Moving Markets

Equities fluctuated on mixed US–China trade signals and a speech by the US Federal Reserve Chair, which suggested that the central bank may be ready to halt balance sheet reduction. This boosted small-cap stocks and non-technology sectors, while robust bank earnings added momentum. Asian markets rose, although China lagged due to data indicating persistent deflationary pressures. Gold reached new...

President Trump’s Sunday post – “Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine” – boosted stock markets yesterday, with further positive AI-specific headlines also providing fuel to a rally that saw the main indices clawing back a good part of their losses from Friday’s sell-off. News overnight that China is imposing curbs on American units of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean Co. have seen mar...

Global markets tumbled on Friday following renewed trade war fears sparked by President Trump’s aggressive rhetoric towards China. Major global indices saw sharp declines, while gold surged past USD 4,000 an ounce. In Europe, political uncertainty in France added to the risk-off mood, with President Macron’s surprise reappointment of Lecornu facing immediate opposition. Meanwhile, China’s latest t...

After a strong rally, US and European markets paused, with major indices closing lower amid a more cautious mood. In Europe, Ferrari’s downward revision to guidance and HSBC’s restructuring in Hong Kong weighed on sentiment, even as Germany’s DAX reached a fresh intra-day high. Geopolitical developments dominated headlines, with Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire. Gold and oil prices retreat...

European and US equities edged higher as gold held above USD 4,000/oz amid ongoing economic and political uncertainty. Despite strong travel data, Chinese consumer sentiment remains weak, while Germany’s industrial downturn fuels structural concerns. With the Fed maintaining a dovish stance and political tensions easing in France, investors turn to upcoming earnings and central bank cues. Today, w...

Global equity markets paused after a strong rally, with US equities dipping slightly and bringing an end to a seven-day winning streak as Oracle’s weak cloud margins raised concerns about profitability in AI infrastructure. European stocks remained flat, though French luxury brands outperformed. Airbus broke a major commercial barrier when its A320 family of planes overtook the Boeing 737 to becom...

Major US equity indices, from small caps to tech, hit fresh highs yesterday, spurred by strong corporate news – from semiconductors to banking deals. Political uncertainty in France and Japan lifted bond yields, weakened the yen and euro, and drove gold towards the historic USD 4,000 per ounce level, while oil rose on a modest OPEC+ output increase. Eirini Tsekeridou, Fixed Income Research, assess...

Japanese equities surge to fresh record highs as Sanae Takaichi – known for being pro-stimulus - has won the LDP leadership and is likely to become the country's first female prime minister. Consequently, Japanese government bond yields have risen, while the yen weakened against major currencies. Meanwhile, both bitcoin and gold extended their rallies, reaching new highs as investors seek out alte...

Global stock markets rally to fresh record highs amid upbeat developments in the automotive and artificial intelligence sectors, with gains extending beyond the US into European bourses. Meanwhile, Warren Buffett has re-entered acquisition mode for the first time since 2022, signalling renewed confidence in deal-making opportunities. In today’s podcast, we welcome Norbert Rücker, Head of Economics...

European and US stock markets rallied on Wednesday, seemingly unconcerned by the US government shutdown. The S&P 500 closed above the 6,700 level for the first time ever. Asian stocks, particularly in South Korea, were boosted overnight after OpenAI signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix for them to supply the company with memory chips. OpenAI also completed a share sale at...

September saw strong gains across markets, with the S&P 500 up 3%. Hong Kong outperformed, rising 7%. Gold hit multiple highs and credit spreads narrowed to multi-year lows. Yesterday, healthcare rallied after Pfizer announced discounted drug sales via a new government platform. Switzerland and the United States issued a joint statement opposing currency manipulation. In Asia, trading was subd...

European markets closed higher yesterday, buoyed by strong performances in the healthcare and luxury sectors. In the US, concerns over a potential government shutdown failed to dampen investor sentiment, as a rebound in AI-related stocks helped support equity markets. Beyond market movements, President Trump unveiled a proposed plan to address the conflict in Gaza, alongside announcing a new wave...

Markets faced a turbulent week, starting with caution amid hawkish Fed commentary and trade tensions, but ending on a more optimistic note thanks to a solid US inflation report. Global equities rebounded on Friday, though US equities still closed the week in negative territory. In contrast, European markets held steady, supported by robust economic data and reassurance regarding pharmaceutical tar...

Markets hit some rough patches yesterday, with all major European indices closing lower, followed by similar losses across the three main US benchmarks. Revised US data revealed an upward adjustment to second-quarter GDP, while jobless claims came in below expectations. This prompted markets to reassess the outlook for future interest rate cuts. Overnight, trade tensions resurfaced as US President...

US indices closed lower yesterday, despite good performance by some individual names, notably Intel, which rallied 6.4% after reports of a possible investment by Apple. President Trump’s announcements regarding Ukraine boosted defence stocks globally and semiconductor stocks powered the Asian indices. Today’s US jobless claims and tomorrow’s release of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) p...

US equities struggled to keep up with the recent momentum yesterday, with the S&P 500 posting its worst day in three weeks, while the NASDAQ and the Magnificent 7 saw even larger declines. Questions around the Nvidia-OpenAI-deal weighed on segment. Over in Europe, there was much more of a risk-on tone after the September flash PMIs painted a picture of ongoing resilience. Powell did not offer...

European markets have recently underperformed compared to their US counterparts, with German automakers weighing heavily on broader indices yesterday. Meanwhile, US technology stocks continue to power ahead, buoyed by another significant development in the AI space—the announcement of a partnership of Nvidia with one of its largest customers, OpenAI. In today’s episode of Moving Markets, we are jo...

Wall Street trades at record highs after the Fed cut rates, led by technology stocks. Investors expect further cuts, but hawkish Fed comments pushed both US Treasury yields and the dollar higher last week. In Europe, data showed industrial output rebounding; in Asia, Bank of Japan’s ETF unwind plans initially weighed on Japanese shares, but concerns are easing this Monday. Gold rises for a fifth w...

All of the major US equity indices hit a new all-time high, a day after the US Federal Reserve’s first rate cut of the year and stronger-than-expected economic data. Europe followed suit with strength in semiconductor stocks. Central banks diverged: Norway cut rates, the Bank of England held steady, and the Bank of Japan surprised by announcing plans to offload its large equity ETF holdings. Asian...

The US central bank delivered a widely expected rate cut, sparking mixed market reactions amid cautious optimism. Tech stocks wobbled, especially Nvidia, after China’s internet regulator had told the country’s tech companies to stop buying Nvidia’s AI chips and terminate its existing orders. Robotaxis and a USD 42 billion tech pact between the US and the UK fuelled gains elsewhere. Carsten Menke,...

Yesterday brought a mixed set of signals across global markets. We saw unexpected optimism from Germany, developments on the US–China trade front, stronger-than-expected US retail sales figures, and mounting anticipation ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision. Equity markets in both Europe and the US ended the session lower, partly weighed down by profit-taking ahead of the policy a...

Global stocks rise on upbeat US-China trade talks, with technology giants driving the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to record highs. Alphabet is joining the USD 3 trillion club, while Tesla is surging after Elon Musk’s USD 1 billion share purchase. US chip stocks are facing pressure from Chinese antitrust probes, and gold is at an all-time high on rate cut expectations. European markets are gaining despi...

Markets are off to a strong start this week, which will be a critical one with a 'triple-header' of major central bank decisions. The US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Japan are all scheduled to announce their latest monetary policy moves. Recent economic data suggest it may now be time for the Fed to restart its rate-cutting cycle, following a pause that began in January. I...

marked a second consecutive pause following eight hikes since last year. In the US, data was mixed: inflation remains sticky but isn’t accelerating, and jobless claims unexpectedly surged. These developments have reinforced expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut next week. Asian markets were lifted overnight by renewed enthusiasm around artificial intelligence. In commodities, gold is trading...

US equities surged again yesterday, closing off their intraday highs but nevertheless achieving new records. US PPI data confirmed that growth is slowing, providing more of the data that the Fed needs to start cutting rates again – markets will now scrutinise today’s CPI data for more clues. Oracle’s near 36% rally yesterday was sparked by astonishing cloud demand numbers. Asian tech also drove ma...