Investors are currently navigating a trifecta of concerns. Firstly, the anticipated resurgence of the Chinese economy seems to have stalled, leaving many disappointed. Secondly, the looming US presidential election is casting a shadow of uncertainty over the markets. Thirdly, hopes for a dramatic monetary easing in the United States are fading. Adding to this mix, the earnings season has begun on a shaky note, while tensions in the Middle East continue to pose a significant threat.

As treasury yields climb and gold soars, investors stand at the crossroads of a Fed-driven market and the echoes of global power shifts.

With the US presidential election just a fortnight away, investors are glued to a deluge of corporate earnings announcements, hoping to keep the stock market's ascent uninterrupted. Today, China joined the central bank rate-cutting spree. Meanwhile, the geopolitical landscape remains volatile, with the BRICS summit in Russia and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Wall Street is set to open with a spring in its step, thanks to the tech sector's latest triumphs. This week saw record-breaking highs for the Dow and S&P 500, fueled by robust economic data and stellar corporate earnings. AI, China, and geopolitics continue to set the scene, as the countdown to the U.S. presidential election picks up pace.

The U.S. job market shows vigor and retail revels, while financial earnings soar and global markets navigate through earnings seasons and geopolitical ripples. Investors hold their breath for central bank cues and Asian stimulus promises.

Wall Street seems to be in a reflective state this Wednesday, with futures hinting at a rather indifferent start. This follows a mix of strong earnings reports from U.S. banks and a cautionary update from ASML in Europe. The earnings season is in full swing, with Morgan Stanley taking center stage today.

Yesterday, the stock market had a clear message: semiconductors are in vogue, while luxury goods are out of favor. Industry stocks outperformed energy stocks. But why? Let's dive in. Meanwhile, China remains a hot topic, but the spotlight is shifting to corporate earnings, with major U.S. companies on the menu today.

Stock markets are on an upward trajectory as third-quarter earnings reports start to roll in. Investors got a preview last week with better-than-expected reports from three major US banks and PepsiCo. Meanwhile, China teeters on the edge after a sharp rise in indices over the past month. The market eagerly awaits support measures to bolster belief in China's economic recovery.

Inflation in the United States has made a modest comeback, stirring a few concerns in the financial markets. However, the reaction has been more of a pause than a panic. Today, the spotlight shifts to earnings season, with JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of New York Mellon kicking things off. Their performance will likely set the tone for upcoming quarterly results.

The Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes were as enlightening as a foggy morning, yet they didn't stop the equity markets from reaching new heights on Wednesday. However, the US inflation figures for September, released this morning, frightened investors a bit.

The next sessions will bring pivotal economic data and central bank pronouncements. The Federal Reserve's minutes and forthcoming inflation figures are set to steer monetary policy expectations, while geopolitical tensions and natural disasters add layers of unpredictability to the global economic scene.

As the Q3 earnings season kicks off, the market is on high alert, juggling a cocktail of economic data, geopolitical tensions, and China's economic maneuvers.

Global stock markets are currently a mixed bag as investors juggle robust U.S. employment figures with geopolitical jitters in the Middle East. Wall Street futures are looking gloomy, with the Nasdaq, Dow Jones, and S&P 500 all pointing downward. The U.S. jobs report for September was a blockbuster, with unemployment ticking down to 4.1% and job creation surpassing forecasts. The Federal Reserve's rate cut plans are now in flux, with expectations of a 25 basis point cut in November, down from the previously anticipated 50 basis points.

The Nonfarm Payrolls report, a powerful market mover, delivered an uppercut to forecasts, with a job surge that could see the Fed's rate cut expectations taper down. As the labor market flexes its muscles, the EU stands at a crossroads, and just voted in favor of tariffs on Chinese EVs amidst a battle of economic titans.

In the world of finance, where geopolitical tensions often dictate the mood, the markets are currently in a bearish stance. The recent Israeli airstrikes in Beirut have added to the already cautious sentiment among investors, who are also keeping an eye on upcoming macroeconomic indicators. Wall Street opened slightly in the red, following a rather uneventful session yesterday.

Global markets are navigating choppy waters. Geopolitical tensions, particularly the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, have cast a shadow over investor sentiment. Oil prices have surged as a result, adding another layer of complexity to the market landscape. The coming weeks promise to be a test of nerves for investors worldwide.

Wall Street has recently shown a remarkable sense of composure. Gone are the days of wild swings driven by artificial intelligence hype and frantic interest rate speculation. The U.S. stock market is now a picture of restraint, unfazed by the European market's sluggishness and China's exuberance. Investors are patiently awaiting third-quarter earnings, buoyed by a stable economic and monetary environment under the Federal Reserve's watchful eye.

Buckle up for a week brimming with pivotal economic data. Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve Chairman, is set to address the economic outlook later today. So far, September 2024 appears to be defying its notorious reputation as a jinxed month for stock markets.

This week, the bulls are running the show, thanks to a cocktail of Chinese stimulus sparkles, tech titans' triumphs, and unexpectedly low inflation data. As Wall Street indices waltz to new highs and the PCE plays nice, this raises the question: is this momentum sustainable?

Markets are having a good Thursday so far, thanks to some positive economic data from the U.S. released this morning. The reports indicate that both the economy and the job market are holding up well. Adding to the good news, China has introduced a new set of measures to boost its economy, and this time, it looks like they mean business.

China's latest attempt to invigorate its stock market and real estate sector initially sparked excitement, but financiers are now casting a skeptical eye on the plan's long-term impact.

Markets are relatively quiet at the start of the week, as investors hold their breath for key inflation data set to drop Friday - the personal consumption expenditure price index, which is a crucial indicator for US price trends. China is taking center stage after it made a new attempt to jumpstart the economy.

US markets brace for a dip as rate cut euphoria fades, while global central banks stand firm in a week of steady rates and measured moves. Investors eye Japan's monetary tightening and China's market maneuvers amid corporate shake-ups and triple witching volatility.

Investors eagerly anticipated the Federal Reserve's inaugural rate cut, only to sell off once the rumor became reality. Wall Street dipped slightly yesterday, but the positive tone in Asian markets this morning, coupled with buoyant European and Wall Street futures, suggests investor satisfaction.

Tonight, the US Federal Reserve is set to embark on a much-anticipated cycle of interest rate cuts. The financial world is abuzz with speculation about the magnitude of this move, reflecting a broader debate: Is the US economy teetering on the brink of a downturn, or is it still robust? This decision is not just about economics; it's a blend of market psychology and financial strategy.

Anticipation is building as the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision looms. Whispers of a 50 basis points rate cut have sent global markets into a tizzy, with corporate stocks and commodities reacting accordingly.

The moment finance nerds have been waiting for is finally here. Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, is expected to confirm that a change in monetary policy is looming. The plan? To start reducing interest rates from September.

Investors are still eagerly awaiting tomorrow's speech by the head honcho of the US central bank at the Jackson Hole symposium. The general vibe? The Fed is about to sprinkle some monetary easing magic come September. And guess what? The market is loving it. 

Investors are on tenterhooks as they await the US Federal Reserve Chair's speech this Friday. They hope for a favorable financial forecast, specifically the initiation of a cycle of interest rate cuts starting in September. Meanwhile, let's dissect the stock market's summer performance and sprinkle in some morning tidbits about the crypto sector and Walmart.

Investors are on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting insights from the Federal Reserve. This week has been circled in their calendars for weeks : Fed Chair Jerome Powell is due to give a speech at the Jackson Hole conference on Friday. They're also awaiting the release of the minutes from the last Fed meeting due to be unveiled Wednesday. In the meantime, they're adopting a "wait-and-see" approach.

US. stock index futures are catching their breath this Monday after Wall Street's stellar performance last week. Clearly, investors are all waiting for the main event: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole, for any hints of a potential rate cut in September. 

The financial markets, which had been on a rollercoaster ride since mid-July, seem to have finally found their footing. Recent days have seen a rally, though they’re still shy of their peak levels for the year. Investors are warming up to the idea of cheaper money on the horizon, thanks to potential rate cuts. Today's CPI data only reinforced their belief.

The financial world was gearing up for today's main event: July's US producer prices. Think of it as the opening act before tomorrow's consumer price data steals the show. Both numbers are expected to confirm that the Federal Reserve will cut rates multiple times this year, starting in September. Anything else would be like finding out your favorite TV show got canceled — utterly disappointing. And thankfully, PPI data did not disappoint.

Wall Street is gearing up for a modest lift-off as the opening bell rings on Monday. Investors are eagerly awaiting key economic data and earnings reports that promise to shed light on the U.S. economy and consumer spending. Investors are hoping will this week be calmer than the last one, when markets were on a rollercoaster ride, spooked by recession fears. 

Ah, Friday mornings on Wall Street. The coffee is brewing, the traders are buzzing, the weekend is just hours away, and the jobless claims report is the talk of the town. Let's dive into the pre-bell shenanigans, shall we? Apparently, the jobless claims report was the pep talk that investors needed. The main Wall Street indices ended yesterday's session with gains ranging from 1.7% for the Dow Jones to 3.0% for the Nasdaq. 

Ah, the financial world—a place where the sky is always either falling or about to fall. Today, however, the sky is holding up just fine, thank you very much. The US labor market, our trusty economic barometer, delivered some good news. 

What a difference a day (or two) make! Global stock markets took a leap on Wednesday, partly due to the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) surprise decision to play it cool with interest rate hikes. This unexpected move was like a soothing balm for jittery investors, causing the yen to take a nosedive. Monday’s correction already seems like a distant memory.

Global stock markets decided to play nice on Tuesday after throwing a tantrum on Monday. Wall Street futures were in a good mood, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite, and S&P 500 all set to rise between 0.6% and 0.8%. This is a welcome change from Monday's drama, where the Dow dropped 2.6%, the S&P 500 lost 3.0%, and the Nasdaq threw itself off a 3.4% cliff.

Ah, August in the financial markets—a month that’s shaping up to be as pleasant as a root canal. And we’re only on the 5th! Investors are acting like they’ve just discovered their favorite TV show got canceled. Dramatic, irrational, and downright chaotic moves are the order of the day. Welcome to Fifty Shades of Red. 

The stock market's mid-week attempt at a rebound was like trying to light a damp matchstick. Thursday was a slog, and Friday isn't looking any better, after weaker-than-expected employment data. The financial sector's rate cuts enthusiasm has been squashed by several factors, which I'll now explain. 

The mood on Wall Street has improved quite a bit, as traders eagerly await the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy decision. Futures were glowing green this morning, hours before the Federal Open Market Committee is set to drop its policy statement at 2 pm ET. 

This week is a corporate earnings bonanza, with tech titans set to unveil their financials. Investors are in a holding pattern ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decision tomorrow evening. 

Equity markets are poised to kick off the week on a high note, continuing the upward trend from last Friday. Despite lingering doubts about the financial benefits of artificial intelligence and the robustness of consumer spending, investors have plenty to keep them occupied: the Federal Reserve, Microsoft, Amazon, and a revived U.S. presidential election.

Today's trading session is set to be dominated by corporate earnings and June's PCE inflation data from the USA, a key indicator for the Fed's monetary policy. Despite yesterday's stronger-than-expected Q2 GDP release in the US, the market still firmly believes in the Fed's first rate cut in September. 

The US economy continues to defy gravity. Fresh data reveals that GDP surged at an annualized rate of 2.8% in the second quarter, comfortably beating the anticipated 2.0% rise. This follows a solid 1.4% increase in the first quarter. Adding a cherry on top, inflation appears to be cooling off despite this vigorous growth.

The financial markets are in a funk, and you can blame Alphabet and Tesla for that. Dow Jones futures dipped 0.5%, S&P 500 futures slid 1%, and Nasdaq futures took a 1.5% hit. ors are also on edge ahead of key economic data releases, including PMIs today, US GDP data on Thursday, and personal consumption expenditure data on Friday. Markets are pricing in 0.6 basis points of easing this year, with a September rate cut almost a given.

Investors are on edge as Big Tech earnings reports loom, potentially steering market indices in the coming weeks. Yesterday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq bounced back from a three-day decline, driven by renewed interest in megacap growth stocks. This shift followed a recent trend of moving away from Big Tech towards other underperforming sectors.

Wall Street opened well in the green on Monday following President Joe Biden's announcement that he will not seek re-election, as investors assess the implications of Biden's withdrawal. His decision to support Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic ticket is fueling uncertainty and volatility.

Friday morning saw a mixed open on Wall Street as traders ditched pricey megacap tech stocks due to a global tech outage that sent shockwaves through multiple sectors. 

Chip stocks are staging a comeback, lifting Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures on Thursday. The catalyst? Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which delivered an upbeat forecast and robust results. It looks like promising the sector is set for a rebound today after taking a beating in the previous session. 

US stock futures took a nosedive on Wednesday morning as investors braced for a fresh wave of corporate earnings reports. The technology sector, especially semiconductor stocks, bore the brunt of the sell-off amid fears of tighter US trade restrictions on companies exporting advanced semiconductor technology to China. 

Despite political turmoil in the US, Wall Street’s momentum keeps going, with investors betting on at least two Fed rate cuts this year. Tech is still leading the way.

Donald Trump's assassination attempt and weak Chinese growth data dominate the headlines this morning, along with a much-anticipated speech by Jerome Powell.

Large-cap earnings are back in the spotlight, with several US banks kicking off the 2024 half-year earnings season on Friday. Results will start to come in thick and fast over the coming weeks. It's a good opportunity to take a break from the debates on inflation and the Fed's monetary policy, although this topic is still at the forefront today with the release of US producer prices.

It's a big day for the financial markets, as investors received good news about the evolution of prices in the United States in June. This is important, because the Fed is always harping on the fact that it's waiting for confirmation of a slowdown before starting its monetary easing cycle. And it's all the more important because Wall Street's recent record highs leave little room for a nasty surprise.

Europe got a chance to shine yesterday in the absence of Wall Street, catching up with US indexes. I'm tempted to say that there's a degree of confidence in the equity markets at the start of July. The  spotlight is on the US job market today, with the release of an eagerly awaited employment report. As in the children's story Goldilocks, the porridge (data) is neither too hot nor too cold.

In his speech on Tuesday, the Fed chair managed to appease bond markets while helping US indices reach new records, ahead of the July 4 holiday.

Politics are at still at the forefront in the US and Europe, along with monetary policy, of course, since the signs that the US economy is cooling have multiplied in the past few weeks and Fed chairman Jerome Powell is due to speak today.

The market is unpredictable. Yesterday I wrote about a trend that was emerging, with investors seemingly turning away from tech and moving towards defensive stocks. Well, the rest of Tuesday’s session saw a complete reversal of this trend: technology bounced back, while more traditional stocks lagged. Investors don't really know which way to turn, given the contradictory signals sent out by central banks and economic data.

The tech rout that started at the end of last week continues, with Nvidia being the main target. The stock has retreated by 16% since last Thursday's record high, which wiped $430 billion off its market value in the process.

The week is up to a quiet start on Wall Street as traders await key inflation data set for release later in the week. The Personal Income and Outlays Report, including the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) core price index for May, is scheduled for Friday. 

Wall Street futures were in the red this morning after Wall Street decided it had enough of tech stocks. Thursday saw a decline in Nvidia's shares, which also dropped 1.5% today in premarket trading, affecting other chipmakers like Broadcom and Qualcomm. 

The global markets are experiencing a mix of gains and cautious optimism, thanks to their usual savior: tech stocks. Wall Street reopens today after the Juneteenth bank holiday, with futures pointing to a positive start. Several central banks released their decision on monetary policy.

Wall Street's tech stocks have once again reached new heights this week, particularly those focused on artificial intelligence. The Nasdaq is close to 20% gains for the year, surpassing the S&P 500 by more than 4%. 

Global markets are mixed to start the week, as investors await key economic data and central bank meetings. Political uncertainties in Europe, particularly in France, continue to weigh on market sentiment. 

Investors are still assessing Wednesday’s hawkish comments from the Fed as well as the many signals that the US economy is cooling. After reaching new highs yesterday, Wall Street indices retreated in premarket trading on Friday.

The Fed and its chairman Jerome Powell reclaimed the narrative yesterday, as it revised downwards its projections for the pace of rate cuts this year. Powell said that we should only expect one more rate cut this year, probably in December.

A big day ahead for the financial markets, with the Fed’s decision on key rates. Will they come down sooner than expected? The answer will come this afternoon. This morning, investors cheered better-than-expected inflation readings.

While Wall Street changes its forecast on key interest rates again and again, Europe sees a rise in the far-right protest vote in parliament. The week will be marked by two central bank meetings, including the eagerly-awaited US Fed meeting. 

Investors were eagerly awaiting one of their favorite data, that has the power to take markets to new records, or get them to recede. I’m talking about the monthly US employment figures - known as the NFP report.

The ECB has cut rates for the first time since 2019, from 4% to 3.75%. This is the first rate cut among the world's largest economic blocs and investors are happy, although they want to know more about the bank’s future monetary policy.

On the eve of a highly-anticipated U.S. monthly employment report, of a likely ECB rate cut and equity markets are still confused, but cautiously optimistic.

It's often said that bad economic news is good news for equity markets, but that didn't work out so well yesterday. Bad news remained bad news. But perhaps the equity markets are also confused by being bombarded with contradictory data. 

The last week of the month of May 2024 has been a bearish one: for equities, for gold and for oil. The last week of May saw a number of assets fall, with the notable exception of bonds, which worked in reverse (their yields fell, so they rose). 

Global indices are in the red today, weighed down by big tech stocks, which are struggling due to higher Treasury yields triggered by a worrying speech from a very respected Fed official. Investors are now fearing that rates could move up again. 

Wall Street reopens after the long Memorial Day weekend, and serious business resumes today, with fairly dense macroeconomic news ahead of the week's two major events: May inflation in the eurozone and April PCE inflation in the United States, for which we'll have to wait until Friday. But there's also a big change taking effect today on Wall Street that's causing a lot of angst.

The mood on the financial markets has soured a bit. The euphoria seen after several indices reached records at the start of the week has given way to a more confused feeling, with the return of inflationary fears. It's all feels like déjà vu.

There was a pretty colossal stakes surrounding Nvidia's quarterly results yesterday, after the bell. Western stock markets generally retreated in anticipation. Let's dispel the suspense right away: the share gained 6% after the release of its results, so it passed the test with flying colors. 

Investors hope that Nvidia can keep the AI magic alive, as demonstrated by yesterday's record highs on Wall Street. The answer is expected after the bell today when the company will unveil its quarterly results.

While oil prices move up and down, bond yields wake up and metals prices go through the roof, equity markets remain resilient. Nevertheless, they need a new catalyst to keep pace with the Nasdaq rocket. That's pretty much the mood at the start of the week ahead of the release of Nvidia. Today, investors will also focus on speeches from many central bankers, who will perhaps try to lower their expectations.

Last week was eventful in the financial world, and this week is shaping up to be exactly the same. It will be less focused on inflation and corporate results, and more on macro data. Earnings season may be drawing to a close, but there's one large cap left, releasing its results in the next few days: Nvidia. As usual, there's no escaping monetary policy, with a series of speeches from central bankers on the agenda.

Every time the momentum slowed on the market over the past six weeks, something happened to give it another boost. Yesterday, it was weaker-than-expected inflation data, which made rate cuts more likely.

The focus of investors is on US inflation data this week, as well as corporate results. The Nasdaq 100 hit a new record close yesterday, surpassing March 24 by 3 points. The index is a mirror of the tech sector, but also of investors' appetite for risk. It has increased its gains to 8.9% since January 1. Elsewhere, many indices are exploring or approaching uncharted territory, which reinforces overall confidence.

Investors once again believed in a Fed rate cut in September. Doubts about the slight upturn in inflation were dispelled by a series of weak economic indicators. Today's producer price data was too mixed to have any impact on their thinking.

Global markets have, for the most part, returned to the record highs set earlier in the year. Doubts about the evolution of US monetary policy, which led to a drop in indices in April, were eased by the robust earnings of major listed companies and the cooling of certain US economic indicators. 

Things a looking well for the three Wall Street indices this morning. Investors welcome good news for the economy (good results from Apple and Amgen), and bad news for the economy (but good for rate cuts - the weaker-than-expected jobs report).

Jerome Powell managed to reassure investors yesterday. He did acknowledge a lack of progress lately in the Fed’s efforts to tame inflation, but reiterated that interest rates are still likely to be lowered this year.

This week is one of the busiest this year for corporate results. After Microsoft, Alphabet, Tesla and Apple, it’s Amazon’s turn to present its earnings after the bell today. Investors will be closely watching, as they await tomorrow’s Fed meeting.

Investors bet on the right horse last week. The Magnificent Seven came to the market’s rescue, despite fears about the trajectory of the economy and rates, and talks about stagflation in the US. This morning, tech is also lifting indices.

Yesterday’s lower-than-expected US GDP reading showed that the price component rose more than expected. Investors were eagerly awaiting today’s March inflation reading to get more clue about the health of the economy and the Fed’s future monetary policy. 

Earnings season is picking up pace, and the market is becoming increasingly unpredictable in how it reacts to new earnings reports. Good results aren’t enough to go up, bad ones aren’t necessarily taking a stock down, and a company can be criticized one day and worshipped the next. And now economic data is bringing old fears back...

Investors saw yesterday’s weak economic data as a sign that all hope isn’t lost when it comes to rate cuts this year. This led indices to remain in the green for a second consecutive day. Strong corporate earnings are also helping to lift investor sentiment.

The main global indices have been bouncing back since Monday after a very difficult week. The arrival of a slew of results from very large companies could act as a further catalyst for equity markets, and give back a little joie de vivre to investors.

Escalating tensions in the Middle East, doubts over the trajectory of Fed interest rates and the sharp decline in US technology stocks, particularly in the semiconductor sector, have rattled markets last week. This morning, global indices are attempting a rebound ahead of a series of earnings reports.

Escalating tensions between Israel and Iran are unsettling investors, sending global indices down. The favorable stock market environment seen at the beginning of the year is slowly waning. 

Lately, when things go wrong on the inflation side, tech is there to save the day. This is true today, after strong results from semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing lifted futures in premarket trading today. The calmer bond and currency market is also helping. Big Tech earnings remain in focus, with Netflix reporting after the close today.

Equity markets remain subdued as hopes of a near-term rate cut in the US fade. Will corporate results act as a new catalyst? Perhaps, since UnitedHealth and Morgan Stanley’s results helped Wall Street yesterday.

Stock markets seem to have entered a more complex phase, which is eroding investor confidence at the start of the first quarter earnings season. The so-called 'goldilocks' scenario, where everything is tepid but predictable, has been weakened and bears are once again on the prowl.

Investors are struggling to form a clear view on whether or not the upturn in US inflation is here to stay and whether it represents a paradigm shift for monetary policy. Sentiment over the weekend was hampered by escalating tensions in the Middle East, but a series of strong quarterly corporate earnings reports boosted morale today, with most Western indices being well in the green today. 

Earnings season kicks off today with the first major set of quarterly results of the season, featuring the giants of American finance. Investors are hoping these will be a new catalyst for the market. So far, the results are mixed.

Wall Street indices lost 1% yesterday after a statistic that reshuffled the deck on the evolution of U.S. monetary policy.  However, there was a little bit of good news today after the release of March producer prices.

Wall Street indices have – surprisingly - been very resilient in the past few days despite signs that rate cuts might not coming as soon as the market thought. But today’s March inflation data may be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Investors are anxiously awaiting Wednesday’s key inflation data from the US and Thursday’s European Central Bank's interest rate decision. They want to refine their rate cuts forecast after receiving confirmation from recent data and Fed official speeches that the road to monetary policy easing will not be a smooth one. 

Investors have long been obsessed with monetary policy, but it's clear that they're becoming less and less concerned, hypnotized by the strength of the US economy. This is the general mood in mid-April, as we await the arrival this week of the first set of quarterly corporate results.

The words of central bankers are always gospel to investors. The problem is that there have been some conflicting messages lately. The release of monthly US employment data this morning was eagerly expected by investors, who hoped it would help clear the air. 

It seems that the US job market is cooling according to the latest data, and investors might take this as a sign that a rate cut in June is getting likelier. They also took comfort in some comments from Jerome Powell yesterday.

The mood is changing on stock markets, with global indices turning red since the start of April due to worries about the path of rate cuts this year. Things could take a turn for the worse today as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is due to speak.

Wall Street opened in the red this morning, weighed down by health insurers. Investors are also reassessing their scenarios for rate cuts this year after Jerome Powell’s speech, and await more economic data and comments from Fed officials.

Today is the final trading session of the week for the Western stock markets and Wall Street opened mixed due to better-than-expected economic data. Indeed, a strong economy lessens the need for rate cuts, which investors are not too happy about.

Today's session is likely to be a bit calm, before things get a bit more serious on Thursday and Friday, when the final US GDP reading for the final quarter of 2023, the latest US employment data and PCE inflation will be unveiled, followed by a speech from Jerome Powell.

Equity markets are experiencing their first seasonal trough of the year. This usually happens between two earnings periods. Companies have almost finished unveiling their 2023 figures. The cycle will pick up again in the second week of April with US financials such as BlackRock and JPMorgan, whose releases are due on April 11 and 12. 

Rates are high, but at the same time the economy is picking up. As a result, the situation is good for asset holders, and may even improve further should rates fall. 

The US central bank did and said what investors expected it to do. The stock markets took this as confirmation of their right to continue moving forward. If you don't like central banks, skip to part two, where I'll be talking about technology stocks. If you're fed up with these two topics, it's going to be complicated...

The day that investors have been waiting for is finally here. At 2pm, we’ll have the Fed’s monetary policy decision, followed by Jerome Powell’s speech.

We had a flurry of announcements from Nvidia yesterday, and two central banks adjusted their monetary policies overnight, but it's the US Federal Reserve that the market is awaiting. We'll have to wait until tomorrow for that.

This week, we’re expecting no less than five decisions from leading central banks. The program kicks off on Tuesday with the Bank of Japan and the Bank of Australia. The US Federal Reserve will follow on Wednesday, before the Swiss National Bank and the Bank of England on Thursday. For the sake of completeness, there will be around twenty monetary policy decisions this week, with those of Brazil, Norway, Turkey and Mexico, to name but a few.

With an important US central bank monetary policy meeting just days away, investors have lost some of their appetite for tech stocks. It’ll probably take more than that to turn them away from artificial intelligence, but the fever is easing, for now.

Investors don’t seem to care about rate cuts these days. Inflation data coming in above expectations in the past few weeks hasn’t caused any turmoil. However, today, producer prices came in way above expectations. When will it be too much?

It is sometimes complicated to anticipate and understand market reaction to new data. Indeed, yesterday’s higher than expected inflation reading didn’t elicit the response that most commentators expected investors would have. 

Inflation in the US picked up in February, disappointing investors who had expected it to remain stable, according to the CPI index that was just published by the Labor Department.

 The AI fever that took hold of investors in the past few months is showing some signs of easing. Investors are wondering if things are going a bit too fast, which led to some sell-offs in iconic stocks on Friday.

The market is not ready to end its bullish phase. Investors are still enamored with anything artificial intelligence, while central banks hinted that rate cuts are coming this summer. February's job data was eagerly awaited by traders seeking to refine their forecasts about monetary policy.

The mood is brighter this morning, with futures and most Western indices being in the green. After a brief hesitation yesterday, equity markets quickly got back on track after Jerome Powell reassured investors that we're on the right track. Today, the ECB confirmed this good scenario.

Beijing's new objectives don't seem to be thrilling many people this morning. It was supposed to be a big day for China, with a new path, new measures, and economic targets, but it ended being a resounding flop. This is weighing on two very popular US tech stocks.

The rush towards artificial intelligence stocks continues unabated. It's reminiscent of the Internet craze of 25 years ago, but with (very) profitable companies – so, investors have fewer qualms about jumping in with both feet. As for those who speak of a bubble, the market has chosen to classify them as Debbie downers rather than visionaries for the time being.

Tech stocks and Japan are rising, China struggles, the Fed is waiting for more data… It still feels like 2023! On a more serious note, things are going well for equities at start of 2024, thanks in part to robust annual results from large companies. 

That was the data everybody was waiting for, since it has a major impact on future monetary policy in the United States. Investors have recently given the impression that they don't really care about the Fed any more, preferring to focus on AI. But given the anticipation this morning, it's clear that rate cuts are on most investors' minds.

When a rally ends, it is often followed by a few quiet sessions. Yesterday, global indices remained within a small range, resulting in a few shades of red and green, but without excess. Investors are keeping a cautious stance ahead of key inflation data due later this week as they seek more clarity regarding central banks' monetary policy path.

The atmosphere is calm on Wall Street as investors take a wait-and-see attitude before key data later this week. Wall Street landed yesterday after a long bull run. The main indices were only slightly down, as investors could help themselves from buying. This morning, we're going to take a look at some of the reasons for this.

Things could have gone either way last week. Nvidia’s earnings report, if disappointing - could have ended investors’ fever on anything related to AI – the driving force behind markets at the moment. Thankfully, Nvidia’s results were astonishingly good, so indices continued to rise. How long can it continue at this pace?

Yesterday’s session was quite something: Investors reacted to Nvidia’s stratospheric results with glee and indices shattered a few records. Today’s session is likely to be quieter.

 Investors are trading carefully ahead of chip designer Nvidia's eagerly awaited earnings report that could either stop or further boost this year's AI-led rally. The Fed is also due to release minutes.

Wall Street returns and remains subdued after a long bank holiday weekend. Earlier today, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) unveiled a record cut in its five-year prime lending rate, in a bid to boost the property market and stimulate the economy. But that wasn’t enough to boost global indices.

Investors were cautiously optimistic ahead of the producer price report for January, with Futures on the Nasdaq 100 up 0.4% this morning. But indices quickly fell after the PPI was posted at 8:30 am ET. 

US shares recovered from their slump induced by stronger than expected inflation data in January. Large caps are driving gains, with artificial intelligence luring investors like moths to a flame. Nvidia – the stock that’s got the biggest AI label - has now surpassed Alphabet to become the country's third most valuable firm, just days after it overtook Amazon.com.

There’s a saying in finance - Don't fight the Fed – and it's there for a reason! Investors were hoping for six rate cuts this year, starting as soon as March, despite all the Fed officials claiming that it was too soon to think about rate cuts, and that more work needed to be done to tame inflation.

Inflation returns to the forefront with today’s release of US CPI figures for January, which were higher than expected and reawakened speculation on the date of the first Fed rate cut. 

Monday starts on a quiet note after last week’s record-breaking week on Wall Street. The S&P 500 passed the 5,000 points milestone for the first time on Friday, while the Nasdaq briefly traded above the 16,000 level, bringing it closer to its all-time high.

Investors are hoping for a finish above 5,000 points for the S&P 500 today, after the publication of revised inflation data, which they believe strengthens the case for early rate cuts.

Earnings season is running at full steam, with big names releasing their results today, including Philip Morris, ConocoPhillips and S&P Global. Futures on Wall Street are muted after a strong session yesterday, that saw the S&P 500 index rise 0.8% to within five points of breaking the 5000 mark for the first time.

While investors await more convincing cues from Fed officials on the timing of rate cuts, corporate earnings are taking center-stage.

Strong earnings, artificial intelligence, the resilience of the US economy and hopes of rate cuts are fueling growth on Wall Street. However, the market is taking a breather to reassess the timing of the first rate cut.

Jerome Powell’s interview on Sunday, and last week’s much better than expected job numbers are forcing investors are forced to rethink their expectations of rate cuts, sending futures down and Treasury yields up this morning. But is Powell really taken seriously?

The shares of Meta jumped 15% yesterday after it tripled its profit and introduced its first dividend. Investors were happy about this strong result and Amazon’s robust earnings, so much so that it took take their minds off Apple, the Fed and China. But then, new data came in that shook their convictions... 

Investors were dealt a blow by the Fed yesterday, which crushed their hopes of a rate cut in March. The mood was further dented when Alphabet published disappointing results and lost 7%, which took other tech stocks down.

It’s a jam-packed day today, with 700 earnings reports and a Fed rate decision. Investors are eagerly awaiting the US central bank monetary policy decision at 2:00 pm ET. They are not expecting any surprise or new changes. However, they will be interested in Jerome Powell's comments. 

Wall Street indices are still breaking records and the S&P500 is within 1.5% of the 5000 points symbolic milestone - a day before the Fed meeting.

Markets are on a roll and even news of the liquidation of giant property developer China Evergrande isn’t stopping them from rallying. A big week lies ahead for investors, with a flurry of corporate results and monetary policy decisions by the Fed and the Bank of England. So far, 2024 is going really well, with several indices setting or flirting with record highs.

The better-than-expected GDP data and strong corporate results have raised investors morale. Today’s inflation data is another boost and it looks like we're getting closer to the first rate cut.

Tech stocks are still keeping indexes on an upward slope, and even enabling them to set new records. Even China is recovering, since Beijing seems intent on boosting its stock market with a massive injection of public money. Will Tesla and the ECB ruin the party?

The rally continues on Wall Street, fueled by its tech giants, while in China, things are looking rosier.

Wall Street continues to move forward and surpasses symbolic milestones: after the 17,000-point Nasdaq 100, the 38,000-point Dow Jones was erased. Both indexes find themselves in terra incognita, as is the S&P500, which hit 4,850 points. New York traders are just 3% short of having their 5000 caps made. A little history: the 4000 version dates from April 2021. The 3000 dates from October 2019. The 2000 from September 2014 and the 1000 from February 1998.

Wall Street is breaking new records: investors flocked to US technology stocks and Japanese equities. The S&P 500 broke its record. This is despite investors coming to terms with the fact that rate cuts will probably not start as early as March. 

The likelihood that rate cuts will happen as soon as March dropped significantly, but not completely. Indices bounced back, lifted by a rally in the semiconductor industry after TSMC's fiery forecasts based, in particular, on the continuing boom in artificial intelligence. 

Despite several speeches from central bankers warning that the fight against inflation isn’t over and that rate cuts are not the order of the day, most investors remain convinced that rates will go down as soon as March.

They had high hopes for March rate cuts, but a series of macroeconomic data and central bank speeches are slowly but surely denting investor sentiment. Yesterday, Fed central banker Christopher Waller, who belongs to the hawkish camp but is reputedly close to Fed boss Jerome Powell, explained that there is no need to rush into lowering interest rates. 

Wall Street reopens after a long weekend for Martin Luther King jr. Day, and futures are in the red. Investors are assessing the consequences of Donald Trump’s win in Iowa yesterday and are also awaiting results from major US banks.

US equity futures were lower this morning as investors assessed quarterly earnings from major US banks after Thursday's higher-than-expected inflation report.

The much-anticipated US inflation data was just published and investors are busy fine-tuning their forecasts for the date of the Fed's first rate cut. 

Investors are trading cautiously ahead tomorrow’s inflation data, with futures on the main three Wall Street indices flat on Wednesday. They are eager to get more cues about the pace of interest rate cuts this year. The euphoria seen in late 2023, boosted by expectations of a rate cut as early as March has slightly faded, but signs that inflation continued to cool in December could revive hopes. 

After a difficult first week of 2024, stock market indices are trying to bounce back. Investors have found renewed confidence that rate cuts are coming fast, and artificial intelligence is back to being a hot topic again. 

The optimism about Fed rate cuts that dominated December is quickly fading, and futures on Wall Street’s main indices were in the red this morning. Investors are eager to get more clues about the state of the economy to assess the trajectory of monetary policy.

It’s a pretty a grim start to the new year, with three sessions in the red for Wall Street. Futures remained mixed this morning as investors await more economic data to get a better idea of the Fed’s monetary easing path.

The first session of the year on Wall Street was lackluster and today looks it’s not gonna be any better. Speculation is already rife as to whether this is the end of the good times seen at the end of last year or just temporary. The main event today is the publication, later this afternoon, of the minutes of the latest US central bank meeting. 

As we start a new market year it’s good to have a quick look back at 2023. Let’s also recap what happen on Wall Street and elsewhere during year-end festivities, since many of us have completely disconnected from stock market news in the past week.

Investors got what they wanted before Christmas, which is another sign that inflation is cooling. For this last column of the year, we'll talk about rate cuts, artificial intelligence, Tencent and Nike...

Wall Street ended in the red yesterday due to profit taking, but also because of a specific kind of options. I’ll explain in a bit. But things are already looking green. Investors are assessing U.S. GDP and employment data, before the core PCE index on Friday.

The US market looks like it’s taking a breather, with futures in the red in premarket trading, after several sessions of gains fueled by hopes of rate cuts after the Fed's December 13 monetary policy decision that showed lower policy rates by the end of 2024.

Christmas is fast approaching and the atmosphere on stock markets is rather joyful, with most indices in the green. Investors are cheering fresh data showing a slowdown in eurozone inflation in November and the Bank of Japan's decision.

Investors have already overindulged this year, but they don't seem ready to curb their appetite. Western Indices are on course to end 2023 on their best levels of the year, after another positive weekly performance. 

Investors are slowly coming down from Cloud 9 after the rally sparked Fed confirmed it will start cutting rates next year. Many indices are flirting with or have exceeded their highs this week, which ends with the last clearing session of the year, the triple-witching' day", as financiers generally call it.

For its final outing of 2023, the US Federal Reserve strengthened market convictions. Investors were surprised by the more dovish-than-expected comments. It will now take a lot to derail the year-end rally. 

Finally, we’re about to find out the Fed’s last monetary policy decision of the year! A decision that may bring equity markets towards their record highs.

The December rally is up to a good start. Several equity indices have surpassed their highs, while others are just waiting to do so. In this sea of optimism, the US central bank faces a complex equation: how to maintain confidence, retain power and keep the markets from getting carried away? We'll probably have some answers on Wednesday. In the meantime, investors can speculate on the latest US inflation figures. 

There are just a few stock market sessions left before the end of year that was a good vintage for Western markets. Investors are eagerly awaiting several central bank decisions this week, before things get a bit calmer in the days leading up to Christmas.

The monthly US employment report for November was eagerly awaited before the last US monetary policy decision of the year, scheduled for next week. 

Wall Street indices were up in premarket trading, ahead of Friday’s publication of the eagerly-awaited employment data. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but as I already mentioned repeatedly, investors are hooked on bad economic data, which confirms their preferred scenario of looming rate cuts.

The market is experiencing schadenfreude as more people struggle to find work. The configuration remains unchanged: rate cuts are taken for granted next year in the US and Europe, and more likely in the first part of the year. 

Stock markets are taking a break at the beginning of December, after their November surge. In times of euphoria on the market such as the one we're currently experiencing, it's essential to take the time to think about what could bring the whole thing crashing down. 

Gold is on a record high, bitcoin passed a symbolic milestone, indices are close to their peaks... The infamous December rally is up to a good start. Of the twelve months of the year, it is the one most likely to end in positive territory: almost three times out of four over the last 95 years. 

Let’s hope that December will be as good as November on the stock market. After eleven months, the 2023 stock market vintage looks set to be much better than 2022. But we still have to go the distance until New Year's Eve. 

The month of November ends as it started, in good spirits. The momentum continues on hopes that central banks will become more accommodating, and as usual, investors are clinging to economic data to guide their judgment on the future of monetary policy in the United States. 

As Charlie Munger bids farewell at the age of 99, stock markets are struggling to take off again, despite a clear appetite for risk. The dollar is falling as we await the week's upcoming macroeconomic data, in particular PCE inflation and a speech by Jerome Powell on Friday.

Despite a small dip in equity markets yesterday, investors' appetite for risk shows no sign of abating. Poor macroeconomic indicators reinforce the likelihood of a more flexible approach from central banks. 

After four weeks of gains, stock markets are catching their breath, but the fuel that has been driving them lately has not yet run out. Four sessions remain before the start of December, traditionally the least risky month of the year for the stock market: 69 rises for 26 falls over the last 95 years in the US.

Today is the last trading session before Thanksgiving, and futures were slightly higher in premarket trading, in anticipation of the release of a series of economic data.

Wall Street continues to rise, betting on an easing of monetary policy in the not-too-distant future. AI is the hot topic of the moment and the company that embodies this trend, Nvidia, is due to post results after the bell. 

This week will be a short one for investors, as the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday will significantly reduce activity from Wednesday evening onwards. Artificial intelligence continues to take center stage, with Nvidia's results on Tuesday and the drama at the head of OpenAI. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is on the move, Argentina has elected its new president and OPEC is working to halt the fall in oil prices.

Wall Street is on course for a positive week. So far, the S&P500 has fallen just twice in three weeks. Investors are still super optimistic, already fantasizing about rate cuts next year.

Wall Street looks like it’s taking a pause today after a few days of strong gains due to optimism that the end of rate hikes has finally arrived. Futures were all slightly in the red in premarket trading. Biden makes another gaffe...

The publication of lower-than-expected US inflation in October removed investors’ last mental barriers to take more risks. All indices soared yesterday and there’s now even speculation about how many Fed rate cuts will happen next year. Some new elements strengthened this theory today. The blue-sky scenario is now likely to happen, just in time for the famous Christmas rally.

Investors were eagerly awaiting the CPI data to assess whether their ideal scenario that there will be no more Fed rate hikes would come to fruition. The data was even better than they (and economists) expected.

Investors are betting that the Fed will no longer raise rates, but it's a more reasoned bet than it might seem: they're betting on the big all-rounders, even if they're obviously also attracted by the more speculative cases.

While investors were already cheering the end of rate hikes, Jerome Powell brought them back to reality in a hawkish speech yesterday. However, this didn't have much impact on indices...

To pivot or not to pivot? That’s the question as the Fed head is due to speak again later today. His speech will be closely watched by his investors, who were disappointed by his silence on the monetary policy in another speech yesterday. Apart from that, it's a flurry of corporate results today, as is the case every Thursday during earnings season.

Wall Street is taking a little time to breathe after a bullish week buoyed by hopes of the end of the Fed’s monetary tightening cycle. In the meantime, earnings reports continue to flow, WeWork filed for bankruptcy and Chinese statistics continued to disappoint.

Equity markets were in the green yesterday but opened slightly down this morning, ahead of a flurry of corporate results, central bank decisions and macroeconomic statistics, all set against the backdrop of a powder keg in the Middle East. 

Shares have lost ground across the board on fears that the US central bank will maintain its restrictive monetary policy and that the Middle East conflict will spread. In the coming days, a number of key rate decisions and a flurry of corporate results will keep trading sessions lively. The spotlight is on Wednesday with two major events.

US futures were in the green after data on personal income and inflation came more or less in line with expectations. While everything seems to be going well for the American economy, corporate results for Q3 seem to be telling a different story...

Today's trading session is all about corporate results, the ECB's rate decision, and a set of economic data, including the first estimate of US Q3 GDP. 

The U.S. dollar continued the previous day's rally, while futures struggled for direction in premarket trading, after a mixed batch of results, including a disappointing performance from Alphabet.

The big event today will be the release of Microsoft and Alphabet's results after the closing bell. Investors want to find out if their bet on artificial intelligence is bearing fruit. In the meantime, they will focus on PMIs for the major economies, and on the comments from legendary investor legendary investor Bill Ackman.

Global indices continued to decline last week, with losses ranging from -2.4% on the S&P500 to -3.4% on the Stoxx Europe 600. Oil, the dollar and gold climbed, against a backdrop of heightened risk aversion due to fears of an extension of the Middle East conflict. The strength of the headwinds has caused indices to lose 8% since their July peaks.

Futures were in the red this morning as the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield flirts with 5% following Jerome Powell’s hawkish speech yesterday.

The situation is still tense on financial markets due to the major crisis in the Middle East. Corporate earnings releases are multiplying, helping to refine earnings trends for the end of the year. Jerome Powell is due to speak later today. 

Yesterday, equity indices went in all directions, amid the confusion of hard-to-interpret macroeconomic data and the worsening crisis in the Middle East. Investors can't see any clearer this morning, between the worsening conflict and quarterly earnings releases.

Investor sentiment is up and down at the moment, resulting in a kind of sideways movement in equities. To complicate matters, the market thought it was going to wait quietly for quarterly corporate results, only to find itself faced with a major crisis in the Middle East. Joe Biden is going to intervene personally. And new data published today reawakened rate hike fears.

The conflict in the Middle East has pushed up the price of gold, the dollar, oil and defense stocks, a sign that the financial sector is concerned about the situation. This heightened geopolitical tension coincides with the start of earnings season. In the background, the major debates over US interest rates and the strength of the Chinese economy continue to fuel speculation.

Apparently, Fridays the 13th result in an average gain of 0.1% on US equity markets, three times the average anyway. Yes, serious people have enough time on their hands to compile this kind of data. We'll see if this proves correct at the close, but in the meantime, let’s focus on large banks, the slight downturn on stock markets, and the latest Chinese statistics, which aren't great.

Equity markets continued their ascent yesterday despite economic data that would probably have undermined sentiment a week earlier. This is due to the perception that US monetary policy is changing. The Fed's central bankers have softened their rhetoric of late. So much so, in fact, that yesterday's release of a higher-than-expected rise in US producer prices was completely ignored. And today's CPI data could also be shrugged...

Financiers clearly got their mojo back, speculating on two of their favorite themes: the cut in US key rates and the arrival of a stimulus plan in China. On the first point, it's hard to blame investors for getting ahead of themselves, since it's the Fed officials themselves who seem hinted that a less punitive monetary policy was on the cards.

A series of events have strengthened investors' belief that rate hikes are over in the US. Until the next data of course, but Wall Street is focused on the short term and managed to get a rise yesterday, despite troubles in the Middle East. Today, focus is on the first corporate results for the third quarter.

The conflict between Israel and Gaza turned into full on war after an attack by Hamas that killed hundreds of people and led to retaliation by the Israeli army. It ignited a new geopolitical conflagration, the economic consequences of which are still difficult to assess. 

Friday started on a bad note with the announcement of the monthly US employment figures. The job market remains stubbornly strong, which does not please investors, who fear higher rates for longer.

Wall Street ended in the green, helped by two factors. The first one being oil, which fell sharply yesterday, and this was quite overdue, if we take into account the current environment of high rates, strong dollar and a difficult Chinese economy. Demand was bound to eventually falter.

The rise in US government borrowing costs is making life difficult for investors. Nervousness is tangible in the wake of the plunge in US government bonds, whose yields exploded as the two markers moved in opposite directions.

Investors are still having a hard time accepting that Fed rates will stay higher for longer. As a result, the dollar is rising, while gold and oil tumble and the yield on 10-year US debt stands at 4.70%. Most markets ended in the red yesterday, except the Nasdaq 100.

The small rebound seen at the end of last week eased the losses accumulated on the stock markets in August and September. This morning, the mood is one of relief following a budget compromise in the United States. The last quarter of the year end opens on a better note.

Although today is up to a good start, with reassuring inflation data, this last session of the month should not prevent September 2023 from being a poor vintage. Equity markets bounced back a little yesterday on the back of slightly buoyant news. They are now eagerly awaiting companies' Q3 results and forecasts. 

Wall Street futures were flat this morning ahead of economic data and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments. There are still many sources of tension on the markets, including soaring oil prices, higher for longer US rates and the dollar.

Red is still dominating on stock markets as investors await the next round of quarterly corporate results, due to start in two weeks' time. Stagflation fears have returned with a vengeance and the lack of catalysts has been obvious for some weeks now.

Wall Street futures were in the red in premarket trading, with investors still reeling from the hawkish speech of central bankers last week. And Jamie Dimon just added fuel to the fire... The risk of a US shutdown, which could come as early as next Sunday if Congress fails to agree on a budget for the next fiscal year, is also weighing on sentiment.

Things aren’t great on stocks markets at the moment, with Wall Street coming off a third consecutive week of declines. After the recession that everyone talks about but never sees, investors are focusing on the Fed pivot that everyone talks about but never sees. 

Stock markets continued to fall yesterday, as investors realize that key interest rates will remain higher for longer. The mood has become heavier and financiers are taking the Fed's threats seriously. As proof, the yield on 10-year US debt touched the symbolic 4.5% mark, while the 2-year hit a 17-year high of 5.19%. 

Central banks are at the forefront this week, with the Fed decision yesterday and the Bank of England’s today. Although they both kept their rate unchanged, their hawkish stance didn’t please the market.

It's hard to escape the Fed today. The market is expecting a rate hike pause, but is still concerned about inflation. How concerned? That's one of the issues at stake today. Investors are in a wait-and-see mode, driven only by the big tech IPOs in the US.

Caution is the word on financial markets on the eve of a major decision by the Fed on its key interest rates, with futures on the main Wall Street indices remaining flat this morning. There is little suspense about the decision itself, but there is much greater uncertainty about what comes with it, including the stance of US central bankers and their intentions for the future. And rising oil prices are only adding more worries.

How will the Fed impact the market this week? That's the hundred-billion dollar question, and in the meantime investors are trading cautiously, with Wall Street futures slightly in the red Monday in pre-market trading.

The atmosphere on Wall Street exchange is rather gloomy, between weak economic data in China and Europe and signs that inflation is resilient in the US. The U.S. services sector unexpectedly did better than expected in August, which goes against the idea that the US economy and inflation is cooling, and strengthens the case for higher rate hikes for longer. Lower than expected jobless claims also dampened the mood as it shows the job market is still very tight. Even Apple, the crown jewel of the NYSE, is having problems!

What will the economic damage be if central banks are forced to keep rates high to cool the rise in prices? It sounds like déjà vu, but this has again become the number one question on investors' minds.

Equity markets are struggling to return in the green. Although the odds are still in favor of a pause in Fed rate hikes, bond yields continue to rise, which on the contrary foreshadow a difficult monetary future. The cause is a potential reawakening of inflation, fueled by a surge in energy prices.

Wall Street reopened after an extended bank holiday weekend. Macroeconomic data is also back with the first major statistic of the week, unveiled overnight in China, as well as a central bank decision in Australia. China, which announces new economic support measures on an almost daily basis, continues to be investors' focus, often blowing hot and cold on markets. This morning, it's blowing cold.

The job data that everyone was waiting for didn’t disappoint. Employers added 187,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent, while 3.5% was expected. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also revealed that wage growth slowed. This shows that the job market is cooling, and strengthens the case for ending rate hikes.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose slightly on an annual basis in July, but this was in line with expectations. In Europe and the US, signs are multiplying that inflation remains stubbornly resilient.

US stocks opened slightly higher this morning, with the S&P 500 Index up by 0.1% after the release of a weak ADP job report.

Stock markets kept the rebound going yesterday,  buoyed by China's efforts to reverse the negative spiral that has taken hold of its economy. Beijing's stimulus is welcome, but it seems a little too disorganized to create mass enthusiasm, at least at this stage. Investors' attention will quickly turn to the macroeconomic statistics that will punctuate the next three sessions.

Stock markets closed mostly on a slight rebound last week, after a rather complicated start to the month. The good times that lasted from January to July seem well and truly over:  the last three weeks have been tricky to say the least. Two factors have weighed heavily: China's weak economic recovery and fears of persistently high key rates in the US. 

Despite hopes, Nvidia didn’t deliver the rally some expected, the fault of a rather distrustful global market on the eve of a much-anticipated speech by the Fed Chairman. So it's time to listen to Jerome Powell today, live from Jackson Hole in Wyoming, where central bankers are holding their traditional annual summit at the end of August.

Nvidia's results were probably the most eagerly awaited corporate figures of August. The Californian firm didn’t disappoint, confirming the explosion in demand linked to artificial intelligence. This is a welcome boost for stock markets in need of a new chapter after a difficult start to August.

I know, I keep talking about it, but there’s no escaping the topic of big tech and central banks this week, since we have Nvidia’s results and the Fed ‘s Jackson Hole symposium.

Equity futures were slightly higher in premarket trading this morning, as traders assessed earnings from major retailers including Lowe's and Macy's.

Investors returned to risk-off mode due to rising bond yields and oil prices, as well as concerns over China's recovery.

Wall Street opened in red territory Friday, with China and the Fed denting investor sentiment, as well as a recent surge in bond yields.

Markets are stabilizing after the slump caused by the release of the minutes of the Fed’s July meeting yesterday. Most officials continue to see significant upside risks to inflation, and believe that further rate hikes may be necessary. 

Markets are increasingly worried about China's inability to get back on track economically, and about a chain reaction in the country's real estate and finance sectors. This is the main focus at the moment, alongside the usual minor worries: rate hike or no rate hike, inflation or no inflation, soft landing or hard landing, which came first: the chicken or the egg, and so on.

Today’s news includes Walt Disney, Novo Nordisk and new US legislation to control investment in China. But it's above all July's US inflation figures that captivated investors.

Tuesday's session saw a general return to the red for global indices. Italy suffered the most, with the Milan MIB index down more than 2%, battered by its large banking sector. The Italian government had taken everyone by surprise by introducing an exceptional tax on bank profits to capture part of the windfall generated by the ECB's rate hike. Intesa, Unicredit and co. were chopped up into small pieces, but the shockwave brought the entire European banking sector to its knees. Investors reinstated a risk premium on the bank, in case the Italian bombshell gave other executives ideas. The government was later forced to backtrack to avoid a meltdown, with the finance ministry issuing a statement stressing that the tax on net interest income would be capped at 0.1 per cent of assets.

The market is entering one of the quietest period of the year, with fewer things happening. investors are waiting for the last company results of this earnings season, while assessing the latest economic data.

It was a bit of a mess last week on financial markets. We had Apple and Amazon results, US labor market macro stats, a US credit rating downgrade, and conflicting comments from a few central bankers… This led to falling stocks and bonds, rising oil and a couple of other oddities.

“One day it looks like the world economy is collapsing, the next day everything is fine. I don't know what's happening.” These comments from Elon Musk yesterday on the sidelines of Tesla's quarterly results ring rather true. It shows that even the heads of major companies are somewhat spectators of the current turmoil. Quarterly corporate results are taking up most of the media space, while we wait for central banks to come back to the limelight.

Wall Street futures were flat today ahead of earnings from Tesla and Netflix. The bears are starting to get seriously depressed as indices come back close to their records. The flurry of corporate earnings releases hasn't reversed the trend at this stage, and it looks like large companies haven't had to suffer too much from the current high interest rate environment. 

Stock markets have had very mixed fortunes at the start of the week, with two constants: tech shines and China causes trouble. Now we're adding central bankers and large banks to the equation. 

The latest data shows China's economy remains sluggish, which is fueling hopes of a vigorous public stimulus - the kind everyone's talking about, but which has yet to materialize. In the meantime, earnings season really kicks off this week. It will last at least until the first days of August. In the U.S., statistics continue to defy high rates, which delights some and worries others.

The lower-than-expected US inflation reading in June got investors looking at the months ahead with optimism, hoping once again for the end of the Fed's rate hike cycle. It seems that the days of aggressive monetary policy will soon be over.

The focus is once again on inflation today, with new data showing that the combination of high rates and an improving basis for comparison is helping to bring overheated prices within more reasonable bounds. 

The world's stock markets edged up yesterday, ahead of US inflation and the first quarterly results from leading companies later this week. Financial markets are still moving according to artificial intelligence opportunities, changes in US monetary policy, or from the promise of a turnaround in the Chinese economy.

With just a few days before companies start releasing their half-year results en masse, investors are confused. Their natural optimism is somewhat challenged by poor visibility on economic dynamics due to higher key interest rates.

Rate hike fears crippled global markets yesterday, with bond yields reaching new highs. Europe's stock markets were particularly hit. The British FTSE 100 tumbled over 2%, just like Germany, Spain and the Netherlands did. The French CAC40 lost 3.13% at the close, with no stocks in the green. More defensive markets such as Switzerland, Belgium and Denmark fared little better. In the United States, resistance was better. The S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 gave back just 0.8% and the Dow Jones barely more.

The market turned red yesterday because of the usual culprits, namely lack of growth in China and the hawkish US monetary policy. 

Wall Street is back after the 4th of July holiday, in a session punctuated by the publication of PMI services indicators for the major economies. 

With the economy and inflation bending but not breaking, despite rising key interest rates, financial markets ended the first half of the year with solid, if not exceptional, performances. Will the second-half be just as good, or should we run away? 

Again, investors were reminded of the determination of Western central banks to raise rates at the ECB conference in Portugal yesterday. And this time, they couldn't care less. And some good news today proved them right. Inflation dropped more than expected in the US and Europe.

Yesterday, Wall Street struggled to sustain the rebound seen on Tuesday, but overall investors are becoming less nervous, slowly accepting that more central banks will remain hawkish for longer. Comments made by central bankers at their meeting in Sintra did not affect indices. 

Green has returned to Wall Street and global indices thanks to upbeat US economic data. The resilience of US consumer spending has led to renewed optimism. It seems that the much-talked about recession – which for a year was supposed to be imminent - is not coming to America anytime soon. The economic outlook is still uncertain, but not dire, and investors have now come to terms that a few more rate hikes are on the way. 

Investors are feeling a bit lost and don’t really know which way to go. Wall Street opened in the green yesterday, before closing lower. Investors are taking a wait-and-see attitude ahead of a new flurry of statistics today, which will put the spotlight on American consumer spending. Meanwhile, hopes of a an economic stimulus in China are slowly rising.

The mood is changing on financial markets, after inflation returned with a vengeance, making investors’ life difficult and forcing central bankers to maintain a punitive approach to interest rates. The latest economic statistics are clearly bad, raising the specter of recession or, in the worst-case scenario, stagflation. The week ahead will offer more clues, with a raft of macroeconomic indicators scheduled and a flurry of speeches by central bankers.

US markets bounced back yesterday, driven by tech stocks, but it’s clear that uncertainty and doubts are creeping in. Investors almost felt that the fight against inflation was behind them, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it isn’t the case. Central bankers can’t help but tell them " we told you so".

Investor sentiment is deteriorating this week, with the accumulation of signals that inflation may not be behind us. Today, many central banks are releasing their rate decision, sometimes in spectacular fashion.

Futures on the main Wall Street indexes were slightly down today after investor sentiment took a few hits, including a lack of new stimulus from China, sticky inflation data in Britain and a drop in European real estate. And of course, investors are awaiting the start of a two-day testimony from U.S. Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Investors are awaiting questions about whether rates will rise again in July and peak in a 5.5% to 5.75% range as expected.

Investors are still closely watching any data that could influence the Fed’s next monetary policy decision, after June’s pause in rate hikes. They also don’t want to see the economy slip into recession. And the latest housing data just gave them hope.

The return of rate hikes fears didn’t weigh on markets for too long, as US equities rallied sharply yesterday, and the S&P500 entered a bull market. But the focus will quickly turn to the monetary policy meetings scheduled by the Fed and ECB next week. 

The unexpected rate hikes announced in Australia and Canada reminded investors that inflation hasn't evaporated from the risk landscape. The return of the hawks, i.e. the most orthodox central bankers, triggered some sell-offs yesterday in US growth stocks, which have been on a rollercoaster ride since the start of the year.

Well, I think it's clear: the market isn’t going down any more. Even when it appears to be doing so, investors find a way to save the day. This was the case yesterday, when the Nasdaq returned to the green at the end of the session, gaining 0.01%, while the Dow Jones was up by 0.03%. These variations are obviously anecdotal, but they show investors' resilience in a difficult and complex economic environment. 

With only a few days to go before the Fed unveils its monetary policy rate decisions, the pressure is on after the Australian central bank unexpectedly tightened its monetary policy, concerned about persistent inflation. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq is holding up well, China is speculating on a hypothetical support plan and Apple is presenting a new $3,500 toy.

The mood is still upbeat on equity markets, buoyed by economic strength in the US and the latest rumor of a stimulus plan in China. Tech stocks are still I the driving seat, as we await the next monetary events, first of all the Fed meeting on June 15. 

We’re nearing the end of the debt-ceiling psychodrama in the United States, which gives a welcome boost to global indices.

All Western markets ended in the red yesterday due to various headwinds. Exceptionally, they were unable to count on support from the tech sector. Investors were torn between the high probability of a resolution to the US debt ceiling issue and the return of rate hike fears.

Nothing new so far this morning, China continues to disappoint investors, AI still rules financial markets and the US debt ceiling remains the main focus of investors, as the month of May comes to a close.

Wall Street reopens after the long bank holiday weekend. Macroeconomic data also make a comeback with the first major statistic of the week, the Conference Board's US consumer confidence index. The focus of investors is still on the debt-ceiling in the US, after Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy reached a tentative agreement on the US debt ceiling, which must now be scrutinized by the Congress. 

Things are really heating up in the American tech sector, which benefits the Nasdaq 100 and the S&P 500, but elsewhere, the mood is not exactly festive. The Dow Jones is lagging, European markets are dragging their feet, the UK is sinking further into a deep crisis with Gilts drifting, Germany is officially entering recession, Beijing is struggling to turn its economy around, and oil is down around 3%. New data shows US inflation is proving resilient. Here's the overall picture for this final session of the week.

Artificial intelligence has been driving investment on Wall Street since the start of the year, and Nvidia just confirmed the trend. Nasdaq futures jumped nearly 2% this morning after the chipmaker issued a super upbeat guidance that even sparked an AI rally. Shares of Nvidia jumped a whopping 30% in premarket trading, while Microsoft Corp and Alphabet also rose.

The lack of good news coming from US debt ceiling negotiations and fears for future economic momentum weighed heavily on Wall Street yesterday. Today, investors are focused on Janet Yellen and the latest draft of the Fed's monetary policy meeting minutes.

There are still obstacles to overcome before Democrats and Republicans can reach an agreement in debt ceiling talks, but a compromise is close. Equity markets have returned to narrow trading ranges, awaiting news about the outcome of these negotiations. 

The negotiations on the US debt ceiling are still the focus of investors. This is a good thing, because otherwise we would probably be bored stiff. Relations between China and the US still rocky, after the banning of Micron there and a G7 that angered Beijing.

Investors’ appetite for risk assets has been reawakened. Let’s hope that Jerome Powell will not kill it when he speaks later today. 

Joe Biden's reassuring words on the US debt ceiling talks boosted US indices. He said he's "confident" that a debt ceiling deal will be reached that will prevent a U.S. default. 

The tech sector is still the main driver of indices, as investors keep using the techniques that have worked for them over the past decade. Talks about raising the US debt ceiling are still the main focus of investors, who fear the consequences that a default would have on global stock markets.

Bad news is starting to pile up in the U.S., but as often on stock markets, bad economic news can mean good news, since it can lead to a more dovish Fed. But it's not that clear at the moment what really is good news for investors. Yesterday, it was the Empire State business index that showed signs of severe fatigue, with a plunge well below what was expected in May. As for the US debt ceiling situation, Treasury chief Janet Yellen reiterated her warning that the US could run out of cash by June 1. Joe Biden has planned to meet with the congressional leaders of the Democratic and Republican camps today to try to break the deadlock as soon as possible.

Once again, investors are starting the week starts with many important questions in mind. Will the US authorities avoid economic troubles by raising the debt ceiling? Will China finally deliver on its promises of economic recovery? Will Ukraine kick Russia out of its territory? Will an artificial intelligence replace me by the end of the year? Sorry, I’m getting a bit off track here…

The three main Wall Street indices decided to play a different tune yesterday. The Nasdaq 100 remained in the green, helped by a 4.3% jump of Alphabet after the announcement of new artificial intelligence features to answer the offensive of Microsoft. By the way, here’s a tip: if you need funding right now, don't forget to slip the term AI in your communications, it works like a charm no matter the sector: technology, baking, scuba diving, plumbing, real estate... 

While the Nasdaq remains pretty strong, other indices are struggling a little more. Corporate results continue to move markets, as well as macroeconomic statistics, monetary decisions and Jamie Dimon.

Investors were trading carefully ahead of the monthly US inflation report, which came in at 8.30 am. The little red lights are still flashing in large numbers, so a return to looser monetary policy is the market's best bet. And this data should influence the central bank's next move.

The week started with a lackluster session on the stock market, with investors brushing aside all the current headwinds to bet on the easing of the US monetary policy. The focus is also on the U.S. debt ceiling and corporate earnings.

Investors are a little on the edge as they watch the latest developments regarding US regional banks, although Apple calmed them down a bit. This is basically where we’re at right now on markets, at the end of a week punctuated by several central bank monetary decisions.

The Fed raised rates yesterday and softened its stance. The market is having trouble seeing things clearly due to Jerome Powell sending mixed signals in his speech. Investors are also reeling from the latest episode in the banking crisis, and it’s reflected in futures today, which were in the red.

Here we go again, investors are again hoping and praying that the Fed will come to their rescue. The institution will release its policy decision at 2:00pm, followed by a conference to present the decision. Jerome Powell’s speech will be a tricky exercise, since the banking crisis made the situation even more complex. It is eroding confidence and causing institutions that seemed safe until recently to collapse. 

US stock futures were struggling for direction ahead of the start of the Federal Reserve's two-day May policy meeting, with investors still reeling from the news that another bank collapsed in America.

Futures were in the red this morning as investors awaited the much-anticipated PCE data, which is expected to influence the Fed’s monetary policy decision. The US central bank is due to meet next Wednesday.

U.S. stock index futures were in the green to start the day after an upbeat forecast from Meta Platforms. However, these are quite hectic times, and markets can quickly change direction after a worse-than-expected data or corporate release.

A slight breeze of caution is sweeping through equity markets ahead of major earnings reports from tech giants and a series of crucial indicators for the direction of US monetary policy. Microsoft, Alphabet, Visa, Nestlé, PepsiCo, McDonald's, Whitbread, and Novartis are just a few names on today's earnings release calendar, indicating a busy day in the financial markets. As usual, tech companies, which are closely watched by investors, will announce their performance after the US market closes. It's somewhat like a long-distance showdown between ChatGPT and Bard, as experienced observers may have noticed, at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly prevalent. It is the case at MarketScreener, where our engineers have been working for months on how to replace or assist us in our jobs, my team and I are feeling the impact. 

Wall Street indices remained flat this morning ahead of a week packed with earnings reports, including tech giants, as well as economic data and central bank meetings.

Wall Street struggled in early trading as investors are getting confused by the mixed economic data released in the past few days. It’s the usual conundrum: data showing that the economy and the job market are cooling fuels fear of recession but raises hopes of a dovish monetary policy from central banks. Data showing resilience in the economy raises hopes of a soft economic landing, but raises fears that inflation will linger for longer. 

Volatility is easing. The optimists have something to cheer about, because these phases usually mean that the environment is normalizing. This is good news for equity markets, which do not like uncertainty. Those who find it particularly boring can always console themselves with the numerous corporate earnings releases, which always contain a few surprises. 

The latest corporate results from big names were quite mixed, with Netflix posting a drop in earnings for the first quarter. Futures on the Dow Jones fell 0.3%, S&P 500 futures were down 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures dropped 0.8%.

The attention of investors has turned to earnings reports as they look for new catalysts to keep the good momentum going on markets. Chinese growth could help, even if it raises some questions.  

Last week was pretty busy and the coming one promised to be just as hectic. The focus will be on companies as earnings season picks up pace. We won't escape monetary policy, with a whole set of speeches by central bankers on the week's agenda. There will be at least one per day from the Fed, the ECB, the BoE and the SNB. 

Data published yesterday seems to confirm that both inflation and the job market are cooling in the US. Jobless claims climbed to 239K from 228K the previous week, while producer prices unexpectedly fell to 2.7% year-on-year in March from 4.6% in February. This is viewed as a positive signal towards a more dovish monetary policy by the Fed. The underlying momentum remains relatively fragile as earnings season starts.

The long-awaited CPI figures were pretty much a flop yesterday, with a tiny rebound for 3 minutes, before indices lost their mojo and ended the session lower. Investors were not impressed because although data showed US inflation was slightly lower than expected in March, at 5% year-on-year - while 5.1% was expected by economists - core inflation was slightly higher than in February. This is in line with what was expected in this case, but it also shows that prices are still on the rise.

Investors were eagerly awaiting March’s CPI data. which could influence the US interest rate path. Last week, US employment figures showed the job market is cooling, raising fears of recession, as well as hopes for a more dovish monetary policy.

Wall Street reopened yesterday after the Easter weekend in a calm atmosphere. Data released last week shows initial jobless claims climbed more than anticipated, which raised fears of recession and a hard landing for the economy, but also increased expectations of rate cuts by the Fed.  Investors are aware of the current turmoil and are even prepared for a 0.25% hike by the US central bank in early May, but they are also already expecting a first rate cut as early as this year.

It's the last session of the week before the Good Friday bank holiday, and the mood on stock markets is a little gloomy after a fiery March. Fears of an economic slowdown are taking precedence over hopes of an easing of monetary policy.

Equity markets were mostly down yesterday, especially in the US where concerns about a hard landing overtook hopes of a future rate cut. Hopes of a best-case scenario have been somewhat overshadowed in recent days by headwinds, but it takes more than that to debunk investors' incorrigible optimism. 

Oil prices rose by about 6% yesterday after the OPEC+ cartel announced an unexpected production cut. Commodities outperformed. The mood was dampened by the release of the ISM manufacturing index, which showed that the US manufacturing sector contracted in March for the fifth straight month, and came in below expectations at 46.3.

As we await the release of US March employment figures later this week, an important determinant of the Fed's monetary policy, Monday's session is marked by a surprise decision by OPEC+ on its oil production. The first quarter of 2023 is rather positive for equity markets, a sign that risk appetite is back after the turmoil of 2022.

Inflation shows signs of cooling in the US and Europe, which is boosting indices all over the world. In premarket trading, the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 were up 0.3%, while the Nasdaq inched up 0.1%, after the release of reassuring inflation data.

The Nasdaq has taken off again on Wall Street after two sessions of hesitation. Investors are increasingly willing to ease rates, believing that this is the best way to respond to the banking crisis. And so much for price rises. Inflation data will however dominate the end of the week, with a first estimate for Germany in March today, before US PCE inflation tomorrow.

It is difficult to find a direction for equity markets at the moment. Traditional benchmarks are blurred and there are conflicting signals. The good news is that the worries about the health of the banking sector have eased, although they have not completely gone away. 

Easing fears about contagion in the banking sector allowed the financial sector to get out of the rut while pushing down safe havens. The bond market has rallied slightly, much to the detriment of tech stocks. 

While worries about the banking sector linger, the US stock market remains resilient. The financial sector's setbacks are, in the opinion of most investors, the signal for a forced return to a favorable monetary policy. A bold gamble that benefits certain risky assets.

Wall Street resumed its upward trend yesterday, with the only thing on the mind of investors being a future easing of monetary policy. But that's not stopping banks from wobbling, with fears over Deutsche Bank in particular. 

The Fed did what investors expected it to do yesterday and markets reacted well. But the party was spoiled by Janet Yellen, who refused to embark on a universal deposit guarantee of US banks. As a result, the banking turmoil continued.

Investors have a date with the Fed this afternoon, and they’re trading with a certain amount of confidence this morning that contrasts with recent days. All the main global indices are in the green, with the S1P 500 up 1.3%, the Dow Jones up 0.9% and the Nasdaq 100 up 1.4%  after the open.

Banks fall and markets rise. It's a bit surprising, but investors are still quite comfortable with the return of central banks bailouts. After all, when the sorcerer's apprentices of finance mess up, there is always a regulator or a central bank to ensure the systemic balance. 

Wall Street's main indexes opened on a mixed note, with the Dow Jones and the S&P in the green while the Nasdaq remained in red, as investors assess the takeover of Credit Suisse and its impact on the Fed’s rate decision on Wednesday.

The support measures implemented by financial authorities after a wave of bankruptcies in the banking sector seem to have paid off. But I've been around the markets for too long to find this totally reassuring. 

Credit Suisse troubles rocked the US and Europe’s banking sector yesterday. The guarantee provided by the Swiss National Bank last night eased fears somewhat, but the cracks that are appearing on both sides of the Atlantic in the financial world are worrying. Will this force central banks to end restrictive monetary policies? This is the big question of the second half of March, which will probably shape the months to come.

Yesterday, the calm had returned to stock markets after positive US data showing that inflation slowed down in February. The statistics ended the global rout in banking stocks that started on Friday after the collapse of SVB Financial. Figures were in line with expectations, which fueled expectations of a smaller rate hike at the Fed meeting next week. But then Credit Suisse threw a spanner in the works...

U.S. bank failures and the strong response from authorities are confusing investors. Some are appalled by the speed with which the situation has deteriorated, while others believe that it will force the Fed to return to a better monetary policy, supporting activity and restoring confidence. As is often the case, the reality is likely to be more complex with the addition of a new variable to an already complex economic equation. 

If there’s an expression that has been overused in the last 72 hours in financial markets, it’s certainly "the canary in the coal mine". Is Silicon Valley Bank (SVB Financial) the "canary in the coal mine", i.e. the first domino in a catastrophic series? US authorities have ensured that this is not the case, but by sending an insidious message: take risks, we will always take care of the rest. Investors seem reassured. Let's examine this in a little more detail.

Has anyone heard about SVB Financial before yesterday? Not me! This Californian bank created havoc on Wall Street yesterday by exposing its difficulties. With a considerable psychological effect that awakened the old demons of the market. We'll see if this is just another variable in the complex equation on rates and inflation or if the panic will pass.

Wall Street futures were down today as investors worry about interest rates following Jerome Powell’s hawkish speech on Tuesday. They are now awaiting tomorrow's employment report for February, which could lead the central bank to go for a 50-basis points rate hike later this month instead of 25 basis points.

Jerome Powell got tough yesterday: he warned that rates will have to be raised higher than expected to regain control of prices. Investors were expecting this, so indices took a hit but did not collapse. Investors struggle to consider the possibility of a recession, because negative signals continue to be contradicted by an economic reality that, on the surface, remains dynamic. 

Today’s highlight is Jerome Powell's first testimony in before the Senate Banking Committee. Investors are eager for clues about the interest rate and inflation outlook. If the Fed is looking at a 50-basis point hike this month instead of the expected 25 basis points, there should be signs in Powell’s speech.

We’re at the start of a crucial week for monetary policy, as it includes a testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday and Wednesday and a monthly payrolls report on Friday. Investors are looking for cues on the trajectory of interest rates after the release of data showing that the job market is still hot and that inflation remains resilient.

The head of the Atlanta Fed invigorated the American market yesterday by adopting a more conciliatory tone than expected. As a result, investors are already looking forward to a positive weekly result. This will require overcoming a few pitfalls on the day's session, including the latest round of weekly data. 

Worries about a tightening of monetary policy seem to be taking hold again among investors. The data seems to be pointing in that direction and projections of key rate hikes are being revised upwards.

Investors are still stuck in the rate-growth-inflation quagmire, so much so that they might be missing positive signals sent by China.

Today ends a volatile February, which saw the return of Fed rate hike worries, as the US economy shows no sign of abating and data points to resilient inflation.

It was looking so good… Inflation had been tamed, and central banks were about to end their rate hike cycle… But this ideal scenario ended abruptly on Friday with the publication of stronger-than-expected US inflation data.  

Futures for Wall Street’s main stock index tumbled on Friday after the release of higher-than-expected U.S. inflation data that could influence the Fed’s rate hike policy. 

Nvidia strong sales guidance helped lift Wall Street's mood, with futures up this morning, although investors still worry about the Fed's monetary policy.

Wall Street had its worst day so far in 2023 on Tuesday. Why? Because a good PMI reading renewed fears that the Fed will have to raise rates further to avoid an overheating of the economy. Once again, good economic news is not always good news for financial markets. 

This week may not be as hectic as previous ones so far in 2023, but there's still plenty to animate the market. Today is filled with economic data, including PMIs. Wall Street reopened after a long weekend, and US futures are down.

Investors were looking on the bright side of life after Jerome Powell's soft speech on Wednesday, already seeing the end of rate hikes. But that was before the publication of US January employment figures today. 

The market feared a sanctimonious Fed for its first monetary policy decision of the year. What they got was a confused Fed, which reinforced the prevailing theory: inflation will slow down, the economy will land softly and the central bank will be able to return to a more favorable rate policy. The first big hurdle looks like it has been cleared for the early-year rebound. Today, it's time for two more central banks and a slew of corporate results.

January is over and February starts with a monetary policy decision. Investors expect to see their positive scenario validated today by the US central bank.

Investor’s sentiment took a small hit due to disappointing earnings and forecasts from big names such as Caterpillar, McDonald's and Pfizer, ahead of the Fed’s monetary decision tomorrow.

This week is particularly important for investors, because it could provide answers to several questions. Why? Because we have three monetary policy decisions from central banks and a few hundred company results... Will they confirm the renewed optimism seen since the beginning of the year?

Optimism continues to soar across equity markets, where investors continue their harvest of risk assets. The Nasdaq rallied 2% yesterday and Bitcoin returned to the USD 23,000 level for the first time since August. At the risk of sounding like Debby Downer, it all seems too much too soon…

It's going to be another big week for corporate earnings, which will give investors some clues about the state of the economy amid concerns about recession. 

The session starts better than yesterday's, after Netflix announced that it added way more customers than anticipated in the fourth quarter. It also posted operating profit $200 million above expectations. After a gloomy session yesterday, which contrasted sharply with the optimism of the beginning of the year, Western equity markets look motivated to rebound, despite the fight over the debt ceiling in the United States. 

Futures for Wall Street's main stock indexes fell sharply on Thursday, due to worries over U.S. recession following the release of weak economic data and hawkish comments from Fed officials. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester yesterday both advocated for raising rates beyond 5%. 

Large banks kicked off earnings season on a mixed note, with Morgan Stanley doing well, while Goldman Sachs disappointed investors. They are closely monitoring earnings reports to get more clues about the state of the economy and how it will affect the Fed's monetary policy.

Wall Street reopened after the long Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend, and investor sentiment was impacted by mixed news. 

Wall Street's main indexes opened in the red on Friday after worrying statements from bank executives after several financial institutions posted their fourth quarter earnings.

Futures were slightly up this morning as investors anxiously awaited US inflation figures. They've now just been released, and they're in line with expectations. After the announcement, indexes went up and down and up.

The bulls are overtaking the bears in early 2023. The good news is that it looks a little more sustainable than last year. In January 2022, the bullish run lasted three sessions before a long descent into chaos, that later accelerated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the launch of the Fed's monetary tightening cycle. It is China and cooling inflation that are now causing this cautious optimism.

The new year has reawakened investors' appetite for risk, especially in tech stocks. They believe their torment will stop with the upcoming end of the Fed's monetary tightening cycle. The head of the institution, Jerome Powell, had the opportunity this morning to give them a message.

Wall Street's main indexes opened in the green on Monday on optimism around slower wage growth in the US, lower-than-expected inflation data in the Eurozone China reopening its borders. European markets are up to a good start in 2023, while in the United States, it's more mixed, as it took a euphoric session on Friday to tip the balance in the right direction. 

Here's a selection of the biggest variations of the week, up and down!

US stock futures rose sharply this morning after the latest employment report from the Labor Department confirmed that the job market is cooling down.

Hopes that the Fed was going to turn dovish at the start of the year have just been crushed. Signs that inflation is cooling in the US and Europe fueled expectations that central banks were about to stop rate hikes, but that was before the release of the Fed’s minutes from its latest policy meeting. They showed officials believe higher interest rates need to stay a while longer to curb inflation.  They don’t even see any rate cuts in 2023.

Investors are facing a lot of uncertainty to start the year. The holidays that delayed the recovery of several markets did not help. The NYSE remained sluggish yesterday, betrayed by some of its star stocks and a sharp decline in energy companies. 

This is the last trading session of the year before the market starts 2023, which we hope will be better for stocks than 2022. US tech companies bounced back yesterday, while bond yields eased a little. Although yesterday was a good session, today Wall Street opened in the red. 

The atmosphere is not particularly carefree or relaxed on stock markets, in the traditionally quiet week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Investors did not get their end of year rally, perhaps because indices had already rebounded quite a bit since mid-October. The reason for this post-Christmas depression has not changed: the central banks' hawkish policy is frightening investors, who fear an uncontrolled slowdown of the major economies. If inflation was the central theme of 2022, economic momentum promises to be the common thread in 2023.

In the absence of good economic news in the United States or Europe, investors are clinging to what they can. At the moment, Beijing represents a glimmer of hope, since it started easing Covid restrictions and announced measures to support its economy. Commodities have outperformed this year.

As usual, the week between Christmas and New Year remains very quiet. Wall Street reopened in the green after a long holiday weekend, boosted by reports that China is about to end its Covid-19 quarantine policy for incoming international travelers.

The last session before Christmas is not up to a great start, with all the main indexes across the world opening in the red. Investors are digesting a new reading on US inflation, before the long holiday weekend.

The unexpected good mood of the American consumer brought the stock markets out of their torpor yesterday, allowing them to erase some of the losses accumulated in the previous sessions. This has triggered a pre-Christmas mini-rebound, that already ended today.

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Wall Street opened in the green, after four-straight sessions of losses, as the long Christmas weekend looms. Investors cheered the strong results from Nike and Fedex. However, unless there is a miracle in the last sessions of 2022, investors might not be getting their usual Christmas rally.

Nobody saw this coming. Overnight, the Bank of Japan amended its yield curve control policy, paving the way for more interest rates hikes. This created a negative butterfly effect on stocks, bonds and the dollar and sent all global indexes in the red this morning, including Wall Street.

Equity markets have had a second week of decline, which brings them back around their mid-November level. There was a 2.1% drop for the S&P500, -2.8% for the Nasdaq and -1.7% for the Dow Jones. The main driver is still the pivot in the US monetary policy. Investors are trying to guess when the peak of the current rate hike will occur, and at what altitude.

This was a bad session for equity markets yesterday. Investors were still reeling from Jerome Powell’s speech on Wednesday and took a beating from Christine Lagarde on Thursday. The pro-bounce scenario for stocks that had begun to take shape in recent weeks is unraveling as recession fears mount. It's not the best of entries for this last session of the week, which coincides with the "day of the four witches", when several derivative deadlines telescope. 

There is no escaping the central banks today, as several monetary policy decisions have just been announced. And the market reaction isn't great since all the main indexes are in the red today. Yesterday, it was the Fed that fired the first shot, adopting a tone that was less accommodative than investors had hoped. As a result, Wall Street lost some ground and will probably have to revise its baseline scenario to make it a little more cautious.

Let's mention two big topics this morning and a smaller one, although it could also have implications for financial markets. We have of course the countdown to the U.S. central bank's final monetary policy adjustment for the year 2022. After raising rates four times by 75 basis points, the first time this has happened since the 1980s, the Fed is expected to reduce the pace, but without totally releasing the pressure. Verdict this afternoon.

Things are getting serious today, with the first in a series of important macroeconomic events: Consumer prices. They’ve just been published, and investors can breathe a sigh of relief as they came in better than expected.

Investors remain cautious at the start of a week full of important economic events. There are only a few stock market sessions left this year, but a lot is going to happen in the next few days. If all goes according to market expectations, four major central banks will raise their key rates by 50 basis points. 

It's the reading every investor was waiting for, and it ended being rather disappointing. Monthly producer prices data came in higher than expected, which could mean that the Federal Reserve will keep raising interest rates for longer to tame high inflation.

On stock markets, it's a bit of a complicated week. The recent good news is fizzling out and the markets are dragging their feet in a fourth consecutive session of decline, as investors are uncomfortable with the economic and financial context. For the week, the S&P500 is down -3.4% and the Nasdaq 100 -4.1%. 

Investors were so focused on the Fed pivot to a dovish monetary policy that they almost forgot that a recession is looming. They got a reality check when the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase said in separate interviews that they were bracing for a downturn, since inflation and the slowing economy will eventually impact consumer spending power.

Wall Street opened flat after yesterday’s bearish session over concerns about the Fed’s monetary policy. It’s the usual confusion among investors, after the publication of good economic data yesterday. Although it shows that the economy is holding up well against rate hikes, and a soft landing is possible, this also means that the Fed could be raising rates for longer to control inflation.

The week starts on a mixed note, as investors take in the stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report and signs that China is easing its Covid policy. For some, this renewed hopes that a soft landing is possible after all. For other investors, this means that the Fed may have to keep hiking rates for longer. This is because the wage component was twice higher than expected, a sign that inflation might be taking hold.

Investors thought that the pivot to a dovish policy was reached on Wednesday, when Fed chair Jerome Powell signaled that the central bank would go for a smaller rate hike in December. However, job data released today ruined the mood.

Fed chair Jerome Powell reassured investors in his speech yesterday, which led Wall Street indexes to new highs. He hinted that the December rate hike could be more moderate than in November, while reiterating that more efforts are needed. “The time for moderating the pace of rate increases may come as soon as the December meeting”, he said.

November ends with a slightly positive balance sheet, with the S&P500 up 2.2% and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.9%. Wall Street remained flat today in pre-market trading, ahead of Powell's speech, and after the release of the ADP National Employment report, which showed that private employment remains resilient.

Adidas, Mulberry, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), Chrysalis Investment, Nestlé, Foxconn & Apple, AMC networks, Airbnb, Horizon Therapeutics, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Footlocker, Oracle, Amazon, Crowdstrike, Alibaba & Tencent, Arm, Eisai & Biogen, Nidec are in this press review!

Rising Covid cases in China hit investor sentiment yesterday, but better news came overnight, with Chinese authorities pledging to boost elderly vaccination rates. In addition, Covid cases fell for the first time in a week. This lifted Asian and European markets today, while Wall Street opened flat.

Investor sentiment is hampered by worries about China's economic growth as Covid cases rise in the country. Demonstrations broke out in several cities this weekend against the Covid restrictions that have been going on for nearly three years.

After Thanksgiving, Wall Street remains very quiet, with investors keeping an eye on Black Friday sales to assess the impact of inflation and how it will affect Fed policy. U.S. stock markets are open for a half session today until 1 p.m. ET. The National Retail Federation estimates that 166.3 million people will be shopping from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. 

On the eve of Thanksgiving, investors are eager for clues about what the economic future holds. The release of the minutes from the last Fed meeting early this afternoon will be an opportunity to fine-tune the scenarios. However, the PMIs released today gave them much more clarity.

Wall Street struggled yesterday, as Brent prices fell more than 5% after China implemented new lockdowns due to rising Covid cases, and following reports that Saudi Arabia supports OPEC+ increasing supplies. However, oil prices recovered today, after Saudi Arabia denied these reports. This lifted the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, S&P 500 futures, and Nasdaq futures, who were all up around 0.4% this morning.

The increase in the number of Covid cases in China caused turmoil across Asian financial markets, which is weighing on US indexes this morning. The Chinese government introduced further restrictions, fueling fears about global demand.

After yesterday's sell-off session due to hawkish comments from Fed officials, Wall Street returned to the green this morning. This is despite ongoing worries that the Federal Reserve will be forced to raise interest rates higher than originally thought to tame inflation.

Mixed economic data is weighing on investor sentiment, with strong results from Nvidia, a disappointing guidance from Target, while Walmart is doing well and the lower-priced retailers seem to be doing better. The many speeches from Fed officials are adding to the confusion.

Investors were trading cautiously in per-market trading today, ahead of the release of retail sales data. The market wasn't sure if it wanted strong retail sales or weak ones, and the reaction was initially muted after the US Census Bureau posted better-than-expected figures.

Monday wasn’t a great start to the week, as the rally that began after Wednesday’s lower-than-expected US inflation reading fizzled following hawkish comments from Fed official Christopher Waller. But today, the mood improved again after Fed vice-president Lael Brainard gave a reassuring speech, along with the release of good October price data.

The better-than-expected U.S. inflation reading and pro-recovery measures in China have boosted investor morale for the past few days. However, a Fed official already dampened investors' hopes on Sunday.

 It was a good day yesterday on Wall Street, after a much better-than-expected inflation reading brought investors back to life. Investors are now mostly expecting a 50-basis point rate hike in December, instead of the now usual 75 bps. 

Donald Trump's Nemesis, Ron DeSantis, stroke a very large victory in Florida, against the Democrat Charlie Crist. He now stands as the main rival of Trump's presidential bid for 2024.

Donald Trump's Nemesis, Ron DeSantis, stroke a very large victory in Florida, against the Democrat Charlie Crist. He now stands as the main rival of Trump presidential bid for 2024.

It's election day today in the US, and the stakes are high. Its consequences on stock markets are hard to predict. For now, indexes are showing signs of stabilization. But the election results and US inflation figures on Thursday might bring new turmoil.

Investors are optimistic by nature. Although Jerome Powell made it clear on Wednesday that the much-awaited pivot towards a dovish monetary policy was not for now, today's bad employment numbers have boosted indexes, with the Dow opening at +1.1%, the S&P at +1.5% and the Nasdaq at +1.8%. The data supports speculation that the Fed may slow the pace of its rate hikes as soon as December.

They were sure the pivot towards a dovish policy was for now, buy investors got a hard reality check yesterday when Chairman Powell made it clear that the time wasn't now. However, he didn't shut the door completely, so there are still reasons to hope.

There is a lot of anticipation around the Fed's monetary policy decision this afternoon. Investors are hoping that the U.S. central bank will introduce some flexibility into the steering of its monetary policy. As this has been the main fuel for the rebound of the last fortnight, a confirmation would be welcome to avoid the double step backwards that follows every step forward in 2022 in the stock market.

Investors are trading cautiously ahead of the Fed’s meeting tomorrow. A fourth 75 basis points increase is widely expected, bringing the lending rate to a 3.75%-4.00% range However, investors hope that the central bank will take a softer stance and start talking about easing its pace of rate hikes.

Today is the start of a crucial fortnight for markets, with a monetary policy decision by the US central bank this week and the mid-term elections in eight days. Investors have regained some appetite for risk.

Downbeat guidance from Amazon and Apple was taken by investors as a sign that the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes have worked and are now slowing the economy. This might be the signal the Fed needed to start easing its monetary policy. However, today's lower-than-expected inflation data and better-than-expected consumer spending data confused investors.

Tech giants are having a tough time on Wall Street. After the disappointments of Microsoft and Alphabet, it is Meta Platforms that is plunging due to weaker-than-expected results. These earnings reports are a bit of a setback to the rebound that investors are trying to build on premonitions of a future shift in monetary policy. Still, we feel that there is a push behind stocks.

Volatility continues on equity markets due to mixed corporate results. After a strong session yesterday, the Nasdaq 100 opened 2% lower after the disappointing results from Alphabet and Microsoft, which renewed fears of recession.

Today is heavy in terms of corporate results, and Wall Street opened flat due to mixed earnings, with Coca-Cola raising its sales and profit guidance, while 3M or Raytheon cut their forecasts.

Wall Street opened slightly higher, as traders remain cautious at the start of a crucial week that will include earnings reports from nearly a third of the S&P 500. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are all on the agenda by Friday.

This is a bizarre in-between period, with investors fearing a recession, but still hoping that central banks will be able to save the day by curbing inflation.