Morning wrap (29.12.2021)

• US indices snapped a winning streak yesterday and finished trading mixed. S&P 500 dropped 0.10%, Nasdaq moved 0.56% lower and Russell 2000 dipped 0.66%. Dow Jones gained 0.26%

• Stocks in Asia traded mostly lower today. Nikkei dropped 0.6%, Kospi moved 0.9% lower and indices from China traded 0.9-2.0% lower. S&P/ASX 200 gained over 1% during the first post-Christmas session

• DAX futures point to a slightly lower opening of the European cash session today

• According to the Wall Street Journal, Joe Biden considers Sarah Bloom Raskin as the new Fed's chair for supervision. Biden also weighs whether to appoint Lisa Cook or Philip Jefferson for the other open Fed Board seat (both are professors of economics)

• Cryptocurrencies continued to move lower with Bitcoin dropping below $48,000

• China increased import quotas for Australian wool for 2022, signalling a potential easing of tensions between two countries

• API report on oil inventories pointed to a 3.09 million barrel draw in US oil stockpiles (exp. -3.0 mb)

• EUR and USD are the best performing major currencies while AUD and NZD lag the most. Overall, trading ranges on the FX market were narrow during the Asian session

• Precious metals pull back, oil gains slightly and agricultural goods trade mixed

Majority of Asian indices traded lower today, following a downbeat session on Wall Street yesterday. S&P/ASX 200 (AUS200) bucked the trend as it tried to catch up with moves from the beginning of the week (Australian stock market was closed on Monday and Tuesday). Australian index managed to jump above 7,350 resistance zone and is now looking towards 7,450 swing area. Source: xStation5