Political tensions in France took center stage during yesterday's session after far-right and far-left parties submitted no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Barnier, risking the collapse of the current government. French government yields rose, its risk premium widened further, and the euro sold-off to 1.05 against the dollar.
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Investors traded cautiously ahead of today's FOMC decision (a 25bp interest rate cut is widely discounted) and the BoE on Thursday (expected to hold interest rates at 4.75%). On the macro data front, US retail sales rose 0.6% m/m in November, and in Germany, the IFO expectations index surprised to the downside as confidence in the country continued to weaken.
Markets traded without a clear direction as investors remained cautious awaiting further announcements from the Trump administration and central bank meetings next week. ECB officials' remarks continued to support further interest rate cuts, while Fed officials are in the "blackout" period ahead of the meeting and cannot comment about monetary policy.
Investors started the week shunning risk, with most equity indices around the world posting some losses, which were more pronounced in the US. Chipmakers and other AI companies, particularly Nvidia, suffered a rout as a newly released Chinese AI model proved more efficient and investors questioned how much value US AI companies would add in the future.
Investor sentiment recovered on Tuesday after Monday's rout in chipmakers and AI-related companies. Most equity indices around the world rose, with the US Nasdaq 100 up 2.0%. European equity indices were also higher, with the Ibex 35 leading the way, while Japanese equities were lower earlier in the day, still weighed down by Monday's tech pessimism.
Yesterday's market sentiment was driven by the ECB's rate cut announcement, the fifth cut since last June, leaving depo rate 25bps lower at 2.75%. Officials kept the door open to further policy easing, given euro area GDP data was stagnant and could be hit by a trade war from the new US Administration. By end of session, markets expected 3 more cuts in 2025.
Market sentiment was mixed on Wednesday. On the one hand, higher-than-expected US inflation data for January (headline: 0.5% mom, 3.0% yoy; core: 3.3% yoy) pushed back market expectations for the next Fed rate cut from early summer to the end of the year, and the probability of a second cut went down to virtually zero.
Markets traded cautiously yesterday, ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy rate decision today. US Treasury yields were almost flat, as markets expect Fed's policy rate to stay at its current level. On the other side of the Atlantic, euro area sovereign yields were flat, as the German Bundestag approved a fiscal package to boost defence spending, as expected.
Friday's session was mixed as investors continued to weigh tariff uncertainty, monetary policy decisions and the Fed's updated macro forecasts. Sovereign bond yields edged lower on both sides of the Atlantic, while stock markets registered losses in the euro area and Asia, and barely advanced in the US. The dollar was mostly flat.
US President Trump announced a 90-day pause on the so-called “reciprocal" tariffs for all targeted countries, but still maintained the 10% general tariff rate and raised the tariff rate for China to 125% after both countries’ authorities escalated the tension. US stocks rallied and the S&P had its largest intraday gain in over 17 years (+9.5%).
Sentiment recovered in financial markets following news that, over the weekend, President Trump exempted smartphones, computers and other electronics from the reciprocal tariffs announced on April 2nd (the 10% baseline tariff and additional tariffs to a list of other countries).
Yesterday's announcement of a temporary truce in the trade war between the US and China lifted investors' mood, particularly in US assets. Both countries agreed that for the next 90 days the US will reduce the tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports last month from 145% to 30%, and that Chinese tariffs on US imports will fall from 125% to 10%.
Concerns over the US fiscal stance and debt burden—intensified by recent credit rating downgrades and ongoing tax bill negotiations in Washington—weighed on US financial assets. US Treasury yields rose, particularly on the longer end of the curve, while US stocks fell by more than 1.5%. The US dollar weakened, trading around 1.13 against the euro.
Markets traded in risk-off mode during Friday's session, with heightened volatility, as investors reacted to the latest social media announcement by the US President regarding its trade agenda. Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on the EU and a 25% levy on Apple if the company refused to relocate its manufacturing to the US.
The week kicked off to a mixed start. US Treasury yields rose after Trump announced on the weekend the US will raise tariffs on steel and aluminium (25% to 50%) and accused China of breaching the trade truce agreement. Separately, the ISM and PMI surveys for May showed delivery times increasing, while prices paid by suppliers remained elevated.
Yesterday’s session was characterised by heightened investor caution and market volatility amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The intensification of hostilities between Israel and Iran dominated the headlines, while trade sentiment was further unsettled by Trump’s warning of potential unilateral tariffs to be announced within the next fortnight.
Investors turned cautious again on Tuesday as the Israel-Iran conflict continued. US Treasury yields fell ahead of the FOMC meeting, where the Fed is expected to leave rates unchanged as it seeks more clarity on the impact of tariffs. Yesterday's data releases showed a softening US economy in May: retail sales dropped by more than expected (although so-called "core" retail sales increased); import prices remained stable, surprising to the upside; and industrial production fell slightly.
Markets started the week in a mixed mood as investors eye trade negotiations and the central bank meetings in Sintra. Market confidence in Fed rate cuts drove U.S. sovereign yields down, while euro area sovereign yields were little changed. The euro strengthened against the dollar and edged towards $1.18 (a 5-year high).
Investors traded cautiously in yesterday's session and, in the euro area, the major stock indices declined and sovereign yields edged lower. In a panel of central banks in Sintra, Fed's Powell acknowledged that the Fed would have already cut rates this year absent Trump's tariffs, while the ECB's Lagarde stated that inflation is at target in the euro area.
Markets were mixed in yesterday's session as investors digested Trump's delay of the tariff deadline to August 1. The main U.S. stock indices were little changed, while European stocks rose across the board. The USD was stable against a basket of currencies and the EUR continued to fluctuate around $1.17.