Our Picks
Top content from across the community, hand-picked by us.
Main market drivers - APAC brief - 26 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
The Fed and US rates: The US Federal Reserve remains the major and most powerful driver of financial market activity. The impact of the end of the easy money era is manifesting in markets the world over. The question has long been asked – for the most part of the last decade, in fact – what the effects will be of normalizing Fed policy. We are apparently beginning to get that answer. This Friday welcomes the release of FOMC Monetary Policy Minutes, and the core concern for traders is whether the Fed is showing further signs of burgeoning dovishness. Traders have interpreted the central bank’s recent discourse as reflecting a reduced willingness to keep to an aggressive rate hiking path, amid concerns that growth and inflation (the later a data-point that market participants will also receive this week) has possibly topped-out. It’s resulted in markets pricing-in a 73 per cent chance of a rate hike from the Fed in December; and pricing out all but one hike from the Fed in 2019.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,#IGCommodityChat: Oil
Guest DanielaIG posted a blog entry in IG Community Blog,
Continuing our #IGCommodityChat and following this week's chat on gold, join us on Thursday the 29 November at 1pm (UK time) to discuss the future of the oil market with industry advisor Malcolm Graham-Wood and Spencer Welch, director of oil markets at IHS Markit.
-
- 6 replies
Picked By
Guest,D&G products removed on a number of Chinese major e-commerce sites- EMEA Brief 23rd Nov
Guest KatherineIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
Guest,Markets on Thanksgiving - 23 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
Global equities: To capture a theme from last night’s trade: it was – for all intents and purposes – about Brexit. Before delving into that one, let’s take a check on the price action. European equities were down across the board. The volumes for the continent were, as has been touched on, remarkably thin, except for the FTSE, which was down 1.28 per cent on the unfolding Brexit drama. The DAX clocked in a loss of 0.94 per cent for the day, unable to grasp the lead from the Asian region’s mixed but respectable trading day, which saw the Nikkei up 0.65 per cent and the Hang Seng up 0.18 per cent, but the CSI300 down 0.37 per cent. In our local session, the ASX200 was another index that bucked the trend of low activity, continuing its bounce off support around 5600 to close 0.86 per cent higher on volumes 10 per cent above the 100-day average.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,#IGCommodityChat: Gold
JamesIG posted a blog entry in IG Community Blog,
-
- 4 replies
Picked By
JamesIG,Gold recovers amidst fears over a weakening dollar - EMEA Brief 22 Nov
Guest DanielaIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
Guest,Overnight bounce - APAC brief 22 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
Risk assets: Certain assets have benefitted from the lull in panic-selling. To preface: the VIX has receded to a reading of 20, from highs around 23 yesterday. In currency land, the Australian Dollar and New Zealand Dollar, as risk proxies, have ticked higher to 0.7265 and 0.6795. Obviously, the reduced anxiety amongst traders has meant the converse is true for haven currencies like the Japanese Yen, which is trading above 113 today. The Euro and Pound remain in the 1.13 and 1.27 handle respectively, most unmoved by the day’s sentiment. While credit spreads, which have blown out recently as risk-sentiment evaporated, have finally come-in. To counter the notion of complete risk-off: Gold has caught a bid, to trade at $US1227, or thereabouts, with its rally attributable largely to a modestly weaker greenback.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,Global Markets Retreat as Tech Rout Spreads - EMEA Brief 21 Nov
Guest JoeIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
Guest,APAC brief - 21 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
Seeking shelter: Not that market participants aren't searching for places to hide. The problem is, it would seem, that there aren't too many good places to find shelter. The classic safe-havens were given a good crack overnight: US Treasuries were sought out, giving the US Dollar a boost after several days of declines. Yields on US Treasuries were steady; however, this appears more a function of the residual need to maintain pricing of interest rate expectations. Gold was slightly lower because of the stronger USD alone, as was the EUR/USD, which traded into the 113-handle again, and the Pound, which dropped into the 1.27 handle. Even the Japanese Yen dropped slightly as traders scurried around, though it must be said it is far-off its recent lows.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,Nissan Shares fall along with Chairman - EMEA Brief 20 Nov
MichaelaIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MichaelaIG,Risk factors - APAC brief 20 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
The havens: Typically, US Treasuries have maintained their bid. The yield on US 10 Year Treasuries has dipped to 3.05 per cent, while the yield on US 2 Year note has fallen further, down 3 points to 2.77 per cent. The markets are scrambling for safety once more as volatility spikes again: the VIX is up to about 21, and that is ample reason for investors to bail-out of equities. The US Dollar is suffering from the drop-in yields, and the Japanese Yen is accepting the safe-haven bid, along with the EUR, which is eyeing off 115 again, supported by (slightly) diminished anxiety around the Italian fiscal crisis. Of course, the Australian Dollar and New Zealand have pulled back, trading at 0.7290 and 0.6840, respectively, although it must be mentioned that commodity prices are holding well enough.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,Where to find overnight funding charges on FX pairs
Guest DanielaIG posted a blog entry in IG Product Updates,
-
- 15 replies
Picked By
Guest,China-US Relationship Deteriorates after APEC Summit; May continues her Brexit Battle - EMEA Brief 19 Nov
GeorgeIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
GeorgeIG,Weaker sentiment - APAC brief 19 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
Missing conviction: It can be at these points in which moves to the downside are exaggerated because of an overall bearish bias. Assessing volumes are a terrific indicator of this, and currently and on balance, the days when Wall Street closes higher has generally coincided with days when volumes are relatively thin. The dynamic implies a lack of conviction from the buyers and sets up opportunities for aggressive sellers to profit from rallies in the market. The ASX200 demonstrated this well on Friday, where after a rather volatile week that ended with the index closing 0.10 per cent lower, intraday rallies in Aussie shares were flimsy and quite fleeting, revealing a tangible unwillingness by traders to take long positions in this market.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,May Battles for Brexit Agreement and Party Backing - EMEA Brief 16 Nov
MichaelaIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MichaelaIG,Brexit break-down: APAC brief - 16 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
Pound plunges: There was volatility in markets in response to the shock news, however it was mostly contained to Pound. The Cable plunged from the 1.30 handle to trade below 1.2750, in what amounts to its largest intra-day move in over a year, as yields on UK Gilts plunged on back of unwinding bets of more BOE rate hikes. Continental stock indices lost ground, with the DAX shedding 0.5 per cent for the day; however, the plunge in the Pound, coupled with more stable oil and commodity prices overnight, helped the FTSE100 close flat for the day. It’s a very premature call, but futures markets are pointing to a more stable day for European equity markets when they come on line in 10 hours-time, revealing that though Brexit is a massive social, cultural and political issue, for market participants, at least for the time being, it’s more a nuisance than a major concern.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,Post in THE GREAT BEAR IS UPON US
trade247 posted a post in a topic,
Picked By
JamesIG,Christmas Rally 2018 thread WIP
rimmy2000 posted a topic in Indices and Macro Events,
-
- 22 replies
Picked By
JamesIG,Brexit speech to be announced to Parliament- EMEA Brief 15th Nov
Guest KatherineIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
Guest,Global market landscape - APAC brief 15 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
US markets: That’s what has manifested in markets overnight. Credit spreads on US investment grade credit have blown out again, compounding the existing concerns relating to the effects Fed tightening will have on (deteriorating) liquidity conditions. The 3-month Libor rate for one, despite relatively lower volatility since the end of October, has continued to march higher, further stifling financial conditions. The assumed affect this dynamic will have on global credit availability has hit financial stocks, and those areas of the market considered highly leveraged – like US tech – driving a remarkably synchronized sell-off across Wall Street Indices last night. At time of writing, the Dow Jones, S&P500 and NASDAQ have pared losses for the session, leading into the final moments of trade, but this turnaround only occurred after an announcement by UK Prime Minister Theresa May she has cabinet support for her Brexit deal.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,MT4 Indicators
Caseynotes posted a topic in General Trading Strategy Discussion,
- 20 replies
Picked By
JamesIG,Post in Crude Oil (WTI)
Mercury posted a post in a topic,
Picked By
JamesIG,Cabinet summoned to Westminster as draft Brexit deal reached - EMEA Brief 14 Nov
GeorgeIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
GeorgeIG,Fleeting relief - APAC brief 14 Nov
MaxIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
Is this the turning point? If this sounds all a little grand, that’s because it is; and it is why although the headlines read well this morning, the text of the story is one that we’ve read before. Could this time be different? Quite possibly. The steps taken by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin to re-engage in talks is a considerable step forward, ahead of what is a planned meeting between the two nation’s Presidents, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the sidelines of this month’s G20. And the news that UK Prime Minister May has effectively secured a deal with her European Counterparts – one that includes an Anglo-friendly outcome on the Irish border, it’s been reported – bares the signs that (at the very least) the British and Europeans are on the same page.
-
- 0 replies
Picked By
MaxIG,Is the UK running out of time to reach a Brexit agreement? - EMEA Brief 13 Nov
Guest DanielaIG posted a blog entry in Market News,
-
- 0 replies