Shanghai was the only one to underperform the core with a 1.4% decline and a weaker currency market. The Trade numbers missed expectations and that was probably the key reason why the Yuan took the hit. Closing down over 1% (at 6.286) was its weakest move in over two years. The balance of Asian […]

The mood was a little down this afternoon, that Asian equity markets could not produce more enthusiasm than we saw today. With all core markets opening on a positive note, following the late US rally, it was less than encouraging that they could maintain that theme. Shanghai was the first market to turn down after […]

  It was expected to be a crazy fun-filled week and today has confirmed wild status! The Nikkei ended the session down 1% and saw the currency lose 1%. Guess they didn’t really have a direction provider having seen Wall Street whipsaw 200 points in either direction. The nerves are definitely being felt now, which […]

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced that it has brought a case in conjunction with the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Investigative Division, charging criminal and civil enforcement actions against three banks and six individuals involved in commodities fraud and spoofing schemes, which they define as bidding or offering with the […]

We opened the week with a quiet, low volume Monday but with plenty of central bank activity scheduled to look forward to. Given the US shutdown started midnight Friday, the news over the weekend appears to be somewhat muted, but unless it continues for a longer period it is unlikely to have economic consequences. The […]

It really does feel as though Christmas is being used an excuse not to do anything! Volumes have been poor for a while but recent trading questions whether we really need to open five days a week. No-one expected the BOJ to light the fuse and that was reflected in todays price movement. Early losses […]

  The tax reform bill passing the US House yesterday certainly added to sentiment, after great earnings releases for markets but Asia need more help for cash today. Having opened strong all core markets then drifted and even saw the Nikkei trade negative. For the week it closes down 1.3% which has broken a two […]

In Japan Shinzo Abe is back in, Czech Republic has taken a step to the right, Catalonian crisis is back in the headline (if it were ever out in the past few weeks), China unemployment hits a low and even an almost political edge from Janet Yellen on Friday evening has given us food for […]

The news of Steve Bannon’s departure on Friday came too late for Asia and so cash markets readjusted in this mornings session. We did see a little move back into the JPY again, but much of that move was Friday evening and so today was a combination of the remnants of this and the concerns […]

The biggest conversational topic today was the recent USD bounce, as well as the oil price decline. Japans Nikkei held-in as the nervousness returned, but it was the JPY trading back close to 111 that had people talking. Given the US Retail Sales number was so above expectation the market now assumes the FED are […]