Inflation report from the US wasn’t worse than expected [Video]

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Swissquote Bank Ltd

Thank God! Yesterday’s inflation report from the US wasn’t worse than expected. A soft jobless claims figure also helped cooling the hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) worries. The S&P500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 rebounded yesterday. But the US dollar rebounded, as well, following the PCE print.

In Europe, the inflation heatmap was mixed. The EURUSD slipped below the 100 and 200-DMA, fundamentals back a further depreciation of the euro against the greenback provided the diverging strength of the underlying economies. The USDJPY is back above the 150, but can probably not go further up because traders fear a direct FX intervention from the Japanese authorities to prevent the yen from losing too much value. Nikkei 225 hit a fresh record.

Elsewhere, the Chinese PMI figures came in slightly better than expected in February but the manufacturing activity shrank for the 5th straight month and home sales slumped faster despite stimulus measures. While China is struggling with a worsening property crisis, aging population and deflation, India posted a 8.4% growth in Q4!

Author

Ipek Ozkardeskaya

Swissquote Bank Ltd

Ipek Ozkardeskaya began her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked in HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

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