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In the last session of the week, investors traded with a risk-off mood amid fears of a escalating conflict in the Middle East. The VIX index, despite remaining at historically moderate levels, reached its highest level since March and stock indices declined across the globe.

In yesterday’s session, investors traded cautiously focusing their attention on the corporate earnings season and being attentive to the monetary policy path ahead and to the geopolitical risks. In this context, yields on sovereign bonds surged in advanced economies, with the 10-treasury getting closer to 5%.

In yesterday's session sovereign bonds took center stage once again. Yields extended their declines both in the euro area and in the US, where higher-than-expected weekly jobless claims pointed to a cooling labor market and gave investors further reasons to believe the Federal Reserve is done hiking rates.

Investors started the week on a downbeat note, with sovereign bond yields falling across the board on both sides of the Atlantic, as expectations grew that major central banks may be done with interest rate hikes. In the Eurozone, however, Lagarde stressed that strong wage growth does not yet allow the ECB to declare victory over inflation.

Investors took a breather from the recent buying spree in government bonds during Thursday’s session, pushing yields higher on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite data releases yesterday showing inflation cooling more than expected in the Eurozone and the US, investors were cautious ahead of comments from some central bankers.

Yesterday’s FOMC meeting boosted investor sentiment as the Fed sent a strong signal that the hiking cycle is over and that its members expect at least two rate cuts in 2024 (according to the median of the Dot-plot projections). This caused government bond yields to fall across the board, especially US Treasuries.

In the last session of the week, investors focused their attention on the ECB and Fed officials’ speeches, which tried to push back against the expectation for early interest rate cuts.

In yesterday’s session, investors took a mildly positive view of December’s US CPI report, which confirmed the disinflationary momentum in the US economy, even though the headline figure was higher than expected. Government bond yields fell on the news and the market's discounted probability of a Fed rate cut in March rose.

Global financial markets were mixed in the last session of the week as investors continue to navigate through interest rate cut expectations and new economic data. US University of Michigan consumer sentiment index improved to 78.8, the highest reading since July 2021, boosting the stock market and bringing the S&P 500 to a new record high.

The week ended with markets trading without a clear direction as investors continued to monitor central bank officials' speeches to adjust their expectations of the timing of the first interest rate cuts, and as they awaited key economic data to be released this week. 

In the last session of the week, investors traded with a moderately optimistic tone amid economic data releases that offered mixed signals on the monetary policy path ahead. On the one hand, the US ISM manufacturing index fell from 49.1 to 47.8 (49.5 expected), with employment and new orders subcomponents decreasing.

In yesterday’ session, investors continued to digest this week’s US CPI report, which showed the “last mile” of bringing inflation back to target is proving to be the hardest. Markets were mixed, with sovereign bond yields advancing modestly on both sides of the Atlantic, while equities posted slight gains in the euro area and small losses in the US.

In yesterday’s session investors continued to assess the probability that the Fed will deliver 3-4 rate cuts this year given the strength of recent macroeconomic data. In particular, the February PCE deflator grew 2.5% y/y, up from 2.4% last month, and manufacturing activity rebounded sharply in March as the PMI increased to 50.3 from 47.8.

Concerns about a hotter-than-expected inflation in the US centered the stage in yesterday’s session. In March, headline CPI rose by 3.5% y/y (3.2% in the previous month) and the core index rose by 3.8%, the same rate as in February.

In yesterday’s session, investors had to weigh mixed economic data indicators, as flash PMIs showed how the manufacturing sector in the euro area weakened slightly in March, deep below the 50-points threshold, while the services index managed to increase (52.9 for the euro area).

Yesterday’s session saw increased risk appetite in the euro area following dovish comments from the ECB’s Villeroy, who did not rule out two consecutive interest rate cuts in June and July and sees ample space to lower rates from the current 4% policy level. He also remarked that the Fed’s policy should not affect the ECB’s.

The week finished off with a session without any significant movements as inflation figures released on Friday largely aligned with expectations. The US PCE deflator for April came in at 2.7% yoy, as expected. Euro area inflation rose to 2.6% yoy in May, just above the 2.5% expected, although the monthly variation recorded the expected 0.3%.

Sovereign bond yields fell for a second consecutive day on both sides of the Atlantic as softer-than-expected job openings data in the US reinforced expectations the Fed will lower rates this year. In the euro area, markets await the ECB tomorrow, which is widely expected to lower interest rates by 25 bp.

Thursday’s session saw a mixed performance across assets as investors grappled with a mixed bag of economic data and the latest Fed decision. In the US, Treasury yields were lower after the rise in initial jobless claims and the decline in the Producer Price Index raised investors’ expectations of a Fed rate cut in September.

A quiet session on Wednesday as US markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday. In the eurozone, government bond yields rose and peripheral spreads widened after the European Commission opened an excessive deficit procedure for France, Italy, Belgium and five other member states under the 2024 European Semester Spring Package.