Market Brief, North America

Good morning. Foreign exchange markets are again facing treacherous conditions as a blizzard of macroeconomic and geopolitical risks hits the headlines. After a weekend filled with shocks—including an actual snowstorm—the dollar is succumbing to broad-based selling pressure as policy uncertainty spikes, equity futures are pointing to renewed losses at the open, and precious metals are going parabolic as investors pile into alternative currencies and asset classes. Trading desks are on intervention watch after the New York Federal Reserve reportedly conducted “rate checks” for the Treasury on Friday, fuelling speculation of coordinated action between Tokyo and Washington. We’re seeing no evidence...

After several days of turbulence, selling pressure is easing across financial markets, suggesting that investors expect US president Donald Trump to adopt a less confrontational approach when meeting in person with his counterparts at the World Economic Forum in Davos later today. The dollar is steadying against its peers, Treasury yields are stabilising near recent highs, and equity futures are pointing to a modest advance when North American markets open. Scarring will remain. For the second time in a year, markets have warned that the consequences of the president’s actions could weigh most heavily on the United States itself, not...