Talking Points:
- Asian stock markets rose across the board Tuesday
- There wasn’t much domestic news but US earnings season kept the party going
- UK inflation data will grab attention as European trade ramps up
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Asian stocks rose Wednesday buoyed up by ongoing brightness in US corporate earnings. Wall Street stocks surged in the previous session thanks to crowd-pleasing reports from Netflix, Goldman Sachs and UnitedHealth.
This was more than enough to lift the local equity market tone on a day of scant economic news. The Nikkei 225 ended up 1.4%, with all other bourses safely in the green – if not to the same extent. The ASX 200 added 0.3% and the Shanghai Composite was 0.7% higher as its close loomed.
JAPAN’S TRADE SURPLUS SWELLS
The Japanese Yen rose after its home nation unexpectedly logged its biggest trade surplus since February 2017. The US Dollar was broadly higher, too, however. Markets also digested news that China had cut its reserve requirement ratio for the banking sector, a move which also helped underscore risk appetite.
USD/JPY seems to be in the process of failing once more at its established daily-chart range top.
However, the bulls may not be quite so easily dissuaded and this may not be the time to fight them.
Broader risk appetite saw the usual slip for gold prices, while crude oil prices edged up on news of lower US inventories.
UK INFLATION DATA WILL BE KEY FOR GBP
Still to come Wednesday are official March inflation numbers out of the UK, along with that country’s house-price index. DailyFX Senior Currency Strategist Ilya Spivak notes that British data have underperformed recently and cautions that more of the same from inflation could hit rate-hike bets and, thereby, the Pound.
The Bank of Canada will pronounce on interest rates and is expected to hold them steady for April. Finally, the US Department of Energy will release oil inventory figures from key delivery node Cushing, Oklahoma.
RESOURCES FOR TRADERS
Whether you’re new to trading or an old hand DailyFX has plenty of resources to help you. There’s our trading sentiment indicator which shows you live how IG clients are positioned right now. We also hold educational and analytical webinars and offer trading guides, with one specifically aimed at those new to foreign exchange markets. There’s also a Bitcoin guide. Be sure to make the most of them all. They were written by our seasoned trading experts and they’re all free.
— Written by David Cottle, DailyFX Research
Follow David on Twitter@DavidCottleFX or use the Comments section below to get in touch!
