The European Central Bank’s monetary policy statement, to be published at 1.45 pm today, is expected not to change rates. It is expected to end Quantitative Easing, bond purchases of EUR 15 billion per month. Further tightening is unlikely, as the Eurozone outlook is distressed...
Following Prime Minister Theresa May's postponement of the final vote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday, rebel members of the Tory party have now decided to challenge her leadership...
Hopes of a resolution to the US-China trade dispute appear brighter. US President Donald Trump's recent comment that talks with his Chinese counterparts are very productive, and the release of Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou on bail, have given the markets some relief...
USD/INR surged to 72.49 on unexpected news that the Reserve Bank of India’s Governor, Urjit Patel, has resigned. Patel said it was for personal reasons, but clearly, friction between the RBI and government was the real reason. A caretaker has been named until a permanent replacement is named...
Lots of red in equity markets at the start of the week. Following America’s weak payroll and wage data for November (following weak German GDP and export data), markets have ramped concern over slowing global growth...
In its hardest contraction since June 2014, Japan’s economy is facing its second drop since the beginning of the year. Largest contributors to the drop are: the trade war between Washington and Beijing; Typhoon Trami that disrupted production and distribution channels; and a 6...
Just when you thought that US President Donald Trump could not mismanage trade policy or his administration any further, we get Huawei's chief financial officer being detained at a Canadian airport on a US extradition request...
German politics is in flux. The Grand Coalition of the CDU, CSU and SPD parties has weakened following regional elections in October that saw CSU leader Horst Seehofer having to step down. Now, Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, the CDU, is turning a new page...
Asian shares continue down, after Canadian authorities confirmed the arrest of Huawei Technologies’ CFO Wanzhou Meng on charges of violating the USA’s sanctions on exports to Iran. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped by 1.91% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and China’s CSI 300 declined 2.47% and 2...
Trading in positive territory since the beginning of December and following a drop of 22% in November, oil prices appear on the verge of a comeback, as OPEC’s meeting in Vienna kicks off. The market expects an output cut of 1 million barrels/day (current production: 33.13 million bpd...
Ahead of next Tuesday’s vote on Brexit, we expect the British pound to remain under pressure and highly sensitive to headlines. Short-term, we expect EUR/GBP, currently trading at 0.8906, to head along 0.8889. Parliamentary debate has intensified. Support for Prime Minister May is weakening...
Asian equities tumbled, partially erasing gains from Monday’s euphoria over what seemed to be a trade truce between China and the USA. Hardest hit is the Hong Kong Hang Seng index, -1.62%, while Australian ASX 200 and South Korean Kospi declined by 0.78% and 0.62...
Asian equities lost steam, as optimism over US-China trade softens. Japan’s Nikkei 225 is closing at -2.39% while Australian ASX 200 and South Korean Kospi indexes closed at -1.01% and -0.12% respectively. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng improved by +0.29% while China mainland CSI 300 gained +0.21...
Switzerland’s headline inflation missed expectation in November. The consumer price index rose only 0.9%y/y, following an uptick of 1.1% in the previous month, while market participants anticipated an increase of 1%y/y. This is the lowest reading since April 2018, when inflation rose 0.8%y/y...
The US Federal Reserve Bank has not put an end to its rate-hike cycle, it is just moving away from well-telegraphed moves. After eight hikes over the last three years, the Fed is at an inflection point against the backdrop of slowing global growth and weaker inflation pressures...
On the verge of closing the week in positive territory following two negative weeks, European equities are trading in negative territory. Investors hope a deal on the Italian budget is coming, as the Italian lower house of parliament is expected to vote on 3-4 December on the 2019 budget plan...
Will the US Federal Reserve Bank ease up on its interest-rate hikes? Yesterday’s speech by Fed chief Jerome Powell seemed to suggest that – and it set markets aflame. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 gained 2.50% and 2...
It seems that investor sentiment is turning more and more optimistic. Asian shares, have turn positive with both Hong Kong and China mainland indices turning into green. The USD also gained strength, with the dollar index at 97.51 (+0...
Asian equities slumped slightly following US President Donald Trump’s warning of new tariffs against China, a few days before he meets the Chinese president. The HK Hang Seng closing -0.17%, followed by Chinese blue chips CSI 300 -0...
