US #stockmarkets closed mixed - Industrials higher – Tech lower (#Samsung said they will cut chip production - lifting Western Digital & Micron +8%). USD continued to recover, (USDIndex topped at 102.50), Treasuries slipped again (10 yr 3.41%) and #BTC breached $30k for the first time in 10mths. In the Asian session stocks are higher (ASX +1.3% after Easter break & Nikkei +1.4% after a Dovish outlook from new BOJ Governor Ueda & Buffet said he was planning to add to his Japanese investments. AUD is outperforming.
Overnight Data Chinese #CPI cooled to 0.7% from 1.0% and missed expectations, and #PPI fell further remaining significantly deflationary at -2.5% from -1.4%
- FX – USDIndex rallied to 102.50 yesterday and hold at 102.00 today. EUR tested down to 1.0850 but is back to test 1.0900 today. JPY breached 133.00 yesterday & rallied to 133.88 as BOJ Governor Ueda, confirmed there will be no immediate policy change from the BOJ. Sterling’s decline from the key 1.2500 stalled at 1.2350 and now trades back at 1.2400 today.
- Stocks – US markets closed mixed (+0.30% to -0.03%) after a very weak open. #US500 closed at 4109 – US500 FUTS are higher today at 4140. Q1 Earnings Season kicks off with the big Wall Street Banks on Friday & FRC today.
- Commodities – USOil – Futures tested under the key $80.00 level but holds at $80.50 now. Gold – tests the vital $2000, level again today having been as low as $1982, yesterday.
- Cryptocurrencies – BTC rallied over 8% from the $28k level and breached $30k earlier today spiking to $30.7k on speculation that interest rates may have peaked. Additionally, a major revamp to the Ethereum ($1.917k) blockchain is due this week “that is set to allow them to gain access to more than $33 billion of ether currency. Dubbed Shapella, the software upgrade will let market players redeem their “staked ether” – coins they have deposited and locked up on the network over the past three years in return for interest.” – Reuters
Today – EZ Retail Sales and Sentix Index, EIA STEO, speeches from Fed’s Goolsbee & Harker. IMF Meetings Continue. Earnings – First Republic (#FRC), which was hit hard by client withdrawals in the aftermath of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse. Biggest FX Mover @ (07:00 GMT) AUDUSD (+0.46%). Rallied from under 0.6620 yesterday to test 0.6680 today. MAs aligned higher, MACD histogram & signal line positive & rising, RSI 61.00 & rising, H1 ATR 0.00092, Daily ATR 0.00701.