Headlines:
- Bond selloff takes a breather for the time being
- EU full ban on Russian coal reportedly to be pushed back to mid-August
- Technical issues stall EU's attempt to ban Russian coal but the path forward is evident
- Japan to release 15 million barrels of oil as part of IEA-led coordinated release
- China reaffirms that it opposes all forms of official interactions between US and Taiwan
- Pelosi visit to Taiwan stirs up US-China tensions
- BOJ's Noguchi: Merits of a weak yen on the economy outweighs the demerits
- Eurozone February retail sales +0.3% vs +0.6% m/m expected
- UK March Halifax house prices +1.4% vs +0.5% m/m prior
- Germany February industrial output +0.2% vs 0.0% m/m expected
Markets:
- GBP leads, AUD lags on the day
- European equities higher; S&P 500 futures up 0.2%
- US 10-year yields down 1.3 bps to 2.596%
- Gold up 0.1% to $1,928.30
- WTI up 1.5% to $97.63
- Bitcoin down 0.9% to $43,505
Headlines were few and far between on the session as markets settled down on the week, with the bond market selloff cooling and equities finding a bit of a breather after two days of modest declines.
Treasury yields are keeping lower while European indices are posting decent gains with S&P 500 futures also seen up 0.2%.
If anything else, it just points to a bit of a pause in the recent momentum as the focus stays on the battle between central banks and inflation for the most part.
In FX, the dollar was choppy but is now keeping little changed overall with EUR/USD moving down to 1.0865 from 1.0930 before sticking around 1.0890 levels at the moment.
USD/JPY is little changed as the pair continues to trade sideways between 123.50 and 124.00 since yesterday.
The aussie and the kiwi are laggards with the former stuck around 0.7475-90 against the dollar throughout the session.
Fed speakers will be something to watch later on in the day, so keep your eyes and ears peeled in case.
