Trade talk optimism lifts stocks

April 1, 2019

By IFCMarkets

Dollar strengthens on strong home sales data

US stock market recovery accelerated on Friday on US-China trade talks optimism. S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 2834.40, closing 1.2% higher for the week. Dow Jones industrial gained 0.8% to 25928.68. The Nasdaq advanced 0.8% to 7729.32. The dollar strengthening continued as new home sales in February and University of Michigan consumer sentiment for March came in higher than expected. The live dollar index data show the ICE US Dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, inched up 0.05% to 97.24 but is lower currently. Futures on US stock indexes point to higher openings today.

SP500 breaching resistance line above MA(200)    04/01/2019 Market Overview IFC Markets chart

CAC 40 outperforms other European indices

European stocks recovered on Friday as US trade delegation resumed talks in Beijing. Both the EUR/USD and GBP/USD continued their slide as UK parliament rejected the agreement to leave the EU which had been signed off by EU officials. Both pairs have reversed currently. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.6%, gaining 0.8% for the week. The DAX 30 advanced 0.8% to 11526.04 as retail sales rose more than expected in February. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.9% and UK’s FTSE 100 gained 0.6% to 7279.19.

Shanghai Composite again leads Asian indices gains

Asian stock indices are sharply higher today tracking Wall Street Friday gains. Nikkei advanced 1.4% to 21509.03 with yen continuing its slide against the dollar. Chinese markets are sharply higher after data showed manufacturing sector rebounded strongly in March to a six-month high: the Shanghai Composite Index is up 2.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is 1.8% higher. Australia’s All Ordinaries Index is 0.6% higher despite the Australian dollar accelerating its climb against the greenback.

Brent higher

Brent futures prices are edging lower today. Prices inched lower yesterday against the background of reduced global supplies as major oil producers comply with crude production curbing agreement: Brent for May settlement, which expires at Friday’s settlement, closed 1 cent lower at $67.82 a barrel on Thursday.

Market Analysis provided by IFCMarkets


Free Reports:

Get Our Free Metatrader 4 Indicators - Put Our Free MetaTrader 4 Custom Indicators on your charts when you join our Weekly Newsletter





Get our Weekly Commitment of Traders Reports - See where the biggest traders (Hedge Funds and Commercial Hedgers) are positioned in the futures markets on a weekly basis.





Note:
This overview has an informative and tutorial character and is published for free. All the data, included in the overview, are received from public sources, recognized as more or less reliable. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the indicated information is full and precise. Overviews are not updated. The whole information in each overview, including opinion, indicators, charts and anything else, is provided only for familiarization purposes and is not financial advice or а recommendation. The whole text and its any part, as well as the charts cannot be considered as an offer to make a deal with any asset. IFC Markets and its employees under any circumstances are not liable for any action taken by someone else during or after reading the overview.