Morning wrap (05.03.2021)

• US indices slumped yesterday and finished lower for a third day in a row. S&P 500 declined 1.34%, Dow Jones dropped 1.11% and Nasdaq slumped 2.11%. Russell 2000 declined 2.76%

• Stocks in Asia are also trading lower. Nikkei declines 0.3%, S&P/ASX 200 drops 0.7% and Kospi moves 0.4% lower. On the other hand, indices from China trade higher

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

• Moods on the global stock markets deteriorated after Powell continued to ignore rising yields and inflation expectations during speech yesterday

• OPEC+ agreed to keep production unchanged in April with Russia and Kazakhstan being allowed to boost output slightly

• According to Hong Kong Economic TImes, China set 2021 growth target above 6% and CPI target at around 3%

• Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda said that higher bond yields will reduce impact of monetary easing

• According to Bloomberg, US and UK are readying another round of sanctions against Russia for use of chemical weapons

• Bitcoin trades slightly below $47,000

• Oil moves higher. Precious metals trade mixed - platinum and silver decline while gold and palladium gain

• CAD and USD are the best performing major currencies while NZD and JPY lag the most

Oil rallied following OPEC+ decision to leave crude output unchanged. Brent (OIL) jumped back above $65 and continued to climb. Price is approaching $68 handle for the first time since early-January 2020. Source: xStation5