December 2020

Currency Trading Transactions 101

US equities struggle for direction; US dollar makes ground; euro slips while sterling trades in tight ranges

Despite market optimism that the Pandemic Relief Bill was finally inching closer to becoming law, the leading US equity markets struggled to maintain the bullish momentum built up over recent weeks. Although the NASDAQ 100 printed a new record high during the New York session, the DJIA 30 traded down -0.67% and the SPX 500 […]

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Equities slump before the US stages a recovery, gold experiences huge swings, GBP slumps

Futures markets sold off sharply once markets opened on Sunday evening, early Monday morning. The cause of the broad-based sell-off was various. The UK had revealed a new variant and strain of the Covid virus earlier in the previous week. The country then announced Tier 4 restrictions on Sunday, resulting in its former EU partners

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South East UK enters harsh lockdown, Brexit agreement drifts again, Biden begins to lay out his vision

The UK pound is likely to come under intense scrutiny during the week leading up to the Xmas holidays. On Saturday, December 19, the UK prime minister announced that a vast area of the UK would enter a tier 4 system: the harshest Coronavirus lockdown criteria. London and the surrounding counties are now under legal

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WEEKLY MARKET SNAPSHOT 21/12 – 24/12 | HOW WILL THE MARKETS FOR STOCKS, FX AND COMMODITIES BEHAVE DURING XMAS WEEK?

The week before Xmas is traditionally a quiet time for trading in the equity, FX, and commodity markets. However, this has not been an ordinary year. 2020 has been the definition of a genuinely extraordinary year. The tragedy of the Coronavirus has dominated our trading world since March, and nobody could have predicted how the

WEEKLY MARKET SNAPSHOT 21/12 – 24/12 | HOW WILL THE MARKETS FOR STOCKS, FX AND COMMODITIES BEHAVE DURING XMAS WEEK? Read More »

SPX500 reaches a record high despite horrendous jobless data as USD slumps further

The main equity markets in the USA rose for the second day in series on Thursday to reach record highs in anticipation of the Pandemic Relief Bill finally getting approved. The USA is not experiencing any form of unified coronavirus lockdown, it varies state by state. But to all intents it’s business as usual in

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Fed leaves rates and policy unchanged, as US retail sales figures disappoint

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at 0-0.25% during their December policy meeting. Jerome Powell The Fed chair announced the central bank would continue to buy $120 billion of bonds each month until they observe improvements in the US employment and inflation data. The Fed believe the US economy will shrink less in 2020

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US equity markets approach record highs: oil rises to February levels based on stimulus optimism

Wall Street is now optimistic that the bipartisan Covid Relief Bill which would inject cash directly into the working and middle-class economy where it’s needed most will finally receive approval by Wednesday. Investors’ collective mood improved further after the Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, congratulated Joe Biden on his election win, eventually drawing a line

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Dollar falls as US equity markets await the stimulus; sterling rises as Brexit deal looks more likely

USD came under pressure versus its main peers during Monday’s trading sessions, illustrated by the dollar index (DXY) trading down -0.29% on the day. At the same time, the leading US equity indices gave up their gains during the New York session as investors await a decision on the Pandemic Relief Bill. Investors are also

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