US Political Woes Weigh on Wall Street

For much of this year, market movements have been driven by international political developments, particularly trade and tariff tensions between the US and other major economies. This week, however, the focus has shifted to domestic politics, as attention turns to the White House’s tax and spending bill currently moving through Congress. Concerns that the bill […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

US Dollar Rebounds as Talks Continue

Amid ongoing talks between the US and Russia aiming to end the Ukraine War, and conflicting stories about whether the US and China are talking tariffs or not, the US Dollar is bouncing back this morning. Gold is down 1.3%, the Yen is down 0.5%, the Euro is down 0.3%, and the Loonie is down […]

Another Rally Fades as China Stands Its Ground

The relief rally of the last two days appears to be winding down once again as hopes for a quick end to the tariff war were dashed once again. Chinese officials indicated overnight that they are not in any talks with the United States and that if the US wants to move forward, they should […]

Stocks Rally, Gold Retreats on Overnight Trump Talk

Yesterday’s big US market rally, which saw major indices soar 2.5% to 2.7%, has extended through overnight trading and into this morning where US index futures are up 1.8% to 2.8% with the NASDAQ leading the rebound. In Europe today, the Dax is up 2.4% and the FTSE is up 1.2%. In commodity action, Crude […]

Gold Approaches $3,500/oz

With no new developments related to the trade war or the Fed overnight, Gold continues to rally, gaining 1.2% this morning and trading above $3,460/oz. Silver, meanwhile, is up 0.5% and Bitcoin is up 1.5%. Commodities are also rebounding with Copper up 1.5% and Crude Oil up 1.3%. With the US 10-year treasury note yield […]

New High For Gold; Stocks Slide as Focus Turns to Earnings Reports

US index futures have resumed their retreat this morning, with the three main contracts trading down 0.9% to 1.4%. Overseas trading action has been mixed with the Dax down 0.5%, the CAC down 0.6%, the FTSE flat, the Nikkei down 1.3%, and the Hang Seng up 1.6%. Earnings season ramps up this week and recent […]