2020

Stocks relinquish gains as jobless claims surge by 6.6 million

No one used to care about it, but now it is arguably the most important macro data. The weekly unemployment claims hit a new record as 6.6 million people applied for it, doubling from 3.3 million the week prior. As soon as the data came out, European stock indices and US index futures, which had […]

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Crude oil heading to $20?

The price of oil is falling sharply again today after a few days of consolidation. The reason is simple: there is a massive imbalance of historic proportions. Global demand has slumped because of the covid-19-related lockdown. Supply, which was already higher than needed, is currently excessive to say the least as Saudi, Russia and the

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Stocks likely to face stiff resistance despite stimulus measures

After a nice recovery over the last few days, investors will be wondering whether the selling is about to resume again in this bear market. With a growing number of countries in lockdown and the virus still spreading rapidly in Europe and the US, it is very difficult to be optimistic about the global economic

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Stocks shrugs off Fed’s unlimited Treasury buying pledge

The Federal Reserve threw the kitchen sink at the problem caused by the coronavirus outbreak today and although the markets initially welcomed the news, the gains have since evaporated. The market’s reaction should not come as a surprise given that we have seen similar responses to other stimulus packages announced by central banks and governments

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USD/JPY arrives at key juncture

Despite ongoing risk off tone in the equity and commodity markets, the USD/JPY has been rallying sharply amid widespread dollar strength. But rates have now arrived at a key technical juncture. What happens next is important: a break above the resistance zone could pave the way for further sharp gains, while a rejection here could

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EUR/USD dumped on ECB stimulus, Coronavirus

Following ECB’s decision to announce a massive, open-ended, €750 billion asset purchase programme in an effort to mitigate the economic impact of the virus outbreak, the EUR/USD has nosedived. Already under pressure because of a rallying US dollar, this package was the final nail in the coffin for the single currency. If it stays below

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Gold getting heavier

Some folks have attributed gold’s recent decline, in the face of collapsing equity prices and interest rates, to a stronger US dollar. This is not the case, as gold in euro terms have also fallen equally sharply. Investors are therefore abandoning the so-called safe-haven metal for other reasons, including because of concerns over physical demand

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DAX: Selling continues

The brutal sell-off continued this morning as investors once again shrugged off the latest round of emergency central bank rate cuts. Equity investors are realising each passing day that the economic impact of the virus outbreak is going to be severe, after initially downplaying the risks. It is not just about cancellations of holidays, footballing

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