Markets Blog
The greenback is finding its footing once again after selling pressure intensified during yesterday’s session when President Trump doubled down on his attacks against Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. In a post on social media that landed after multiple firing threats, Trump demanded that the central bank deliver “pre-emptive” rate cuts, saying inflation is trending “nicely downward” and “There...
Financial markets are getting hit again this morning, with US equity indices, Treasuries, and the dollar all tumbling in synchrony as investors assess new threats to the Federal Reserve’s independence against an increasingly-forbidding growth backdrop in the world’s largest economy. The greenback dropped more than 1 percent on a trade-weighted basis in overnight markets after the Trump administration...
• US trends. US equities lost ground, as did bond yields & the USD. This helped currencies like EUR, AUD, & NZD lift. USD/JPY at multi-month lows.• Central banks. BoC surprised by keeping rates steady. US Fed Chair Powell indicated tariff impacts leave policymakers in a difficult spot.• Macro events. NZ CPI a bit hotter than forecast. China growth stronger. AU jobs report due today. ECB also...
• Calmer markets. European equities rose, while US markets gave back initial gains. EUR lost a bit of ground. AUD & NZD edged higher.• Tariff news. Tariff-related developments somewhat negative. EU/US talks haven’t found common ground. China still pushing back. US data soft.• Macro events. China GDP out today. In the US retail sales & speech by Fed Chair Powell in focus tonight. AU jobs...
Financial markets are staging a modest relief rally after the Trump administration seemed to quietly grant a partial tariff carveout to smartphones and consumer electronics – helping ease fears of a sharp rise in US consumer prices. North American equity futures are setting up for an advance at the open, Treasury yields are incrementally lower, and the dollar is cruising toward a fifth day of...
• Upbeat tone. US equities rose on Friday, so did commodities. This, & the decline in the USD helped the AUD & NZD extend their upswings.• Tariff news. US announced various electronics imported from China will be ‘exempt’ from higher tariffs. But it only looks like a temporary reprieve.• Event Radar. China GDP, US retail sales, the BoC & ECB meetings, & a speech by Chair...