A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Thursday
Donald Trump headlines have stacked up over the past 24 hours.
The U.S. president vowed to block defense contractors from paying dividends or buying back shares until they speed up weapons production. He backed a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting countries doing business with Russia and withdrew the United States from dozens of international and U.N. entities.
He also wants to control Venezuela’s oil sales, with his vice president saying that’s how the U.S. will wield “incredible pressure” on the country.
Oh, and not to forget Trump’s plans to take over Greenland.
Yet, markets couldn’t seem to care less. Or maybe there is just too much noise for investors to take in.
While stocks were mixed in the Asian session on Thursday, analysts said a modest pullback was only natural after a stellar start to the year, and not a growing sign of alarm in the market.
Samsung Electronics’ better-than-expected forecast for a record fourth-quarter operating profit could also give investors another reason to stay bullish on all things AI.
Most of the market reaction to the latest developments in Venezuela has been concentrated in commodities, while other asset classes have largely remained driven by economic data, brushing off deepening geopolitical tensions globally.
Oil prices recovered after two days of declines, as a larger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories provided some impetus for investors to buy futures.
Sources told Reuters that Chevron is in talks with the U.S. government to expand a key license to operate in Venezuela so it can increase crude exports to its own refineries and sell to other buyers.
In Japan, shares of domestic chemical manufacturers fell on Thursday while those of their Chinese rivals jumped after China’s commerce ministry said it is launching an anti-dumping probe into imports of chemicals used in chipmaking, in the latest sign of strained bilateral ties between the two nations.
But at levels above 50,000, the Nikkei remains not far from a record peak and is already up 2% for the year.
For now, all eyes are on Friday’s all-important U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, after Wednesday’s slew of labour market data did little to alter rate expectations for the Federal Reserve.
Fed policymakers have said that employment is their focal point when it comes to deciding what to do with interest rates, with investors currently pricing in two rate cuts this year.
Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report is expected to show a dip in the unemployment rate to 4.5% last month, from 4.6% in November, which would theoretically support the idea that rates do not need to fall dramatically.
Key developments that could influence markets on Thursday:
– German industrial orders (November)
– UK house prices (December)
– Euro zone producer prices (November)
– U.S. weekly jobless claims
(Editing by Sonali Paul)
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