Archives of “January 2020” month

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Mike Pence: US continues to receive word that Iran is standing down

  
Analysis, Politics

Comments by US vice president, Mike Pence

US Iran
  • The US is ‘ready for anything’ on Iran
  • No doubt that Iranians wanted to kill Americans with missile strikes
  • It would be a different place today if the missiles hit its intended targets

A bit of focus is still on tensions in the Middle East but I would expect markets to move on from this eventually. US-Iran tensions will no doubt stay the course but it shouldn’t grip markets as much as it did over the past few days unless we see a major escalation again.

Trump has pretty much moved on as well as he already switches back to focus on the impeachment case, tweeting out: PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

Iranian commander: Missile strikes’ aim was not to kill US troops, but to damage military machines

  
Analysis, Politics

A senior Iranian Guards commander is speaking on state television

  • Missile attacks on US targets started operation that will continue across the region
  • The appropriate revenge to Soleimani’s killing is to expel US troops from the region
It is much easier to talk in hindsight I guess but I reckon this is part and parcel of the recent theatrics. US-Iran geopolitical tensions will still carry on for quite some time yet but for now, any major escalation is not likely to be in this chapter of the story.
That said, the headline is spooking markets a little as gold nudges up a tad bit alongside oil with USD/JPY easing by about 10 pips to 109.35.

China’s Liu He said to lead 10-member delegation to Washington – report

  
  Analysis

Dow Jones reports, citing people familiar with the matter

The 10-member delegation is set to include China’s commerce minister, the PBOC governor, and the vice ministers of finance, agriculture and information technology. Adding that the deal signing will be set for 15 January at 1130 ET (1600 GMT).

I wouldn’t count on any major hiccups happening over the coming week regarding the deal signing. Instead, markets will now turn their focus towards the details of the Phase One deal – which should be disclosed some time after the signing ceremony.

China says vice premier Liu He will go to Washington to sign Phase One trade deal

  
Analysis, Politics

The Chinese commerce ministry confirms the matter

  • Liu He will go to Washington for trade deal signing on 13-15 January
  • Both sides remain in close communication on particular arrangements on signing
This was very much expected after recent reports have suggested the dates but the headline above should keep risk trades on the right track and not derail the recent momentum.
There doesn’t seem to be any major hiccups along the way but we’ll still have to see how markets will react after the details of the deal are disclosed following the signing.

Nikkei 225 closes higher by 2.31% at 23,739.87

  
Analysis, Global Indices

Asian equities rebound as US-Iran tensions subside

Nikkei 09-01

Japanese stocks rebound sharply as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East ebb after US president Trump chose the path of de-escalation in overnight trading. The Hang Seng is also up by 1.3% while the Shanghai Composite is up by 0.7% so far today.

As markets stick to the calmer risk mood, risk trades should fare decently in the day ahead. US futures are up by 0.2% and that should help European equities keep mildly higher going into early trades later in the morning.
In the currencies space, USD/JPY is at session highs at 109.30 after keeping above its 200-day moving average. The dollar is mildly weaker but overall ranges remain narrow for now.

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