Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Member Silvana Tenreyro said on Wednesday that the latest rise in oil prices will increase inflation and dampen UK economic activity. The high level of companies wage expectations in the BoE’s latest Agents’ survey was a surprise, though we will have to see if …
Read More »What Russia’s SWIFT Ejection Really Mean Amid War Fogs
Filtering information is one of investors’ most important tasks. It is normally a difficult task under the best conditions, but right now, amid the fog of war, filtering information is nearly impossible.Away from reports, fake images and news from Russia and Ukraine, the fog is also engulfing a lot of …
Read More »Market Drivers – US Session – 22 Feb. 2022
Relatively short wave of optimism touched financial markets during London trading hours, as Ukrainian President V. Zelenskyy said that he believes there would not be war nor a wider escalation. Economic DataMarkit flash PMIs for the EU, and the US were generally encouraging, indicating economic expansion in February as the …
Read More »Biden Condemns Putin and Announces New Sanctions
Washington and its allies called the Kremlin’s recognition of two separatist regions a blunt defiance of international law that risks war. Western officials said Russian troops have entered eastern Ukraine.US President Biden on Tuesday announced harsh new sanctions aimed at punishing Russia for what he called “the beginning of a …
Read More »Market Drivers – US Session – 21 Feb. 2022
Latest news says Russia has right to deploy military bases in eastern Ukraine under new agreement with separatist leaders.The news escalates the fears of a military invasion by Russia and weigh on the risk appetite, which in turn drag Antipodeans and propel the rush to risk-safety.Economic DataUS markets are still …
Read More »UK Retail Sales Rebound Sharply in January
The UK retail sales came in at 1.9% over the month in January vs. 1.0% expected and -4.0% prior. The core retail sales, excluding the auto motor fuel sales, stood at 1.7% MoM vs. 1.2% expected and -3.9% previous. On an annualized basis, the UK retail sales jumped by 9.1% …
Read More »UK Annualized Inflation Surges to 5.5%
The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate came in at 5.5% in January when compared to +5.4% registered in December while beating expectations of a +5.4% print, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the core inflation gauge (excluding volatile food and energy items) rose …
Read More »GBP/USD Retreats Amid Risk-Off Market Mood
The GBP/USD snaps two days of gains and begins the week on the wrong foot amid increasing geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe. At the time of writing, the GBP/USD is trading at 1.3528.The market sentiment is downbeat, depicted by European bourses falling, while US futures point to a lower open. …
Read More »US National Security Advisor: Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin any time
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday that we are in the window where a Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin at any time and could happen during the Beijing winter Olympics.The US believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and already communicated those …
Read More »Bank of England Hikes Interest Rates by 25bps to 0.50%
The Bank of England announced its monetary policy decision on Thursday and raised the benchmark interest rate by 25bps to 0.50%. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5-4 in favour of the rate hike. The decision was in line with market expectations and marked the first back-to-back rises since 2004. …
Read More »