18.12.13

Good morning,

Asian markets were lifted by news that Japanese exports were up for the ninth consecutive month. The weakening JPY has helped lift exports to markets in China and the US. The USD/JPY pair was trading at 102.97 with a high of 103.03 and a low of 102.63 so far. With Japan and China still going into the New Year with a deal on disputed Senkaku islands still not resolved, we await to see if this will affect trade in the region long term.

The NIKKEI closed at 15587.80 up 309.17 points or 2.02%

European markets see a raft of important data from the Bank of England in particular. Meeting minutes, and unemployment rate are among the figures awaited today from Britain. Figures for the Euro Zone see Construction Output figures, and Germany’s IFO figures released this morning. The Suisse will publish ZEW Survey this morning. Cable was trading at 1.6284 with a high of 1.6297 and a low of 1.6272 so far.

The FTSE100 closed at 6486.19 down 36.01 or minus 0.55% while the DAX closed at 9085.12 down 78.44 or minus 0.86%

US markets await the important interest rate decision after the FOMC meeting today. Tapering talk remains high on the agenda, and the question as to when it will happen still is driving the markets, the USD in particular. The EUR/USD pair was trading at 1.3764 with a high of 1.3778 and a low of 1.3761 so far. Oil has seen a surge in price since the beginning of this month, rising from 92.67 at the start of the month up to 97.72 dollars per barrel today.

Hope you all have a good day.