Marketwatch EU & UK

Daily Insights
September 30, 2024

  • Euro-area inflation scheduled to be released tomorrow is expected to show the headline rate falling below the ECB’s target rate in September and may help shape the outlook for interest rate cuts in the coming months. A sub 2% release would be the first since 2021, and a similar fall in services inflation would be a relief to ECB President Christine Lagarde and her colleagues on the General Council. The pace of cuts from both the Federal Reserve and the ECB hangs in the balance with the odds of a 25bp cut from the ECB currently hovering around 80%. Ongoing weakness in PMI’s, German ifo and subdued price pressures have pushed some analysts to suggest a terminal rate of 2% by June next year.
  • The US labor market is back in focus this week, with the start of the month leading to a flurry of employment reports in the coming days, finishing with Friday’s Non-farm Payroll release. Markets remain wary of surprises in economic data however last week’s robust GDP report suggests the economy is on track for a soft landing. The labor stats kick off with tomorrow’s JOLTs job openings report which is expected to show that openings increased following a recent major downside surprise. Initial Claims are out on Thursday and Friday’s NFP is expected to show a significant improvement on last month’s disappointing reading of 142k. We also have a plethora of Fed speakers this week, including Chairman Powell, as well as ISM Manufacturing (Tue) and ISM Services Index (Thur). This week’s data will provide clues on the size of the next cut from the Fed, with markets currently expecting the central bank to downshift and announce smaller 25bp reductions.
  • Elsewhere, the Chinese government announced further measures to prop up the embattled real estate sector after previously announcing its biggest package, aiming to end the ongoing property market slump. The downturn started around three years ago and has been dragging the economy lower, with the latest stimulus easing rules for homebuyers, with the government pledging to make the real estate market “stop declining.”

Economic Calendar

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NZD - ANZ Business Confidence
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AUD - Private Sector Credit m/m
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CNY - Manufacturing PMI
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CNY - Non-Manufacturing PMI
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CNY - Caixin Manufacturing PMI
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CNY - Caixin Services PMI
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JPY - Housing Starts y/y
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EUR - German Import Prices m/m
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GBP - Current Account
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GBP - Final GDP q/q
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GBP - Nationwide HPI m/m
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GBP - Revised Business Investment q/q
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EUR - German Prelim CPI m/m
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CHF - KOF Economic Barometer
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GBP - M4 Money Supply m/m
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GBP - Mortgage Approvals
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GBP - Net Lending to Individuals m/m
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EUR - Italian Prelim CPI m/m
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GBP - BOE Quarterly Bulletin
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CAD - Bank Holiday
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USD - FOMC Member Bowman Speaks
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EUR - ECB President Lagarde Speaks
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USD - Chicago PMI
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USD - Fed Chair Powell Speaks
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GBP - MPC Member Greene Speaks
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NZD - NZIER Business Confidence
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NZD - Building Consents m/m
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GBP - BRC Shop Price Index y/y
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JPY - Unemployment Rate
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JPY - BOJ Summary of Opinions
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JPY - Tankan Manufacturing Index
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JPY - Tankan Non-Manufacturing Index

Market Indicators

Currency Pairs
Pair High Low
eur/gbp 0.83493 0.8324
gbp/usd 1.33931 1.33608
gbp/aud 1.9372 1.92991
gbp/nzd 2.10903 2.10012
usd/jpy 142.955 141.996
eur/usd 1.11737 1.11467
gbp/jpy 191.292 189.659
eur/cnh 7.81061 7.78249
usd/cnh 6.99736 6.97136
Equities and Commodities
Nasdaq 100 20015.6
DOW 42403.8
S&P 500 5749.01
BRENT CRUDE 71.96
WTI 68.57
GOLD 2655.35

This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute any recommendation or solicitation to any person to enter into any transaction or adopt any trading strategy, nor does it constitute any prediction of likely future movements in exchange rates or prices or any representation that any such future movements will not exceed those shown on any illustration. All exchange rates and figures appearing are for illustrative purposes only. You are advised to make your own independent judgment with respect to any matter contained herein.

About Simon Walker

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Simon Walker is head of the GPS Capital Markets trade desk in our London office where he is responsible for covering market risk in European hours. He has over 25 years’ experience in foreign exchange, working in both sales and trading.