OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS March E-mini S&Ps (ESH16 -0.86%) are down -0.40% and European stocks are down -0.59% at a 2-1/3 year low as global economic concerns intensified after German Dec industrial production unexpectedly fell by the most in 16 months and as Greece’s ASE Stock Index fell to the lowest since 1990. Greek debt concerns resurfaced as the Greek…
Optimistic developments in the economy throughout the second half of 2015 created a multitude of tailwinds for Australian policymakers after aggressive actions taken earlier in the year saw gains trickle down to the real economy. However, despite the positive momentum in employment and growth, risks in the housing sector combined with inflation below the…
With China offline for the rest of the week, global markets have found a new Asian bogeyman in the face of Japan which as reported last night saw its markets crash, and the Yen soar, showing that less than 2 weeks after the BOJ unveiled NIRP, yet another central bank has lost control. The Nikkei…
US unemployment has declined to 4.9% in January, according to the latest figures from the US Department of Labor Statistics, dipping below the 5% level seen at the end of 2015. The figure ought to mean that all is well with the world’s largest economy since the figure is well below the long-term average figure…
The Euro continues to underperform despite the recent demand as a carry trade currency. Against the Japanese Yen, the common currency Euro fell to its lowest level in a fortnight, with a similar outcome against the safe haven Swiss Franc. In general, safe haven demand has been whetted as worries over the Eurozone’s banking system…
By now many of our readers will be quite familiar with the different effects that holidays can have on the markets. One example of this is the Santa Claus rally which will be in full swing throughout the month of December. Now we turn our sights to the Chinese New Year and the effect that…
What started as a crude oil driven selloff in the equity markets has quickly evolved into fears around the global banking sector. Why? Here are some trends that help explain the situation. 1. Bank jitters started with Portugal’s bank called Novo Banco which was restructured forcing haircuts on senior bondholders (including Blackrock and Pimco). As analysts…
The jubilation of the Super Bowl has come and gone, and financial analysts, traders and investors are left with the grim reality that commodities prices are likely going to endure multiple years of depressed prices. This is the opinion that is shared by many commodities brokers, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vitol….
The global stock selloff is intensifying without input from China, closed for the week for New Year’s. Concern over the failure of OPEC to reach a deal to boost oil prices is the ostensible trigger for another round of selling which has hit not only oil-related shares, but also ones from sectors offering alternative energy:…
Yesterday’s tumble in US equities fueled another leg down in Treasury yields. As the bear market in stocks rolls on, the crowd continued to rush into the safe-haven trade, pushing the 10-year yield down to 1.75% yesterday (Feb. 8)–the lowest level in about a year, based on daily data via Treasury.gov. Meanwhile, the 2-year yield—considered the most…
