In the last session of the week, the stronger-than-expected US labor market indicators for June eased investors' recession fears. Non-farm payrolls increased by 372k (from 384k in May), the unemployment rate stood at 3.6% and wages rose by 5.1% y/y, which all together fuels the Fed's intention to raise rates by 75bp at its next meeting.
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In the first session of the week, investors searched for catalysts as they positioned ahead of a key CPI data in the US on Wednesday and the start of the earnings season.
Yesterday investors continued to digest the messages from central bank officials, who, in general, have toughened the stance against inflation and show a more hawkish tone. In this context, yields on sovereign bonds rose further in the eurozone, more notably in the periphery, while remaining broadly unchanged in the US.
Investors ended the week on a cautious, yet slightly positive note. All eyes were on the trade talks between China and the US that took place over the weekend. Trump floated in social media an alternative tariff level of 80% on Friday (compared to the current 145%). Both sides have touted progress in the talks, but have offered few details so far.
Financial markets reversed part of the large movements from the previous session following the US January CPI report. Sovereign bond yields fell on both sides of the Atlantic, while equity markets recovered most notably in the US. The VIX volatility index fell below 15 once again.
The Federal Reserve kept the federal funds rate unchanged at the 4.25%-4.50% range and highlighted that the risks of higher inflation and higher unemployment have risen. The decision had been widely discounted by markets and had little impact on financial assets. Markets still expect three cuts in 2025, starting in July, and Treasury yields ended the session mostly flat.
The first session of the week started with investors trading with a risk-on mode after a deal to raise the US debt ceiling between President Biden and House speaker McCarthy was reached. As the session advanced, however, optimism faded as traders looked forward to potential hurdles for passing the deal this week in the US Congress.
Investors ended the week with a risk-off session as trade tensions continued to escalate. Over the weekend, President Trump threatened 30% tariffs on EU and Mexican imports beginning August 1st. Stocks fell across the board, sovereign yields rose and the dollar strengthened, leaving the euro trading just below $1.17.
Investors traded cautiously during yesterday’s session as they digested a mixed bag of economic data releases. Euro area March inflation cooled to 2.4% y/y from 2.6%, slightly below consensus. In the US, the ISM services index surprised to the downside by falling to 51.4, down from 52.6 in February, while the ADP employment report surprised to the upside.
Investors ended the week with a mixed session. Euro area sovereign yields continued to rise on the back of a hawkish reading of the ECB's tone, while US yields had only modest gains following sessions with sharp declines ahead of the Fed's meeting. The euro-dollar cross remained at 1.17 and stocks were mostly flat on both sides of the Atlantic.
Markets were mixed in a session dominated by uncertainty about U.S. tariffs. U.S. stocks dropped and the USD strengthened as the Trump administration threatened higher tariffs on several countries. There were no news related to U.S.-EU trade relations and European stocks advanced. Sovereign yields rose across the U.S. and the euro area.
Positive session for stock markets in the U.S. and the euro area, with declines in sovereign bond yields on both sides of the Atlantic, as investors await the Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday. The euro appreciated slightly against the dollar, rising to 1.176.
Markets had a choppy session on the day of the FOMC's meeting. US Treasury yields initially fell, stocks gained and the dollar fell on the announcement of the widely expected 25bp rate cut. But all later reversed course as investors digested a disperse dot plot which signaled a large group of the FOMC still remains hawkish. Treasury yields rose and stocks ended mostly flat.
On Friday’s session investors traded cautiously as they continued to digest a more-hawkish-than-expected read on recent monetary policy path indications. Sovereign bond yields slightly increased on both sides of the Atlantic and equities were mostly flat, while the dollar slightly strengthened. On the commodities side, metals prices rebounded, while oil prices dropped as worries of declining demand strengthened.
Financial markets recorded yet another session with high volatility, with the key drivers remaining the direction of monetary policy, the escalation in tensions with Russia and the strength of the USD.
Investors recovered some risk appetite in the last session of the week. Advanced-economy stocks rebounded after a few mixed sessions, while the USD weakened on expectations that the Fed may continue cutting rates in the coming weeks. Commodity prices rose across the board.
In the first session of the week, investors traded with optimism, after the worse-than-expected US ISM data for September let traders to think the Fed could pursue a less aggressive monetary policy stance than previously expected. Nevertheless, NY Fed President John Williams said that there is still job to do to curb inflation.
In yesterday's session, investors maintained their appetite for riskier assets, after a drop in the number of job vacancies in the US fueled expectations of a monetary policy pivot from the Fed. In this direction, the central bank of Australia decided to hike rates by 25bp, slowing down the pace of its tightening.
Monetary policy tightening centered the stage again, with several US Federal Reserve members arguing that interest rates needed to be hiked further and that there were no clear signs of inflation having peaked yet. In the euro area, the accounts of the last ECB meeting revealed a broad-based concern of GC members about current inflation figures.
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.