Yesterday's session was marked by a risk-off sentiment, as energy prices continued to rise amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with the US and Iran exchanging strikes with reportedly the highest intensity since the ceasefire was started in early April. Brent crude prices were up nearly 2% and TTF natural gas prices were up 2.5%.
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During a volatile session, financial markets ended the day with mixed results, after the U.S. CPI inflation report surprised to the upside (5.4% y/y in September after 5.3% in August). The data suggested that upward pressures on prices are broadening out, putting into question the view that the rise in inflation could be transitory.
Financial markets traded without a clear direction ahead of the US CPI report expected today. In the US, assets had a choppy trading session, as early optimism driven by unexpectedly low US wholesale inflation in December (PPI +0.2% mom vs. +0.4% expected) was muted later on. In this context, US sovereign bonds and equities closed the session flat.
Risk aversion continued to set the tone during a highly volatile session at the end of the week, as investors read the US payrolls report as evidence that the Fed will continue tightening monetary policy.
Markets closed on a mixed note on Friday, as a blowout US employment report showed job creation well above expectations in August (162,000 vs. 55,000 expected), alongside an upward revision to July's figures. Hawkish comments from the Fed's Hammack also pushed up market expectations for a Fed rate hike, with a September move priced in again.
Another day of rollercoaster swings across financial markets, following the negative surprise in the inflation report in the US and the upside revisions in investors’ expectations of the pace of monetary policy tightening.
In yesterday's session, investors continued to trade with a risk-on mood, taking position ahead of potential surprises in the crucial CPI inflation report in the US due to be released today. The headline index is expected to decline m/m, increasing the odds for a 25bp hike in the next Federal Reserve meeting, instead of a 50bp hike.
Market sentiment was dampened by weak investor confidence data in Germany (ZEW index dropped to 7.4 from 13.1 in the previous month), where also Chancellor Scholtz announced elections will be held in February after the ruling coalition collapsed last week. Sentiment was further dampened by caution ahead of today's inflation report in the US.
Volatility and risk aversion continued to set the tone across markets on Wednesday, with investors taking position ahead of a crucial inflation report in the US later today and the kickoff of the Q3 corporate earnings season on Friday.
The olive oil industry is a deeply-rooted, traditional sector in Spain, is one of the most important in the country’s agricultural sector and plays a fundamental role from an economic, environmental, cultural and gastronomic point of view. In addition to being a source of income and employment in many rural areas, it also contributes towards territorial and social cohesion and the fight against depopulation, soil erosion and climate change.
In the current expansionary cycle of the Spanish real estate market, there is a marked increase in the dispersion of house prices across the country, unlike in the real estate boom prior to 2008. Since 2015, tourist municipalities and large cities have led the growth in prices. In contrast, rural areas and small towns have experienced more moderate price increases. This behaviour reinforces the view that, in this cycle, price formation is responding to the specific supply and demand dynamics of each area. In major cities, the strong price pressures in the centres are spreading to increasingly municipalities in the metropolitan areas.
Foreign demand for housing in Spain has performed exceptionally well after the pandemic. In 2022, foreigners bought 90,000 homes in Spain, 46% more than in 2021. In line with this good performance, the number of mortgages taken out by foreigners also increased and reached 30,000 in 2022, so that one in three foreign buyers took out a mortgage in Spain last year. Foreign residents tend to buy homes and take out mortgages for a similar amount as Spaniards. On the other hand, non-resident foreigners tend to opt for more expensive properties and, consequently, the average mortgage taken out by foreigners is higher, although there are notable differences depending on nationality and autonomous region. The value of mortgages taken out by foreigners in the Balearic Islands is particularly high while, in terms of nationality, Swedes and Americans tend to take out the largest mortgages.
U.S. and European stocks rose amid a broad rally in technology shares, while emerging-market equities edged moderately higher both in Asia and Latin America.
Stock markets closed with slight losses in a relatively quiet session.
Financial markets started the week without major turbulences and still digesting Powell's dovish comments from last week. In this sense, Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said yesterday that the inflation spike will be transitory and that the U.S. labor market is not yet at full employment.
European stocks and bond yields fell yesterday as Italy, France, Germany and Spain suspend vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine over worries about the jabs' side-effects. Meanwhile, Italy has taken more stringent lockdown measures. The Eurostoxx50 was down by 0.1%.
Asian stocks dropped markedly on Monday, following the crackdown by the Chinese government on education and tech companies. Investors in Europe and the U.S., however, shrugged off the spike in volatility, bolstered by optimism over the corporate earnings season.
Concerns about trade tensions and global growth crept back into markets in the last session of the week.
Trade tensions continued to impose a cautious tone in financial markets amid news that China would seek the World Trade Organization's support to impose sanctions on the U.S. over dumping tariffs.
Stock markets in advanced economies were mixed.