Yesterday, the Fed vice chairman, Richard Clarida, said that the US central bank will be able to overcome an inflation sharp rise while maintaining the current course of economic recovery. The dollar index fell by 0.17% on this news and is near its yearly lows. The US stock indices corrected a little bit yesterday: the S&P 500 index decreased by 0.21%, the Dow Jones Industrials lost 0.24% and the Nasdaq decreased by 0.03%.
Macro statistics for Germany were released yesterday. The economy contracted by 1.8% in the first quarter of 2021, but the business activity index rose to its highest level in 2 years. On the back of this news, German DAX jumped by 0.18% to its highest level. Meanwhile, the rest of the European stock indices showed mixed dynamics on Tuesday. British FTSE 100 decreased by -0.31%, French CAC 40 lost 0.28% and Spanish IBEX 35 increased by 0.03%.
Oil prices are down slightly as investors have concerns that a possible resumption of supplies from Iran will oversaturate the market, despite expectations of increased demand for fuel in the US, which an inventory report will be released today.
Thanks to the declining US Treasury yields and stable monetary policy from the Fed, gold prices continue to move up rapidly. On Tuesday, the price of gold added another 1% to its highest level since early January this year.
As the dollar index is falling, Asian markets are rising too. The broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside of Japan, the MSCI, rose by 0.28% to a two-week price high, while Japan’s Nikkei added 0.27%. The Central Bank of New Zealand has reported on monetary policy and said it intends to raise interest rates by September next year. Along with Canada and Norway, this is the 3rd country that is ready to tighten monetary policy.
Main market quotes:
- S&P 500 (F) 4,188.13 -8.92 (-0.21%)
- Dow Jones 34,312.46 -81.52 (-0.24%)
- DAX 15,465.59 +27.58 (+0.18%)
- FTSE 100 7,029.79 -21.80 (-0.31%)
- USD Index 89.69 -0.15 (-0.17%)
Important events:
- New Zealand RBNZ Monetary Policy Statement (q/q) at 05:00 (GMT+3);
- New Zealand RBNZ Press Conference at 06:00 (GMT+3);
- US Crude Oil Reserves (w/w) at 17:30 (GMT+3).
