Economic sentiment data and new advances in a vaccine treatment for COVID-19 were the main drivers of a mixed session in financial markets. On the one hand, the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc said that their vaccine prevented 70% of the participants from falling ill. This effectiveness rises to 90% with an alternative treatment.
Resultados de la búsqueda
In the last session of the week, investors’ expectations on additional interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve were seen as more probable. That, together with debt ceiling concerns and an increase of inflation expectations seen in the University of Michigan survey, pushed US Treasury yields higher.
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 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.
Investors started the week trading with appetite for risk, taking position ahead of the CPI inflation report for August in the US, to be released today. According to the Consensus, CPI inflation is expected to have eased to 8.1% y/y (from 8.5%), which, if confirmed, could reduce some pressure on the Fed for continuing hiking policy rates aggressively.
In a session in which the focus was expected to be the FOMC meeting and the Q1 2020 US GDP release, investors shifted their attention to the expectations of an effective COVID-19 treatment.
The Fed delivered a hawkish pause yesterday, leaving interest rates unchanged but acknowledging a strong US economy. The dot-plot projects a tighter policy through 2024 and 2025, consistent with rates higher for longer. US stock indices fell and US Treasury yields rose on the news, with the yield curve flattening, while the USD appreciated.
Another session with mixed results across financial markets. The key themes were signs that inflationary pressures are abating coupled with data suggesting an economic slowdown. In the UK, the BoE raised policy rates by 25 pb to 4.5%, in line with expectations, while signalling that additional rate hikes are likely.
In the last session of the week, investor sentiment worsened as uncertainty over the fiscal stimulus in the US rose and the EU-UK trade negotiations seemed to be heading towards a no-deal brexit.
Investors continued to err on the side of caution on Wednesday, taking position ahead of the release of the Q1 GDP flash estimates for the US today and across the eurozone tomorrow.
Investors started the week trading with a cautious mood, still digesting the mixed US employment report released on Friday and awaiting tomorrow's key CPI inflation data. Also, comments from San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly pointed to further interest rate increases even if signaling the end of the hiking cycle is nearing.
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.
In yesterday's session, the pause in a vaccine trial after a patient fell ill weighed on sentiment. Stock indices declined across the globe (in the US, Q3 earnings season started disappointing investors) and yields on sovereign bonds edged slightly down. In FX markets, the US dollar strengthened against advanced and emerging economies' currencies.
A risk-on session was recorded across markets on Thursday after the softer-than-expected inflation data in the US and the uptick in new weekly jobless claims reinforced hopes for a slowdown in the pace of rate hikes by the Fed.
In yesterday’s session, the focus was still on monetary policy decisions, as the ECB decided to raise the official interest rates by 25 bp (depo and refi rate at 3.25% and 3.75%, respectively). Despite lowering the pace of rate increases, Lagarde clearly signaled that the ECB cannot pause rate hikes yet as inflation is still too much elevated.
Financial markets started the first session of the week with modest gains, focusing on the release of positive earnings results for Q3 (around 80% of the S&P listed firms have reported better-than-expected results) and bringing the S&P to a new record high. In Washington, Democrats lawmakers stepped closer to a deal on Biden’s fiscal agenda.
The minutes of the Fed's June meeting showed that the decision to hold interest rates steady in June was not unanimous, and that most officials expected further rate hikes would be necessary, as the dot plot had shown. Also yesterday, US factory orders data for May came in below expectations, but still showed growth.
In yesterday’s session, investor sentiment was soured by data showing the resilience of the US economy and its labour market. Private surveys showed that US companies added the most jobs in over a year in June, and the services sector expanded faster than expected, which investors fear will allow the Fed to continue raising rates.
In the last session of the week, investors traded cautiously in Europe amid dramatic economic sentiment data in Germany (Ifo sentiment fell to the lowest recorded level) and the absence of a clear EU-wide proposal to fund the recovery in Thursday’s European Council meeting.
In a quiet session due to the President's Day holiday in the US, traders continued to weigh incoming economic data (eg consumer confidence in the eurozone rose to -19 from -20.7) with the hawkish tone from central bank officials. In this context, yields on sovereign bonds ticked up in the euro area, nearing year-to-date highs.