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European Markets Soar to New Heights Amid Upbeat U.S. Debt Ceiling Talks

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3 weeks ago

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European Union

European markets witnessed a remarkable surge as they soared to new heights, driven by the optimism surrounding the ongoing U.S. debt ceiling talks.

Investors displayed renewed confidence in the market, pushing the pan-European Stoxx 600 index to a substantial gain of 0.77%. This impressive performance was observed across all sectors, except for a slight dip of 0.8% in the retail sector.

Financial services emerged as the frontrunners, leading the gains with an impressive uptick of 2.2%. Construction stocks also contributed significantly to the positive momentum, marking a notable increase of 1.56%. These strong showings bolstered the overall sentiment in the European markets.

One of the key contributors to this surge was Germany, as its stocks continued their upward trajectory. The DAX index climbed by 0.8%, reaching an all-time high of 16,275.38. This exceptional performance by German stocks further reinforced the bullish sentiment prevailing in European markets.

However, amidst the market euphoria, Tesco shares experienced a 0.5% decline. The supermarket chain announced that its Chairman, John Allan, would step down at the forthcoming shareholder meeting on June 16. The decision followed reported allegations of inappropriate behavior, which cast a shadow on the company and impacted investor confidence.

Meanwhile, traders kept a watchful eye on the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, which commenced on Friday. The gathering brought together world leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States to engage in discussions encompassing international trade and security. Pertinent topics on the agenda included the complex relationships between China and Russia, as well as discussions on sanctions.

The positive sentiment extended beyond European markets, permeating into the Asian markets as well. Japan witnessed continued growth, with its stocks surging to their highest level since 1990. Additionally, other Asia-Pacific markets experienced an overall uptick in their respective indices.

The buoyant mood also resonated in U.S. stocks, as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq-100 were all poised to conclude the week with gains.

In summary, the European markets reached unprecedented heights, riding on the wave of optimism generated by the progress made in U.S. debt ceiling talks. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index’s significant gain of 0.77% demonstrated investors’ increased confidence in the market. Germany’s DAX index breaking new records added further impetus to this positive trend. However, amidst the overall market rally, Tesco faced challenges with declining shares due to the announced departure of its Chairman. As the G7 summit unfolded and Asian markets also saw positive developments, the optimistic sentiment prevailed, fueling the upward trajectory of European markets.

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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Crude Oil

Saudi Arabia’s Output Cut Pledge Outweighs Weak Chinese Data and Rising US Fuel Stocks, Pushing Oil Prices Higher

The oil market faces a potential massive shortfall as Saudi Arabia’s surprise decision to deepen output cuts overrides concerns over Chinese export data and growing US fuel inventories.

Published

7 hours ago

on

June 7, 2023

By

Oil

Crude oil appreciates in the early trading session of Monday as Saudi Arabia pledged to slash its oil production by an additional 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in July.

The announcement prompted oil prices to edge higher on Wednesday, despite weak Chinese export data and rising fuel stocks in the United States.

Brent crude oil, the international benchmark for crude oil, rose by 36 cents, or 0.5% to $76.65 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude oil gained 37 cents, also at 0.5% to settle at $72.11. These gains followed Monday’s significant surge of both oils, with each jumping over $1 after Saudi Arabia’s decision was made public.

“As things stand, the oil market is on the cusp of a massive shortfall,” said PVM Oil’s Stephen Brennock. “Additional Saudi cuts are expected to deepen the market deficit to more than 3 million bpd in July by some estimates.”

However, prior to the market’s positive response to Saudi Arabia’s announcement, oil prices faced downward pressure due to weak Chinese economic data and increasing US fuel inventories. China’s exports contracted more than anticipated in May, while imports also declined as manufacturers continue to struggle in finding overseas demand to complement sluggish domestic consumption.

Wednesday’s data also showed that crude oil imports into China, the world’s largest oil importer, rose to their third-highest monthly level in May as refiners built up inventories.

A JP Morgan note showed forward crude cover in the country has climbed, indicating refiners have not increased processing rates but are instead storing oil.

Meanwhile, U.S. gasoline inventories rose by about 2.4 million barrels and distillates inventories were up by about 4.5 million barrels in the week ended June 2, the American Petroleum Institute figures showed.

The unexpected build in fuel inventories raised concerns over consumption by the world’s top oil user, especially as travel demand grew during the Memorial Day weekend.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Tuesday said that U.S crude oil production this year would rise faster and demand increases would be slower than previously expected.

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Markets

Weak Global Trade Weighs on Chinese Exports, Australian Growth Slows, Oil Slips Further

European indices and US futures look a little flat following a mixed session in Asia overnight, as Chinese trade data failed to inspire while Australian GDP pointed to further pain as the RBA continues raising rates.

Published

9 hours ago

on

June 7, 2023

By

Traders Wall Street

By Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst, UK & EMEA, OANDA

European indices and US futures look a little flat following a mixed session in Asia overnight, as Chinese trade data failed to inspire while Australian GDP pointed to further pain as the RBA continues raising rates.

Disappointing trade figures increase calls for stimulus

Chinese trade data offered further evidence of weakening demand both domestically and abroad, with exports falling particularly hard last month. A 7.5% decline far exceeded the -0.4% expected, while imports actually beat forecasts, albeit while also falling 4.5% in May.

Weaker global trade is not a new story but it is surprising how quickly China’s reopening boost has faded, with backlogs of work supporting export numbers until now even as other countries have continued to see demand for their goods wane.

With China’s reopening boom flagging so quickly, pressure is set to intensify on the leadership to announce new stimulus measures in a bid to revitalize the economy again and achieve its 5% growth target. That may initially come in the form of rate cuts, perhaps targeted to those sectors under the most pressure with authorities so far reluctant to engage in broad-based easing.

Australian growth slows as high interest rates bite

The Australian economy is slowing amid cost-of-living pressures, weaker household spending, and higher interest rates. GDP in the first quarter slipped to 0.2%, down from 0.6% in the final quarter of last year and below expectations. High-interest rates and inflation are hurting household finances and the economy is now suffering. This week’s RBA hike is going to compound this and unless we see signs of price pressures easing, there may be more to come.

Oil remains under pressure after Saudi cut

Oil prices are falling again today as Saudi Arabia’s attempt to dress up a unilateral move as a group cut fails to have the desired impact. Crude is now trading below the level it ended at Friday which suggests that, despite the knee-jerk reaction on Monday, traders were hedging against broader action from OPEC+ and got a light version of the deal they feared.

While Saudi Arabia remains price driven, the market is more concerned with the economic outlook, and the rest of the alliance seemingly isn’t interested in taking more action in anticipation of what may come. The commitment from the start of the next year could easily change depending on what unfolds whereas markets are forced to respond to current risks and as far as the economy is concerned, they are tilted to the downside.

Gold awaiting further data following inconclusive reports

Gold is treading water again this morning, sitting right in the middle of the roughly $1,940-$1,980 range it found itself in these past weeks. The economic data we’ve had recently has been far from conclusive and that creates a lot of uncertainty around the policy path for interest rates and therefore appetite for the yellow metal.

Inflation has proven to be more stubborn than hoped while the labour market remains resilient, a combination that doesn’t point to US rate cuts later this year as traders currently hope. This is a big summer and all of that may soon change but for now, that uncertainty is creating this choppiness and range trading we’re seeing in gold.

Will the Binance and Coinbase sagas bring regulatory clarity to the space?

It’s been an explosive couple of days in the crypto space, with the SEC targeting Binance and Coinbase with lawsuits containing various allegations that have rattled the industry. Bitcoin initially fell more than 5% on Monday before recovering largely on Tuesday and now it’s trading only marginally lower, just below $27,000. While the initial response to the action was negative, it didn’t exactly come as a shock and the companies will have been preparing for such a move for some time.

Given the size of the two exchanges and the recent scarring from the FTX scandal, there will obviously be some concern about what comes next. But one good thing that will hopefully come from this is regulatory clarity which has been lacking for years now.

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Crude Oil

Global Oil Prices Appreciate to $77.85 After Saudi Announces Plan to Cut Production

Global oil prices appreciated on Monday morning following Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it will cut crude oil production by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) from the month of July to curb global economic headwinds weighing on the market.

Published

2 days ago

on

June 5, 2023

By

Crude Oil - Investors King

Global oil prices appreciated on Monday morning following Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it will cut crude oil production by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) from the month of July to curb global economic headwinds weighing on the market.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigerian oil is priced, rose by $1.72, or 2.3%, to $77.85 a barrel by 10:48 am Nigerian time while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude also climbed by $1.72, or 2.4%, to $73.46.

Both crude oils gained more than 2% on Friday after the Saudi energy ministry announced that the top exporter would reduce output from 10 million bpd in July to 9 million bpd in May 2024. The biggest of such reduction in years.

The voluntary cut is on top of a broader deal by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia to limit supply into 2024 as the OPEC+ producer group seeks to boost flagging oil prices.

OPEC+ pumps about 40% of the world’s crude and has cut its output target by a total of 3.66 million bpd, amounting to 3.6% of global demand.

“Saudi remains keener than most other members in terms of ensuring oil prices above $80 per barrel, which is essential for balancing its own fiscal budget for the year,” said Suvro Sarkar, leader of the energy sector team at DBS Bank.

“Saudi will probably continue doing whatever it takes to keep oil prices elevated … and take calculated pre-emptive steps to ensure the macro concerns potentially affecting demand are negated.”

Consultancy Rystad Energy said the additional Saudi cut is likely to deepen the market deficit to more than 3 million bpd in July, which could push prices higher in the coming weeks.

Goldman Sachs analysts said the meeting was “moderately bullish” for oil markets and could boost December 2023 Brent prices by between $1 and $6 a barrel depending on how long Saudi Arabia maintains output at 9 million bpd over the next six months.

“The immediate market impact of this Saudi cut is likely lower, as drawing inventories takes time, and the market likely already put some meaningful probability on a cut today,” the bank’s analysts added.

Many of the OPEC+ reductions will have little real impact, however, as the lower targets for Russia, Nigeria and Angola bring them into line with their actual production levels.

In contrast, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was allowed to raise output targets by 200,000 bpd to 3.22 million bpd to reflect its larger production capacity.

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