The DAX index has posted losses in the Wednesday session. Currently, the index is trading at 12,428.50 down 0.48% since the Tuesday close. On the release front, German and Eurozone Manufacturing PMIs slowed in January. The German PMI dipped to 60.3, shy of the estimate of 60.6 points. It was a similar story with the Eurozone PMI, which dropped to 58.5, shy of the estimate of 59.2 points. In the US, the key event is the Federal Reserve minutes from the January meeting.
It continues to be a blue February for the DAX, which has declined 6.2% so far this month. The correction on the US stock markets has sent European markets lower, although the DAX managed to gain ground last week, as European corporate earnings were generally strong. Will the stock market volatility resume? The markets are keeping a close eye on the Fed minutes, which could provide a hint of future rate policy. . Recent US numbers have been strong, and inflation indicators have been pointing upwards. This has raised concerns that the Fed may accelerate its pace of hikes, which triggered a sharp correction in global stock markets. The new chair of the Fed, Jerome Powell has tried to reassure the markets that the Fed is monitoring the situation, but it’s doubtful that the Fed can do much to prevent volatility in the markets.
It’s been a wild, wild ride for Bitcoin, the most popular virtual currency. Bitcoin has fluctuated between $900 and $19,000 over the past years. These wild swings have drawn the attention of policymakers and lawmakers, as there are growing concerns that virtual currencies could have a negative economic impact. France and Germany want to put virtual currencies on the agenda at the next G-20 meeting, and there is bipartisan support in Congress to adopt new rules to regulate virtual currencies. However, Draghi poured cold water on any ECB involvement, saying that it was not the ECB’s responsibility to ban or regulate Bitcoin. Draghi added that the ECB was exploring the use of blockchain, a digital technology to monitor bitcoin transactions.
