Date: 27th January 2025.


Mild Risk-Off Sentiment: Stocks Slide, Yen Gains, and Bitcoin Dips Amid Tariff Tensions and Fed Anticipation.


Asia & European Sessions:


* European stock market indexes are lower in early trade, after a mixed session in Asia, where concern over the weaponization of tariffs and a possible tech shakeup put mainly China bourses on the back foot.
* Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Colombia, citing the country’s refusal to accept military flights carrying deported migrants, prompted Bogotá to threaten retaliatory measures. However, the White House later announced Colombia had agreed to accept the flights, defusing immediate tensions. Trump also signalled potential tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting February 1.
* The Hang Seng is up 0.6%, while the Nikkei dropped as central bank action remains in focus and the yen rallied. DAX and FTSE100 are down -1.2% and 0.4% respectively in early trade and a -2.8% correction in the NASDAQ is leading US futures lower.
* Bonds meanwhile are rallying as risk aversion picks up.
* The Yen rose against the US dollar during Asian trading hours, as investors sought its safety amidst concerns about President Donald Trump’s tariff. On Friday, the yen briefly climbed 0.8% after the BOJ raised its policy rate to the highest level since 2008 but later retreated. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated the central bank would maintain rate hikes as wage and price growth broadened but gave few hints on the pace of future increases.
* Bitcoin saw a sharp decline as traders took profits just days followed Trump’s Friday announcement of a long-anticipated executive order establishing a working group to guide the White House on cryptocurrency policy. This group has been tasked with drafting a regulatory framework for digital assets within six months, while also exploring the idea of creating a national crypto stockpile.
* Earnings reports from over 100 S&P500 companies will dominate headlines, featuring major players like Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), and Tesla (TSLA). Wednesday is shaping up to be the busiest day, with additional reports from Starbucks (SBUX), Exxon (XOM), and Chevron (CVX).
* The Federal Reserve will also be in focus on Wednesday, announcing its latest policy decision. While rates are expected to remain unchanged, investors will closely monitor Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks for clues about monetary policy for the rest of 2025.


Financial Markets Performance:


* The USDIndex is little changed at 107.40. Expectations of widespread tariffs on imports from countries like China, Canada, and Mexico have fueled inflation fears, driving US Treasury yields higher and bolstering the dollar.
* The USDJPY traded at 155.88 after the BOJ raised rates and revised inflation forecasts higher.
* The Mexican peso, often sensitive to tariff news, fell 0.7% to 20.409 per dollar, while the Canadian dollar weakened to 1.4385 per dollar.
* The euro edged down 0.2% to $1.0455 ahead of an ECB meeting expected to lower borrowing costs. The British pound traded lower at $1.2428.
* Bitcoin slipped below $98,300. Other tokens like Solana and Cardano, which had surged following Trump’s election victory, experienced even steeper losses, according to Bloomberg data.
* Oil prices are down -0.4% at $74.28 per barrel.
* Gold is down -0.6% at a still-high $2753.80 per ounce.


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Please note that times displayed based on local time zone and are from time of writing this report.


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