ALPHA Market Update 06 August 2018

Market Update United States Last Friday, non-farm payroll data fell far short of expectations, but U.S. stocks closed up slightly. The S&P rose 0.46%, rising for 5 weeks; Dow Jones Index rose 136 points and NASDAQ rose 0.12%. It is said Trump’s “Zero-Tariff” negotiation with Europe is hard to be approved by the Congress. Simultaneously, due to the opposition of France, the EU insisted on excluding agriculture from the broader...

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ALPHA Market Update 03 August 2018

Market Update   United States Strong Non-Farm Payrolls are predicted today with 192,000 new US jobs created last month, down from 213,000 in June. If so this could pull the unemployment rate down to just 3.9%, from 4%. The earnings figures are more important. Pay is expected to have risen by 0.3% during the month, up from 0.2% in June. That would leave annual wage increases pegged at 2.7%, given US growth hit its highest level...

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ALPHA Market Update 02 August 2018

Market Update   United States The Federal Reserve raised its already high expectations for economy on yesterday, in the process refusing to obey President Trump’s recent push for a pause towards higher interest rates. The FOMC voted unanimously to keep interest rates unchanged at 1.75 to 2%. But the statement keeps the Fed on track to raise rates next month and December after two rate increases in the first half of the year. Its...

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ALPHA Market Update 01 August 2018

Market Update   United States The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but solid economic growth combined with rising inflation are likely keep it on track for another two hikes this year even as Trump has intensified criticism of its push to raise rates. The U.S. central bank so far this year has increased borrowing costs in March and June, and investors see additional moves in September and...

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ALPHA Market Update 31 July 2018

Market Update   United States The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but solid economic growth combined with rising inflation are likely keep it on track for another two hikes this year even as Trump has intensified criticism of its push to raise rates. The U.S. central bank so far this year has increased borrowing costs in March and June, and investors see additional moves in September and...

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ALPHA Market Update 30 June 208

Market Update   United States Trump has said he would allow the federal government to shut down if Democrats do not fund his border wall and back immigration law changes, betting that maintaining a hard line will work in Republicans’ favour in November congressional elections. However, a disruption in federal government operations could backfire on Trump if voters blame Republicans, who control Congress, for the interruption in...

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ALPHA Market Update 20 June 2018

Market Update   United States Trump has expressed disapproval of the Fed’s decision to raise interest rates twice this year, saying “I’m not thrilled, because we go up and every time you go up they want to raise rates again. I am not happy about it. But at the same time I’m letting them do what they feel is best. But I don’t like all of this work that goes into doing what we’re doing”. The dollar fell and...

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ALPHA Market Update 19 July 2018

Market Update   United States The White House has declined to rule out accepting a Russian proposal for the questioning in the United States of Americans sought by the Kremlin for “illegal activities,” including a former U.S. ambassador to Moscow. The proposal arose at Monday’s summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and any decision by Washington to assist with an adversary’s...

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ALPHA Market Update 18 July 2018

Market Update   United States                Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell yesterday delivered his semi-annual testimony to Congress, where he declared the US economy is running at a fast enough pace to justify continued interest rate increases. Though the economy grew at just a 2% pace in the first quarter, Powell said growth in the second quarter was "considerably stronger than the first.” ...

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ALPHA Market Update 16 June 2018

Market Update   United States                Ahead of his first summit with Vladimir Putin, Trump has tweeted “Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!”, comments which show how much domestic political pressure he is under over the meeting in Helsinki, Finland later today, while the Kremlin’s low expectations...

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