After the risk-off session of Monday, triggered by the depreciation of the Chinese yuan above the 7 yuans per US dollar threshold, financial markets' volatility moderated and stock indices edged down in Europe and rose in the US.
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Inflation eased below 2% in Germany and Italy in September (1.6% and 0.7% yoy, respectively), as it did in Spain and France. ECB President Lagarde remarked recent data has strengthened the central bank's confidence in the return of inflation to target, sending the probability implied by futures markets of a 25bp cut in the October meeting to 90%.
Financial markets struggled to find a clear direction amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Oil prices had a volatile session, with the Brent reference touching $76/barrel in intraday trading, to close at around $74/barrel. Equity markets closed with slight losses in the euro area and flat in the US, while the volatility index remained elevated.
In yesterday's session, investors traded with mixed optimism as they continued to digest inflation data for the US, which might have peaked in March. On monetary policy, the Bank of Canada hiked rates by 50bp to 1% and said it would allow bonds to roll off as they mature. Today's focus will be on the ECB meeting.
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.
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%.
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 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).
Financial markets closed the week with a sell-off session amid concerns of a new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa. The main concerns are the speed at which this variant can spread and whether it will be immune to the vaccines. Volatility rose and demand for safe assets increased.
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).
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.
The week began with a risk-off session as investors awaited several US tech mega-cap earnings reports amid concerns about high valuations in the sector. Stocks sold off globally, while sovereign yields edged lower and the dollar strengthened, as President Trump's decision to exempt a large list of agricultural products from reciprocal tariffs barely impacted the market.
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.
The sour mood in equity markets extended for another session amid continued worries about high valuations in the tech sector. Global stock indices fell, with losses led by euro area equities, and accumulated losses of over 3% in a week. The VIX volatility index is up 42% week-over-week and trading above 24 points. Amid risk-averse sentiment, the dollar rose.
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.
Pessimism about a breakthrough in trade tensions drove global stocks down in the first session of the week. In the U.S., losses were exacerbated by weakness in the technology sector and the major indices were down by more than 1.5%.
Financial markets started the week with a risk-off session, fueled by the escalation in tensions involving Ukraine. The rising geopolitical risk is adding to investors’ concerns about the persistence of inflationary pressures and the prospect of a more aggressive withdrawal of monetary policy stimuli by major central banks.
Investors traded cautiously as they positioned themselves ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting next week. US weekly unemployment benefit claims fell to a three-year low, casting some doubts over the Fed's willingess to lower rates. In this context, US treasury yields rose, equities were mostly flat, and the dollar edged higher against most peers.
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".
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).