Markets Blog
• Improved vibes. Turnaround in markets overnight on reports Iran is looking to restart nuclear talks. Equities rose, oil prices eased. AUD & NZD rebounded.• Macro trends. Middle East situation remains fluid. Data wise, US retail sales out tonight. Signs consumer spending is holding up may give the USD a boost.• China pulse. Retail sales in China stronger. Industrial output also expanded. Developments...
Measures of market stress are moderating ahead of a week crammed with a combustible array of potential volatility catalysts including an escalation in Middle East hostilities, three major central bank meetings and a raft of first-tier economic data. Treasury yields are ticking higher, equity futures are pointing to a recovery from Friday’s losses, and the dollar’s gains are fading in the face of renewed...
• Middle East conflict. Developments dampened sentiment. Oil prices spiked & equities slipped back. USD firmer. AUD & NZD lost some ground.• Volatility. Geopolitical tensions can generate more bursts of volatility. This adds to the economic uncertainty stemming from various US policies.• Event Radar. AU jobs report (Thurs) is due. China data out today. In the US retail sales & Fed meeting...
Financial markets are suffering another round of tumult this morning after Israel launched dozens of air strikes against Iran, targeting its air defences, nuclear programme, and military leadership. As we go to print, it is clear that at least twenty top officials in Iran – including the military chief of staff, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, secretary of the National Security Council, and...
The US dollar is surging against most of its major counterparts as Israel launches airstrikes on Iran, threatening to ignite a new war in the Middle East – still the origin of nearly a third of global oil production. With reports of explosions in Tehran crossing the wires, crude oil benchmarks are snapping higher as risk premia soar, Treasury yields are falling, and equity futures are bleeding. The...
• Mixed signals. Positive US CPI offset by lack of US/China trade progress. S&P500 dipped, as did bond yields. AUD & NZD also eased back.• Tariff impacts. Some signs of tariffs in US inflation. But other factors working the opposite way. Will US inflation re-accelerate down the track?• Data flow. US producer prices & jobless claims tonight. Next week US Fed meets, China data is due, &...