- Markets are trading quietly and mostly sideways as the market awaits tonight’s key FOMC release, which is expected to bring a 0.50% rate hike and show how the Fed views the likely future course of rate hikes over the coming year. If the rate hike is 0.75% or 0.25% markets will be likely to react dramatically.
- There will be a release of the ADP Non-Farm Payrolls forecast later today, which is predicted to suggest the US economy generated 382k net new jobs last month. Yesterday’s US JOLTS Job Openings data came in at 11.5 million, slightly ahead of the 11.19 million which had been expected. These data suggest the US economy is still growing and buoyant.
- Forex markets are quiet, with the US Dollar continuing its bullish consolidation of recent days, sitting at the top of long-term bullish price action. Right now the Australian Dollar is strong, while the New Zealand Dollar and British Pound look weak.
- Commodity markets mostly fell yesterday, while stock markets were mixed.
- For the sixth week, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general look depressed, although the falls are not dramatic. Volatility in the crypto sector has declined considerably over recent weeks.
- Yesterday’s New Zealand unemployment data came in exactly as expected, showing an unemployment rate of 3.2%.
- It is a public holiday in Japan today.
- Daily new coronavirus cases globally fell last week for the sixth consecutive week.
- It is estimated that 65.5% of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccination, while approximately 6.5% of the global population is confirmed to have contracted the virus at some time.
- Total confirmed new coronavirus cases worldwide stand at over 513.6 million with an average case fatality rate of 1.22%.
- The rate of new coronavirus infections appears to now be increasing only in South Africa, Cyprus, Honduras, the Solomon Islands, Taiwan, and Trinidad.
- Coronavirus restrictions have been tightened in Beijing, China as another 51 new cases are reported, and much of the city’s public transport has been shut down. China is one of the very few nations pursuing a “zero covid” strategy.