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Indices from Asia traded lower at the beginning of a new week. Nikkei dropped 0.8%, Kospi declined 0.5% and indices from China traded up to 3% lower. S&P/ASX 200 finished flat
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US and European index futures are trading lower after the weekend
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Emmanuel Macron won the first round of French presidential elections with 27.6% support. He will face far-right candidate Marine Le Pen (23.4%) in the second round on April 24, 2022
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Latest polls show a very narrow gap of 1-4% between Macron and Le Pen in the second round of voting
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UK Times reports that Finland is set to apply for NATO membership in June with Sweden following shortly after
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10-year US yield jumped above 2.75% for the first time since pre-pandemic times
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New daily Covid cases reported in the Chinese lockdown-hit city of Shanghai continue to increase. There are reports of food shortages in the city as well as of widespread protests
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Chinese CPI inflation accelerated from 0.9% to 1.5% YoY in March (exp. 1.2% YoY) while PPI inflation decelerated from 8.8 to 8.3% YoY (exp. 7.9% YoY)
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South Korean exports jumped 17.7% YoY in the first 10 days of April (workday adjusted). Semiconductor exports increased 14.2% YoY
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Oil is pulling back at the beginning of a new week. WTI drops 1.7% and trades slightly above $96 per barrel while Brent drops 1.6% and trades slightly below $101 per barrel
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Gold and silver trade flat while platinum and palladium gain
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GBP and USD are the best performing major currencies while JPY and CHF lag the most
Incumbent French President Macron managed to win the first round of presidential elections but did not secure enough votes to prevent a second round. He will face far-right candidate Le Pen on Sunday, April 24. However, Melenchon already asked to his voters not to back Le Pen. Source: BBC
