Market Brief, North America

Foreign exchange markets are looking deeply rangebound this morning as 2024’s last full trading week kicks off. Most major currencies are trading within a quarter percentage point of Friday’s close, Treasury yields are stable, and North American equity markets are setting up for modest losses at the open. The euro is trading on a slightly softer footing after Moody’s Ratings cut France’s credit rating, warning that growing political dysfunction could endanger the country’s borrowing capacity. According to a statement released by the agency on Friday, “the country’s public finances will be substantially weakened over the coming years. This is because...

The dollar is pushing higher, Treasury yields are steadying, and equity futures are advancing as the French government moves closer to collapse and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell prepares to deliver potentially market-moving remarks later this morning. The Korean won plunged yesterday when President Soon Suk Yeol shocked citizens by declaring martial law for the first time in 40 years, deploying the military on South Korean streets. The apparent autogolpe* attempt was quickly undone by lawmakers in an emergency vote – and the currency is now almost fully recovered – but markets have grown more uncertain about the future of...