Headlines:
- It is the first Friday of the new month and that only means one thing..
- Germany to outline new restrictions in order to tackle omicron variant
- China calls for banks to boost property loans amid default fears
- Oil continues impressive start to the new year
- Eurozone December preliminary CPI +5.0% vs +4.7% y/y expected
- Eurozone November retail sales +1.0% vs -0.5% m/m expected
- Eurozone December final consumer confidence -8.3 vs -8.3 prelim
- UK December Halifax house prices +1.1% vs +0.7% m/m expected
- Germany November industrial production -0.2% vs +1.0% m/m expected
Markets:
- GBP leads, AUD lags on the day
- European equities mostly a little lower; S&P 500 futures up 0.2%
- US 10-year yields down 0.6 bps to 1.726%
- Gold up 0.2% to $1,792.30
- WTI up 0.8% to $80.10
- Bitcoin down 1.6% to $42,4210
European morning trade today was more of a placeholder session, as we await the US non-farm payrolls release later.
Major currencies are little changed alongside bond yields, while equities are more cautious and tentative. The only decent mover was oil, which climbed back above $80 as buyers keep poised.
Besides that, the market is pretty much waiting on what the jobs report later will offer before committing to any further moves (either building on or pulling back from the post-FOMC meeting minutes mood) ahead of the weekend.
If anything else, keep an eye on the bond market as this chart in 10-year yields remains a key focus.
I wish everyone a great weekend and hope you guys had a good start to the new year. :)
