Market Brief, North America

De-risking activities are dominating trading activity in financial markets this morning as participants brace for what could be the most momentous fortnight of the year. Treasury yields are climbing once again, with the ten-year now yielding 4.25 percent, the dollar is advancing against its major peers, and trade-sensitive currencies – like the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso – are flirting with year-to-date lows. Crude prices are down sharply after Israeli aircraft struck military targets in Iran over the weekend, avoiding any obvious harm to the country’s energy infrastructure and giving Tehran room to avoid another round of escalation. Implied volatility...

The US dollar is trading with a consolidative bias this morning, advancing steadily against its major rivals ahead of this week’s thinly-populated data calendar. Treasury yields are up, North American equity futures are positioned for a healthy open, and oil prices are inching higher on a ratcheting up in geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Markets are becoming more focused on the risks associated with the upcoming US presidential election. Option prices are beginning to ratchet up around the polling date, trade-sensitive currencies are softening, and ten-year Treasury yields are moving higher at a steady pace, with many market participants...