Market Pulse - Currencies
Trump to push for NHS to pay more for US drugs in trade deal
US President Donald Trump is set to put the interests of American corporations first and demand that the NHS pay higher prices for American drugs as part of a trade deal with Britain.
US personal income and spending slow in December
Personal income and spending was a tad weaker than expected at the end of 2019 although economists were confident that consumption would pick back up over coming months.
BoE leaves rates unchanged as it spies signs of recovery
The Bank of England's monetary policy committee voted 7-2 to keep interest rates unchanged in a closely watched decision with the UK on the brink of leaving the European Union.
Fed stays put on rates, T-bill purchases to continue
The US central bank kept all its main policy settings unchanged on Wednesday, as expected by analysts, including its commitment to continue purchasing very short-term Treasury bills at least into April.
M&G extends suspension of stricken property fund
M&G Investments' stricken property fund will remain suspended as it continues selling off assets to boost cash levels.
EU sets single market integrity as red line in Brexit talks
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said late on Monday the bloc would “never, never, never” compromise the integrity of the single market in the upcoming trade negotiations with the UK.
Xi Jinping pledges to beat 'devil' coronavirus
China's president Xi Jinping has pledged to beat the "devil" coronavirus as Hong Kong restricted rail and transport travel to and from the mainland and fears intensified over the disease's economic impact.
US consumer confidence hits November 2018 high in January
A widely-followed gauge of US consumer sentiment picked up more quickly than anticipated at the start of 2020, pointing to a still solid outlook for spending.
Defence spending buoys US durable goods orders in December, but only slightly
Orders for goods made to last more than three years shot higher at the end of 2019, but the details of the report revealed nearly across-the-board weakness outside of defence spending.
UK retail sector reports subdued start to 2020
UK retail sales were flat in January, the Confederation of British Industry reported on Tuesday, as the new year got off to a subdued start.
Tuesday preview: nCoV Coronavirus, Crest Nicholson in focus
The focus of trading on Tuesday will in all likelihood continue to be on the news-flow around the new nCoV coronavirus in China, as investors try and spy any slowdown in the momentum of new cases, which could be rapidly reflected in share prices.
Commodities: Crude oil futures continue to spill lower
Energy futures continued to cede ground despite multiple analysts' forecasts for a tightening supply balance later in the year as concerns of the impact that the new coronavirus in China might have on that economy weighed on near-term forecasts and sentiment.
FX round-up: Wuhan virus and rate cut speculation weigh on sterling
Sterling was trading on the back foot at the end of the week amid a risk-off environment as investors took stock of the new China coronavirus and the impact that it might have on that economy, and positioned themselves ahead of the central bank meetings in the UK and US that were scheduled for over the week ahead.
Week ahead: Bank of England (and Fed), Shell in focus
Central banks will be front and centre on investors' minds over the coming week, with the Bank of England possibly set to cut interest rates and the US Federal Reserve having the power to stop the current sharp gains in the stockmarket in its tracks, according to analysts.
Lagarde and Mnuchin clash on energy transition strategies
ECB President Christine Lagarde and US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have clashed at the World Economic Forum in Davos over how the world should transition to cleaner energies.
BofA changes rate call on BoE after PMIs, sees cut on 30 January
Economists at Bank of America changed their call for the Bank of England's next rate-setting meeting on 30 January, telling clients to expect a cut following the latest surveys on conditions within the UK's manufacturing and services sectors.
Euro area PMIs reveal signs of stabilisation in manufacturing, economists say
Economic growth in the Eurozone failed to accelerate yet again at the start of 2020 but the worst of the downturn in manufacturing looked to have passed and business confidence across the single currency bloc notched up a 16-month high, according to the results of a key survey.
US officials believe trade deals with UK and EU possible by year-end 2020
The US has raised the prospect that trade deals with both the United Kingdom and the European Union could be in place by year-end 2020.
ECB keeps policy unchanged, strategy review details to follow
The European Central Bank kept all its main policy settings unchanged on Thursday and announced the launch of its long-awaited strategy review.
US leading index drops but continues to point towards modest economic growth
A closely-followed gauge of economic activity in the States turned slightly lower at the end of 2019, but continued to point towards growth of around 2. 0% in the early part of the current year.