Oil hovers near three-month high on trade optimism, supply cuts
By Ritu, Capital Sands Oil prices trickled a fraction lower on Tuesday but remained near a three-month high as investors kept the faith with hopes that a fully fledged U.S.-China trade deal is in the pipeline and set to stoke oil demand in the world’s biggest economies. Brent crude oil futures had slipped by three […]
Pound Gains on Brexit Optimism as Focus Shifts to Trade Talks
By Ritu, Capital Sands Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here. The pound rallied for a second day amid optimism a speedy resolution to the Brexit deadlock is in store after the Conservative Party’s election victory. Sterling advanced against all its major peers after Chief Secretary […]
Asian Markets Mixed as Lighthizer Says No Date is Set for Phase Two Talks
By Ritu, Capital Sands Asian markets were mixed on Monday morning in Asia as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizersaid the phase one Sino-U.S. trade deal is “totally done,” but no date is set for the next phase two talks. China’s Shanghai Composite slipped 0.1% by 11:35 PM ET, while the Shenzhen Component gained 0.6%. Hong Kong’s […]
Brexit relief for UK economy might not last long
By Ritu, Capital Sands Britain’s economy will cast off some of the Brexit uncertainty that has held it back since 2016 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s election triumph, but the risk remains of another “cliff-edge” showdown with Brussels in a year’s time. With Britain’s exit from the European Union on Jan. 31 now a […]
Sterling sparkles after election poll, Yuan up on trade deal reports
By Ritu Capital Sands The pound rose to a three-and-a-half year high versus the euro and the highest in more than a year versus the dollar after exit polls suggested a win for the Conservatives, which should help ensure the UK’s smooth exit from the European Union. The Chinese yuan rose in offshore trade and the Japanese […]
StockBeat: Dovish Fed Dominant Tories Push Europe Markets Higher
By Ritu, Capital Sands European stocks found their feet again on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signalled that it’s likely to remain on hold throughout next year, seemingly convinced that historically low jobless rates won’t create enough inflationary pressure to warrant a rate hike. By 5 AM ET (1000 GMT), the benchmark Stoxx 600 was up […]
U.S. Dollar Slips After Fed; Pound Gains Ahead of ECB Meeting, Election
By Ritu, Capital Sands The U.S. dollar slipped on Thursday in Asia after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold, suggesting that the current path of monetary policy was “appropriate” to support economic growth and would likely remain in place through next year. The U.S. dollar index that tracks the greenback against a […]
Pound slips on UK poll projections, dollar eyes Fed
By Ritu, Capital Sands The British pound slipped early on Wednesday after a poll showed a narrowing lead for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party in an election later in the week, while U.S. dollar movement looked to the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting. Investors were also focusing on what U.S. President Donald Trump will do […]
Federal Reserve Interest Rate Decision December 10-11 Preview: Watching for the Projection Materials
By Ritu, Capital Sands No expectation for a change in the fed funds target rate. US economy has strengthened since the October FOMC. Market interest will be on the Fed’s rate and GDP estimates for 2020 and 2021. The Federal Reserve will finish its scheduled two day meeting of the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee […]
Dollar steadies as investors brace for key risk events
By Ritu, Capital Sands The dollar and yen held the safe-haven high ground on Tuesday, with investors on edge ahead of a looming tariff deadline, the UK election and upcoming central bank meetings in Europe and the United States. Front of mind is whether Washington will go ahead with a fresh round of tariffs on […]