Nikkei Extends Decline as Fiscal Jitters and Trade Tensions Weigh on Risk Appetite   Japan’s Nikkei continued to slide for a fourth consecutive session as rising domestic fiscal concerns pushed government bond yields to record highs, pressuring equity valuations. Political uncertainty increased after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called a snap election for early February and […]

Trump’s “Greenland Tariffs” Shake Global Sentiment The 10% Ultimatum: President Trump announced a 10% tariff starting February 1 on goods from eight European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Norway) for opposing the US purchase of Greenland. He warned these would hike to 25% in June unless a deal for the “Total […]

Oil & Gold Plunge as Iran Tensions Ease; Tech Rebound Lifts US Futures while Nikkei Dips Geopolitical Pivot : Global markets shifted into “risk-on” mode after President Trump stated that tensions with Iran are easing. This effectively removed the immediate war premium from commodities, triggering a sharp sell-off in safe-haven assets. Commodities:Oil: Brent crude plummeted […]

Markets Retreat from Highs: Oil Slump as Trump Signals Easing Iran Tensions Geopolitical Pivot: Global market sentiment shifted sharply after President Trump stated that tensions with Iran are easing. This prompted a broad pullback in “safe-haven” assets and commodities, reversing earlier rallies driven by supply fears. Central Bank Risk: Underlying uncertainty persists regarding the reported […]

Dollar Defies Gravity as Yen Tests the Line Dollar’s Surprising Rebound: Despite a softer-than-expected US CPI (Core at 0.2% MoM vs. 0.3% consensus), the Greenback quickly recovered its losses. Markets are looking past the data “noise” and focusing on a potential “Hawkish Pivot” from Jerome Powell as he fights to prove his independence following the […]

Dollar Bounces as Powell Crisis Eases Fed Independence Fears Abating: Market nerves are beginning to calm. Several Republican lawmakers, led by Senator Thom Tillis, have pushed back against the DOJ’s probe into Jerome Powell. Tillis even vowed to block all future Fed nominations until the “pretextual” legal matter is resolved, signaling to markets that the […]

The “Sell-America” Trade: Fed vs. Department of Justice Subpoenas and Indictment Threats: In a rare and somber video address, Fed Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the DOJ served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas. This criminal investigation stems from his testimony regarding the $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters, which critics (including the Trump […]

Markets Cautious Ahead of US Jobs Data and Tariff Ruling Asian equities edged lower and the dollar remained firm as investors turned cautious ahead of key U.S. events, led by the December jobs report and a highly anticipated Supreme Court decision on the legality of broad U.S. tariffs. With markets already sensitive to policy uncertainty, […]

US Stock Futures Hold Steady After Volatile Session Ends Market Rallies US stock futures were little changed on Wednesday evening as Wall Street paused following a volatile session that brought multi-day rallies for major indexes to an end. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) edged slightly above the flatline, while S&P 500  and Nasdaq 100 […]

Gold Pauses as Data Takes Center Stage   Geopolitical Fatigue: After a massive 4% rally fueled by the Venezuelan crisis, Gold has softened to around $4,466/oz. Traders are starting to “look past” the headlines, including Trump’s claim that Venezuela will hand over 50 million barrels of oil to the US. New Fronts in Friction: Geopolitics […]