Market Update

US equities advanced after midday on Monday as technology and consumer discretionary sectors, which were among the worst performers last week, rebounded.The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.4% to 14,101.01, with the S&P 500 up by 1.2% to 4,485.12. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6% to 34,938.32 after briefly trading in …

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin said, Monday, that he would like the Fed to get better positioned. “How fast we go depends on how the economy develops, he added, saying also that the pace of rate hikes will depend on the pace of inflation. I’d like us …

At $1,799, the Gold Index (XAU/USD) is firm in the New York session, trading 0.37% higher on Monday. Equity markets started the week supported by greater clarity on the Federal Reserve’s policy normalization path and buoyed by central banks’ focus on securing a sustainable business cycle.Emergency monetary policy accommodation will …

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic on Monday said that he expects three rate hikes in 2022, in a reiteration of remarks made over the weekend. He clarified that a 50bps move in March was not the Fed’s preferred policy action and that the Fed is not fixed …

The EUR/USD pair is on the verge of an important upside break on the hourly charts. Bulls have their eyes set on a significant correction of last week’s bearish close and eye the 61.8% retracement level of the daily bearish impulse. The M-formation is compelling. This is a decline pattern …

Kansas City Fed President Esther George said on Monday that the Federal Reserve can move sooner to start reducing its bond holdings than in the past and aggressive action to shrink the US central bank’s portfolio.“What we do on the balance sheet will likely affect the path of policy rates …

The Bank of England will announce its decision on monetary policy this week. Market consensus points to a rate hike of 25bp to 0.50%. Analysts at Danske Bank see the BoE raising rates three times in 2022 (February, May and November) and consider that expectations of five hikes as being …

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President Mary Daly on Monday noted that if the Federal Funds rate was to reach 1.25% by the end of the year, that would be quite a bit of tightening but still supportive of the economy. Seemingly, Daly is talking about the possibility of …

Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan told Swiss broadcaster SRF on Monday that we have to take inflation developments seriously, and that while some of this inflation is certainly temporary, all central banks have to be careful it doesn’t become permanent. Jordan reiterated that inflation is expected to come down …

On Friday 4 February, the US official employment report will be released. Market consensus is for an increase in payrolls of 155K while Wells Fargo expects a decline by 100K. They anticipate average hourly earnings to rise by 0.6% during January.Key Quotes: “In recent months, there have been substantial revisions …