Euro dips below 1.19, US retail sales see red
March 16, 2021SharePrint
The euro continues to weaken this week, as the currency is down for a third successive day. Currently, EUR/USD is trading at 1.1894, down 0.30% on the day.
German ZEW Economic Sentiment rises
The euro remains under pressure, and even a strong outing from the German ZEW Economic Sentiment earlier in the day has failed to stem the currency’s slump. In March, the indicator rose to 76.6, up from 71.2 beforehand. This marked a fourth straight month of acceleration, pointing to stronger confidence in Germany’s economy from financial experts. The Eurozone ZEW reading showed a similar move, rising from 69.6 to 74.0.
Modest markets mask Fed fears
March 16, 2021SharePrint
US dollar, Wall Street show gains
US bonds stabilised overnight, allowing the FOMO buy-everything crowd to dip their toes back into the magical healing waters of technology stocks. Buy everything really did mean buy everything, though, with all three major Wall Street indexes closing higher. Unusually, that same premise saw the US dollar and precious metals, notably gold, rise as well, a deviation from the mechanical correlation playbook of late.
The relief that Friday’s US bond tantrum did not result in another trip to the naughty corner was palpable. However, the US dollar and gold rising even as technology stocks rose hints that all is not quite right. One must respect the linkages of late, sell bonds, sell technology, buy cyclical, buy oil every day, buy US dollar, buy gold, oh wait, its gold, sell it anyway no matter what is going on. Bitcoin has also given up all its “we’re Sleepless on Saturday what shall we do,
Europe rises, German sentiment jumps
March 16, 2021SharePrint
European bourses are out of the blocks on the front foot after an upbeat session on Wall Street, which saw the Dow and the S&P500 hit fresh all-time highs. Encouraging earnings from the likes of Volkswagen and Zalando are underpinning the mood as is the better-than-expected ZEW sentiment data for the region, providing a good distraction from the one-step-forward, two-steps-back vaccine debacle in Europe.
The record high reached in the US overnight reflects a strong positive mood in the market, which has carried over into the European session. Investors are betting on a dramatic US economic recovery supported by a huge US fiscal stimulus package and a rapid vaccine rollout programme.
WASHINGTON, March 12 US President Joe Biden’s stimulus programme is being hailed as both boosting domestic growth and spurring the global recovery, but the IMF warned that policymakers will need to be alert to risks posed by the massive spending as well as low interest rates. The package,.
Republican lawmakers attacked what they called the bill s "socialist agenda" and massive cost, saying more than 90 percent does not go to directly combatting Covid-19.