Overview
Political tensions have risen in Europe as Catalonia may declare independence from Spain as early as tomorrow. Additionally, uncertainty over Brexit negotiations and the disappointing results from the German elections are weighing on the euro.
The euro is down 0.1% against a basket of its peers. Meanwhile, Madrid’s index, the IBEX 35 is 1.1% stronger after last week’s bearish sentiment.
The pound climbed 0.4% after suffering a 2% fall last week, after lack a lack of clarification on Brexit talks from the Conservative party’s annual conference.
The dollar is 0.02% weaker this morning as the currency heads into a test this week from the release of the Federal Reserve’s September meeting minutes.
Friday’s non-farm payrolls showed a sharp decline in the number of jobs created. The results were largely dismissed as a transitory impact from the recent hurricanes.
The Turkish lira plummeted by 6.6% against the dollar – an eight-month low for the currency pair. The sell-off came after the US issued a block on visas in Turkey.
The New Zealand dollar fell 0.6% after the election results showed centre-left gained popularity and are now heading into coalition negotiations.
Stocks
European equities are mostly trading in the red as tensions in the bloc rise. The eurozone’s proxy, the DAX 30, has given up 0.08% of its gains while France’s CAC 40 has dropped 0.3%. The stronger pound is hurting the FTSE 100, down 0.2%.
US stocks are feeling a bit more positive. Wall Street’s S&P 500 has gained 0.1% while the Dow Jones has added 0.09% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq has climbed 0.13%.
Earnings season kicks-off today with major US banks due to reveal their account balances. JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM)., Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C)., Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC). and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) & Co will report their third-quarter performance this week. Earnings growth is expected to be robust, while trading revenues will be capped by low volatility.
After a week-long holiday in China, equities are feeling lacklustre. The China A50 is 1.42% lower and the HSI is 0.05% weaker.
Commodities
Gold is 0.05% stronger as renewed anxieties over North Korea’s nuclear programme triggered a rally in the safe-haven asset.
Oil prices rebounded slightly from a 2% drop on Friday after concerns of over-supply in the market. The number of US oil rigs in operation declined as Saudi Arabia pledged to extend output cuts. Crude oil climbed 0.14%, while the international benchmark, Brent oil, fell 0.4%.