Stock markets around the world are trading down slightly, essentially treading water with US markets closed for the Independence Day holiday following a half session on Monday.
US markets were mixed Monday with the Dow rallying 0.6% and the NASDAQ falling 0.4% as national PMI reports came in well above expectations, and new orders surged. Mid-morning today, we’ll see if US strength has spilled over into Canada. CAD is up slightly against USD heading into the news with USDCAD still trading below $1.3000.
Overseas, stocks and crude oil are trading moderately lower today with the FTSE, DAX, Nikkei and WTI crude oil all trading down 0-0.25%. UK construction PMI came in slightly below expectations.
North Korea celebrating the 4th of July with a long-range missile launch has unsettled some nerves sending gold up 0.4% on the day.
The biggest action in currency markets so far today has been around central bank meetings. AUD and SEK are both under pressure as their central banks (RBA and Riksbank respectively) declined to join the hawkish shift seen at a number of other central banks lately. In this environment, neutrality is now being seen as relatively dovish.