FX Daily, January 26: Subdued Activity as New Incentives Awaited
2021-01-26
Overview: After rallying strongly to start the year, Asia Pacific equities, led by the high-flying Hang Seng, sold-off, led by Tencent. Most markets in the region were off at least 1%. Australia and India escaped the profit-taking due to holidays. Europe’s Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is faring better and looks poised to snap a two-day fall, led by materials, financials, information technology, and consumer staples.
FX Daily, January 18: US is on Holiday, but the Dollar has Legs
2021-01-18
Overview: The new week has begun like last week ended. Equities are a bit heavy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell for the second session, its first back-to-back loss since before Christmas. China and Hong Kong were the notable exceptions, perhaps helped by stronger than expected GDP.
FX Daily, January 15: The Greenback is Finishing the Week with a Firm Tone
2021-01-15
The US dollar is firm against most of the major and emerging market currencies today. Among the majors, the Japanese yen and Swiss franc are resilient. For the week, sterling and the yen appear poised to eke out small gains, while the Scandi’s are the weakest performers with around a 1% decline.
FX Daily, January 13: PBOC Sends Signal as Market Looks Past Impeachment Vote
2021-01-13
The US dollar is regaining ground lost in yesterday’s setback against the major currencies. Sterling is the notable exception. It was toying with the $1.37 area, perhaps helped by the Governor of the Bank of England signal that there still are hurdles to adopting negative interest rates, which the futures market is still discounting for as soon as midyear.
FX Daily, January 12: Markets Catch Collective Breath
2021-01-12
Overview: The capital markets were stabilizing today after dramatic moves yesterday. Equity markets are recovering, and the dollar is paring yesterday’s gains. Most equity markets in the Asia Pacific region rose, though Taiwan, South Korea, and Australia were notable exceptions.
FX Daily, January 08: Can the Dollar Find Traction Even if the Employment Data Disappoint?
2021-01-08
The global equity rally picked up this week as it closed in 2019. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained today and is up in nine of the past 10 sessions. It has fallen only in one week since the end of October. South Korea’s Kospi led today’s advance with a nearly 4% rally on the back of talks that were later played down between Hyundai and Apple.
FX Daily, November 6: A Pause that Refreshens?
2020-11-06
Investors have piled into risk assets this week, seemingly undeterred by the US elections’ lack of a clear outcome. The coronavirus is still surging, and a new complication has emerged. A mutation of the virus, originating in minks (Denmark), could pose a challenge in developing a vaccine. MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose for the fifth consecutive session today to end its best week since April.