Dax30, Ftse100, SP500, Market View

Last Thursday investors’ apprehension about the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula has resulted in a greater aversion to risk, especially since only European equity markets will reopen on Tuesday.
In this context, it has become uncomfortable for many investors to assume excessive exposure to risky assets.
Thus, there was a sale of this type of asset, whereas the gold and the bonds of the states considered more secure were much sought after.

People feel most comfortable in a congestion or a consolidation area, but this may be the most dangerous place to be. So it would be logical to conclude that trading outside the comfort zone shall be the safest and correct one.

Asian stock markets ended in different directions in an environment influenced by geopolitical tensions. US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Asia continues to be monitored by investors. In the Japanese market, banks recorded gains of over 2%, with Nomura leading the valuations.

Theresa May’s decision to call for elections in early June surprised investors yesterday, who only expected the elections to be held in 2020, as previously advocated by the British Prime Minister. This decision could increase political uncertainty in Europe and is another obstacle that the rally of the markets of the Old Continent will have to overcome. In fact, these elections will follow the presidential elections in France (23 April and 7 May) and precede the parliamentary elections in France (11 and 18 June) and Germany (24 September).

Asian markets ended modest gains as investors reacted to corporate earnings on Wall Street and after the price of oil rebounded from the low seen in the last two weeks, explained by the release of inventories of this raw material in the US. At the same time, tensions between the US and the Korean Peninsula continue to influence investors’ sentiment.

In the pre-opening, the European markets were negotiating in different directions, after the attack that happened yesterday in Paris which aggravated an environment of quite uncertainty in two days of the presidential elections in the country, an event that has been accompanied by all Financial markets players. In fact, this election is highly uncertain given the complexity of the current situation and the fact that the polls point to four candidates with very close voting preferences. Last week saw an increase in put options on the Eurostoxx 50, signaling that several institutional investors have used these financial instruments to protect their portfolios from hypothetical adverse scenarios. In other words, several investors have already reduced their exposure to French assets, anticipating the occurrence of hypothetical unfavorable scenarios.

During the Asian session, the Euro reached a high of the last five months, favored by the increase of the degree of confidence regarding the victory of Macron, a defender of the European Union. In fact, for the second round, investors, supported by the vast majority of polls, estimate a comfortable victory for Emmanuel Macron, however, the occurrence of possible terrorist attacks could favor the rhetoric of the far-right candidate.

The US market also received positively the results of the French elections.
The financial sector was the leader in the S & P 500, while the Nasdaq Composite reached a record high.

The Nasdaq Composite index broke the 6,000-point barrier for the first time, 40 percent of which is influenced by five major companies (Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Alphabet and Apple). In turn, the Dow Jones has temporarily outperformed 21,000 points, with Caterpillar and McDonald’s being the biggest catalyst for gains.

In the pre-opening, the European markets traded slightly lower. In addition to the business results, the day will be marked by the European Central Bank meeting. The Central Bank is expected to maintain the broad outlines of the latest releases, although it may not be possible to change some nuances in order to prepare the financial markets for a deeper modification of its message in the coming months when the ECB announces that it will stop with the measures of Liquidity generation. This scenario has already been discussed within the Central Bank, with the members of the Northern European countries advocating a faster monetary policy change, which contrasts with Mario Draghi’s more moderate stance and the other members of the Executive committee. Tomorrow will be known relevant economic data to the economy of the Euro Zone, such as inflation for April, as well as GDP in France and the United Kingdom.

Today will be published the first reading of the GDP of the first quarter of this year. The improvement in economic sentiment did not translate into a sharp increase in the real economy. The index of coincident economic indicators (whose denomination comes from the fact that their cycles coincide with those of the economy and as such a reliable sample) rose from 180.60 at the beginning of the year to 182.29 in March, a mere advance of 0.93%.

Many of the factors that influence performance, even among expert performers, are situational and not part of fixed personality traits. What we perceive and how we respond are greatly influenced by the environment. A full understanding of a trader’s performance requires an appreciation of the specific situation in which the performance was embedded.

The week shall be full not only of macroeconomic events (such as the Fed meeting and some economic indicators in the US and Europe) but also microeconomic (like business results) and political events (with the second round of presidential elections in France). In the political field, it should be noted that yesterday the heads of state and government of the European Union in Brussels adopted the guidelines for negotiations with London with a view to achieving the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Today the PMI index for the manufacturing sector in the Euro Zone will be known.

If on one hand the theme of Brexit was once again the order of the day, on the other hand the approach of the second round of the French presidential elections (There is a televised debate between the two candidates Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen) is also to be monitored. Regarding Brexit, some news reports say that Europe “seems to be divided” with France and Germany tightening their positions on the UK. According to a Financial Times analysis, the gross amount to be paid in advance by the United Kingdom may amount to € 100,000 M., an amount almost twice as high as the € 60,000 M. initially suggested by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The results published yesterday in the US by Apple could condition the actions of several European technology companies that are suppliers of the Cupertino company.

Most Asian markets closed lower, although the Japanese stock exchange was closed for a holiday (“Green Day”). Producers of raw materials reported losses due to falling metal prices following the publication of the PMI index for the manufacturing sector in China. This indicator dropped to 50.30, the lowest reading since September 2016, raising doubts about the growth of the country’s economy which is the world’s largest copper consumer.

Asian markets finished lower, with the Japanese being closed. Investors have responded to falling commodity prices and are awaiting the US employment report.

Yesterday, after the election results were known, the Euro appreciated against the Dollar for the highest level of the last 6 months and against the Yen for the highest value of the last year. The recent behavior of the markets already had discounted a victory of Macron, limiting now a further rally.

It doesn’t matter what field you are in there will always be a bottom 10% a top 10% and the middle group. The ones that have the best mindset will rise to the top.

Companies have exceeded forecasts because of revenue growth and not so much because of a cost-cutting program. On the other hand, analysts’ forecasts have been successively improved. In the case of the United Kingdom, the devaluation of the Pound and the rise of the prices of the raw materials will have been motors of the good performance achieved.

The energy sector led the gains of the S & P500, reflecting rising oil prices, after Iraq and Algeria joined Saudi Arabia to support an extension of production cuts by OPEC. In addition, US oil inventories declined more than expected. Despite this, this rise in the price of crude was not enough to recover from the losses recorded last week. The US Department of Energy reported today that weekly oil inventories fell by 5.2 million barrels, compared to estimated 1.9 million barrels. Inventories of gasoline fell by 150,000 barrels, compared with an expected increase of 65,400 barrels.