Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day
Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day
(Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every morning? Sign up here
North Korea summit to test Trump’s deal-making abilities, U.S. yield curve flattest since 2007, and populism raises its head in Europe. Here are some of the things people in markets are talking about today.
Trump test
President Donald Trump’s tenure thus far has seen him walk away from international agreements, while showing little acumen for putting new ones together. However, the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, confirmed for June 12 in Singapore, gives the president the opportunity to show he can make the kind of deal that has eluded U.S. administrations for decades. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the tough sanctions regime means he is optimistic a deal can be reached. On the domestic front, Trump will announce his plan to bring down drug prices in a speech later today.
Yield curve
Shhh, the bond market is trying to tell us something. The Treasury yield curve from 5 to 30 years flattened to the lowest level since August 2007 yesterday following the weaker-than-expected inflation print. With some analysts expecting the gap between short- and long-dated maturities to further diminish, investors and Fed officials will be on guard for signs the yield curve is inverting, a development that has historically preceded recessions. And bond bulls, take notice: hedge funds are showing no signs of backing down in their bets against U.S. Treasuries.
Rome falls
Failure to agree a broad governing coalition in Italy means that anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the the anti-immigrant League are now set to form Italy’s next government. The two parties, with very different policy goals in key areas, have until Monday to agree a program for government and select a prime minister. While bond markets have reacted relatively calmly so far, that may have more to do with the European Central Bank’s continuing asset-purchase plan than confidence in the potential new administration. Perhaps ironically, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and ECB President Mario Draghi speak today at a “State of the Union” conference in Florence, Italy.
Markets mixed
Overnight, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 1 percent while Japan’s Topix index closed 1 percent higher as markets were boosted by expectations for a slower path of Fed tightening in the wake of the weak U.S. inflation print. In Europe, the Stoxx 600 Index was 0.1 percent lower at 5:45 a.m. Eastern Time as investors keep their eye on developments in Italy. S&P 500 futures pointed to a gain at the open, the 10-year Treasury yield was at 2.953 percent and gold was higher.
Oil week
A busy week for crude traders took something of an unusual turn when OPEC-member Iran accused the U.S. of driving up oil prices. While there is an obvious geopolitical backdrop to the comments issued by the oil minister from the Islamic Republic, they also point to further difficulties in maintaining the current OPEC deal to curtail output. In the market this morning, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate for June delivery was at $71.47, with investors keeping an eye on the Baker Hughes rig count due at 1:00 p.m. to gauge how U.S. shale production is reacting to the higher prices.
What we've been reading
This is what's caught our eye over the last 24 hours
- The long Europe stock volatility trade is going to need patience.
- Shorting China stocks from New York could get easier.
- Is the long bull market tired out?
- Putin wants to break with the dollar but dumps the euro instead.
- Oil at $100 is possible next year, Bank of America says.
- Space desperately needs a traffic cop.
- Cloaking device.
To contact the author of this story: Lorcan Roche Kelly in Dublin at lrochekelly@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sid Verma at sverma100@bloomberg.net, Natasha Doff
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.