reserve officials reiterated their intention to keep monetary policy unchanged until the economic recovery has been fully completed. Then, the exit of the stimulus would be very gradual and with great transparency.
Markets were mixed in the first session of the week. Stocks advanced in Asia and Europe but retreated in the U.S, where financials weighed on the main benchmarks as investors assessed potential losses from their exposure to Archegos Capital Management, a hedge fund that had failed to meet margin calls.
Yesterday investors focused their attention on the ECB meeting, which delivered no surprises, and on a report that suggested that Joe Biden's Administration would increase the capital gains rate to finance social spending. In the US, this latter driver increased volatility in stock markets and the main indices declined.
In yesterday's session, investors traded cautiously ahead of today's U.S. CPI data for May (Bloomberg consensus expects +4.7% yoy) and the ECB monetary policy meeting (the focus will be on the updated macro projections and on the pace of net asset purchases under the PEPP, which will probably remain unchanged at 80bn per month).
Yesterday, the prevailing mood in the financial markets was calm before the end of Federal Reserve's meeting. Investors expect the central bank to keep the pace of asset purchases unchanged until at least August or September.
Concerns over the evolution of the pandemic and, especially, the Delta variant worsened investors' sentiment in the last session of June. In addition, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said that the access to vaccines is unequal across countries and is causing a "diverging recovery".
Investors’ morale improved again on the back of solid economic data reports. June PMI and ISM data in the euro area and in the US reflected that economic growth is gaining momentum and most manufacturing indices remained above the 60 points (EZ at 63.4, US ISM at 60.6, Spain’s at 60.4, +1 pp from the previous month).
Financial markets ended the day with negative results, following the release of disappointing survey sentiment data in both the US (the services ISM fell to 60.1 in June from 64.0 in May) and in Germany (the ZEW sentiment indicator dropped from 79.8 to 63.3). In addition, industrial orders in Germany plummeted in May (-4% m/m).
In a volatile session, investors’ sentiment was clouded by disappointing labour data in the US (new jobless claims unexpectedly rose to 373k during the first week of July) and uncertainty about the evolution of the pandemic. In Europe, the ECB confirmed a decision to modify its inflation target to a symmetric 2%.
Markets ended the week on a negative mood, following the release of weaker than expected employment data in the US (non-farm payrolls rose by 235k in August after 1,053k in July). The disappointing figures could well postpone a decision by the Fed to taper its asset purchases for later this year.
In yesterday’s session, investors continued to trade with a risk aversion mood, extending recent losses across the main equity markets. In its Beige Book, the Fed noted that economic growth is downshifting due to the spread of the Delta variant, while several Asian countries are extending restrictions to control the outbreak.
Financial markets ended the day with mixed results, as investors digested a decision by the ECB to scale down its asset purchases and, separately, hawkish comments by some Fed officials about the likely start of tapering this year. These fears outweighed positive labour data in the US (new jobless claims fell to 310k last week, a pandemic-era low).
In yesterday's session, investors’ sentiment worsened in the euro area, amid inflationary concerns, while in the U.S. investors focused their attention on a potential breakthrough in negotiations between Democrats and Republicans to extend the debt ceiling and on the better than expected ADP employment report.