Investor Confidence Continues to Improve
Business-related news has been quiet overnight. President Trump is returning from his trip to the Middle East, and trade talks appear to be progressing on several fronts. In the absence of negative developments and amid an encouraging tone overall, equity markets continue to rise. Heading toward the weekend, US index futures are up 0.3% across […]
Stocks Backslide Amid Mixed Earnings and Economic Numbers
Thursday morning finds stock markets around the world slipping as their recent rally fades. US index futures are down 0.4% to 0.7%, while in Europe, the DAX is down 0.1% and the FTSE is up 0.2%. Overnight, the Hang Seng lost 0.8% and the Nikkei fell 1.0%. The US 10-year Treasury yield is steady near […]
Stocks Pause to Digest Inflation Data
Coming off a massive trade truce relief rally that saw US indices gain 2.8%-4.4% led by the NASDAQ, US index futures are mixed this morning trading between a 0.3% loss for Dow Futures and a 0.3% gain for NASDAQ futures. European bourses are up slightly across the board with the DAX, CAC and FTSE all […]
Stocks Soar as US-China Trade Tensions Ease
Much of the uncertainty which has been hanging over world markets in recent months eased significantly. The US and China announced yesterday that they have agreed to pause their recent tariffs for 90 days while they work on a bigger trade agreement. This news has ignited a rally in US index futures, which are up […]
Equity Rally Continues With Trade In Focus
Equity markets continue to climb heading toward the weekend. Adding to yesterday’s US index gains of 0.6% to 1.0%, US index futures are up 0.2% to 0.4% this morning. In Europe, the Dax is up 0.5% and the FTSE is up 0.4%. Overnight, China reported a stronger than expected trade surplus ($96.1B vs street $89.0) […]
Stocks Rebound Ahead of Big Meetings
A two-day pullback for US markets appears to be ending for the moment. Reports that US and Chinese trade officials are set to hold informal talks over the weekend have sparked a rebound in US index futures, which are up 0.2% to 0.4% this morning, clawing back most of yesterday’s 0.7% to 1.0% US index […]
Gold Rallies as Investors Turn Cautious
Amid continuing uncertainty about the health of the global economy and the state of the ongoing trade wars, investor sentiment has been turning defensive once again this week. Traditional havens for capital in turbulent times continue to attract capital this morning with Gold up 1.8%, Silver up 2.2% and the Japanese Yen up 0.6%. Meanwhile, […]
US Traders Take Profits Ahead of Central Bank Meetings
The trading week kicked off overnight with overseas markets staging big catch-up rallies, including gains of 1.0% for the Nikkei, 1.1% for the FTSE and 0.7% for the Dax. Upward momentum appears to be fading, however, with US index futures down 0.6% to 0.9%, giving back some of Friday’s 1.4%-1.5% US index gains. With the […]
Stock Slide Steepens as US Q1 GDP Goes Negative
NOTE: The Morning Minutes will not be issued Thursday or Friday, they will return on Monday May 5th. Concern that the tariff war could push the US and other countries into a recession has deepened this morning after it came out that the US economy turned negative over the winter. US Q1 GDP was quite […]
Mixed Reaction to Canadian Election Results
In another sign that President Trump’s tariff and trade war is unlikely to end soon, Canada’s Liberal Party won a fourth consecutive term in office and third consecutive minority government after essentially running on a stand up to Trump platform. The opposition Conservatives, who had been leading in the polls earlier this year, gained a […]