Headlines:
- ICYMI: The agenda for the Jackson Hole symposium
- Dollar holds steadier so far, awaiting Powell
- Looking past Powell, what should markets look out for next?
- British energy regulator Ofgem lifts gas, electricity price cap by 80% to £3,549
- Germany September GfK consumer sentiment -36.5 vs -31.8 expected
Markets:
- EUR leads, NZD lags on the day
- European equities lower; S&P 500 futures down 0.3%
- US 10-year yields up 4.7 bps to 3.071%
- Gold down 0.8% to $1,743.62
- WTI crude up 1.1% to $93.16
- Bitcoin down 2.1% to $21,185
Markets are caught in no man's land at the moment, as all eyes are on Fed chair Powell's speech at Jackson Hole later in the day.
The dollar was steadier early on but is now trading more mixed with EUR/USD weaving in and around parity but is now up just 0.1% to 0.9987 on the day. USD/JPY is keeping a steady advance as bond yields creep a little higher, with the pair now sticking closer to 137.00 from around 136.80 earlier in the day.
Elsewhere, the pound took a slight knock to 1.1775 against the dollar after British energy regulator Ofgem said that it would lift its energy price cap by a whopping 80% to £3,549 and warning of more increases in the months ahead. Still, with the focus on Powell, cable bounced back to settle down 0.1% around 1.1815 at the moment.
In the equities space, European stocks were initially higher but are now softer as US futures are also looking more tepid on the day. The back and forth mood during the week isn't helping and it is now down to Powell to settle the score before the weekend.
