Oriol Aspachs, Director de Estudios de CaixaBank Research, participó el 18 de noviembre en el XII Encuentro Retail de CaixaBank Payment & Consumer, analizando las perspectivas económicas globales, de España y del consumo.

Investors started the week with no clear direction, as traders digested mixed signals from the GDP data in China and corporate results in the US. Financial markets were closed across Europe, Australia and Hong Kong.

In yesterday's session investors traded cautiously amid mixed economic data and hawkish comments by Federal Reserve members. US manufacturing PMI and ISM moved in opposite directions, both remaining comfortably above the 50-threshold, and US job openings in April confirmed that the labor market remains tight.

During a volatile session, financial markets closed the day with no clear direction, with investors taking position ahead of the crucial ECB meeting on Thursday and the release of the US CPI inflation on Friday.

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.

Investors started the week trading with a cautious approach. On the positive side, sentiment continued to be supported by expectations that the Chinese government could relax some of its COVID zero policy. On the opposite direction, data showed further weakness in China’s economic recovery.

Investors started the week trading with no clear direction, taking on board mixed signals from the ECB and looking ahead for a new batch of corporate results and the Q1 GDP data for the world’s largest economies later this week.

Investors started the week with no clear direction, focused on the US negotiations over the debt ceiling, which were due to start after markets closed. The opposition leader, McCarthy, said his Monday meeting with President Biden set the talks “on the right path” while Biden called the meeting “productive”, but no agreement was reached yet.

The week ended with markets trading without a clear direction as investors continued to monitor central bank officials' speeches to adjust their expectations of the timing of the first interest rate cuts, and as they awaited key economic data to be released this week. 

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at 5.25-5.50%, as expected, and hinted that if inflation readings continue in the right direction, a September rate cut "could be on the table." Markets reaffirmed their expectation of three 25bp interest rate cuts for the remainder of 2024. Treasury yields fell by +10bp, and US equities rallied.

Investors ended August digesting inflation data which confirmed prices are moving in the right direction for the ECB and the Fed to cut interest rates in their September meetings. Specifically, euro are inflation cooled to 2.2% y/y last month, and the US PCE Price Index (the Fed's preferred inflation gauge) for July was unchanged at 2.5% y/y.

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.

Investors traded without a clear direction during Friday’s session. Inflation expectations in the euro area fell to 2.4% and 2.1% for the 1-year and 3-year outlooks, respectively, and sentiment improved in both Germany and the US.

With no relevant macro data releases, investors struggled to find a direction for their trades on Thursday. Eurozone government bond yields fell, with peripheral spreads widening, as the consumer confidence index came in below expectations and several ECB officials warned of a significant hit to growth from Trump's tariffs.

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.

Financial markets performed in opposite directions in both sides of the Atlantic.

After the extraordinary gains in U.S. equities registered on December 26th, financial markets remained volatile and performed in opposite directions across advanced economies.

As markets continue to struggle for direction, yesterday volatility declined and European and U.S. stock markets rose on the back of some positive earnings reports and as investors looked past weak economic releases.