Virus shutdowns begin to show up in the data

The U.S. surpassed Italy and China with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19. Europe is still the center of the storm, with the total cases in Europe’s five largest economies topping 230,000.
The impact of virus-related shutdowns became readily apparent in this week’s initial unemployment claims, which soared to 3.3 million.
Most economic data reflect the period before the COVID-19 outbreak intensified in mid-March. New home sales averaged their strongest pace in over 12 years during the three months ended in February, while consumer spending rose modestly.

Wells Fargo Research Team Wells Fargo

Global Review

Virus Hits Eurozone Data; Global Growth Downgraded

This past week, March PMI surveys for the Eurozone were released, with data suggesting a sharp deceleration in the broader European economy is likely. The services PMI fell to a record low of 28.4, while the manufacturing PMI dropped to 44.8, which signals the Eurozone economy could contract more than 4.0% in 2020.

As the COVID-19 virus intensifies, we downgraded our international growth forecasts once again. We now expect annual contractions in the U.K., Japan as well as Canada, and forecast China to experience its first annual contraction since at least 1980.

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Wells Fargo Research Team

Wells Fargo

EUR/USD hits two-day highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD picks up pace and reaches two-day tops around 1.1820 at the end of the week. The pair’s move higher comes on the back of renewed weakness in the US Dollar amid growing talk that the Fed could deliver an interest rate cut as early as March. On the docket, the flash US Consumer Sentiment improves to 57.3 in February.

GBP/USD reclaims 1.3600 and above

GBP/USD reverses two straight days of losses, surpassing the key 1.3600 yardstick on Friday. Cable’s rebound comes as the Greenback slips away from two-week highs in response to some profit-taking mood and speculation of Fed rate cuts. In addition, hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill are also collaborating with the quid’s improvement.

Gold climbs further, focus is back to 45,000

Gold regains upside traction and surpasses the $4,900 mark per troy ounce at the end of the week, shifting its attention to the critical $5,000 region. The move reflects a shift in risk sentiment, driving flows back towards traditional safe haven assets and supporting the yellow metal.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound amid risk-off, $2.6 billion liquidation wave

Bitcoin edges up above $65,000 at the time of writing on Friday, as dust from the recent macro-triggered sell-off settles. The leading altcoin, Ethereum, hovers above $1,900, but resistance at $2,000 caps the upside. Meanwhile, Ripple has recorded the largest intraday jump among the three assets, up over 10% to $1.35.

Three scenarios for Japanese Yen ahead of snap election

The latest polls point to a dominant win for the ruling bloc at the upcoming Japanese snap election. The larger Sanae Takaichi’s mandate, the more investors fear faster implementation of tax cuts and spending plans.

XRP rally extends as modest ETF inflows support recovery

Ripple is accelerating its recovery, trading above $1.36 at the time of writing on Friday, as investors adjust their positions following a turbulent week in the broader crypto market. The remittance token is up over 21% from its intraday low of $1.12.