Moving Markets

Global equity markets rallied as optimism around US-China trade negotiations lifted investor sentiment. European trade-sensitive sectors led early gains, while Wall Street closed at new record highs, driven by strong performances in chip stocks. Gold sold off sharply and oil prices dipped. In tech, Qualcomm surged on its AI pivot, while AMD partnered with the US government on supercomputing. Argen...

Global stocks rose on renewed optimism that the United States and China are nearing a trade agreement. The upbeat sentiment also lifted commodity prices, with copper and oil posting gains. In contrast, Treasuries declined and gold slipped. Looking ahead, investors face a pivotal week featuring interest rate decisions from four G7 central banks and earnings reports from five of the ‘Mag-7’ tech gia...

Oil prices spiked over 5% after the US imposed fresh sanctions on Russia’s top crude producers. Meanwhile, equity markets rallied on strong corporate earnings, with European luxury and US tech stocks leading the charge. The Swiss National Bank released its first-ever policy minutes, offering insights into its current stance. In Asia, markets gained ahead of President Trump’s upcoming visit to the...

European and US stocks moved lower in yesterday’s trading sessions, with earnings releases and new mooted curbs on US software exports to China doing nothing to boost the trading mood. Asia’s equity markets also reacted negatively to the escalation in trade tensions. Oil prices jumped about 3% last night after the US administration imposed further sanctions on Russia’s two largest crude companies,...

European and US equity markets were mixed yesterday, with gains from strong earnings offset by declines in mining stocks. French shares reached record highs despite political uncertainty. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new peak following robust earnings. US Treasury yields fell on weak data; gold and silver saw steep declines; the USD strengthened, and the Swiss franc approached record hig...

Stocks bounce back on diminishing fears regarding US regional bank credit quality and positive earnings reports. Meanwhile, French assets lag on the back of waning investor confidence and company specific news in the banking sector, and the gold rally continues. Today, we are joined by Eirini Tsekeridou from Fixed Income Research, who shares her thoughts on French bonds after the downgrade, on Arg...

Markets swung wildly last week as easing US-China trade tensions clashed with fresh regional bank fears. While Wall Street rebounded on Friday, Europe lagged amid banking and defence sector woes. Bond yields fell, gold slipped, and this morning Asia rallied on Japanese political shifts. All eyes now turn to earnings and US inflation data later this week. Mensur Pocinci, Head of Technical Analysis,...

US stocks opened higher yesterday, but then reversed course. Small caps underperformed, and market volatility rose amid credit concerns at regional banks. In Europe, Swiss and French equity markets outperformed, supported by positive corporate news and France temporarily avoiding a political crisis. Gold extended its record-breaking rally. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury fell below a key thre...

Global equities rebounded midweek, driven by a sharp rally in European luxury stocks and strong earnings from major US banks. US-China trade tensions remain in focus, with Treasury Secretary Bessent reaffirming a firm stance. The AI theme continues to dominate headlines, supported by major deal announcements and robust earnings results. In commodities, both gold and oil are trading higher this Wed...

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...