IG Markets - Morning Thoughts

IG Markets - Morning Thoughts

Risk assets were mixed through Europe and US trade ahead of the ECB press conference later today. The euro spiked on reports that the ECB will undertake an unlimited and sterilised buying of sovereign debt with maturities of up to three years, but would refrain from setting yield caps. EUR/USD advanced to a high of 1.2625 and remains sidelined above 1.26. German CDU lawmaker Norbert Barthle reported that Angela Merkel accepts a temporary ECB programme for short maturity bonds, but stays opposed to ‘unlimited’ bond buying. The spreads on peripheral bonds narrowed further, Spanish 10-year yields contracted by 16 basis points (bp), while German 10-year yields rose by 8 bp. Other risk currencies like AUD/USD did not quite enjoy the same move as the euro. The pair seems to be settling into a new range around the 1.02 level.

Ahead of the open, we are calling the Aussie market up 0.4% at 4292. We are likely to see some ranging ahead of the ECB press conference. Given most market participants already feel they have a good idea of what the ECB will announce, the ECB meeting today might initially be viewed as a disappointment, since it may be slightly early for the presentation of the finer details and modalities of the bond-buying programme. However, we might see this moderated as the market realises that bond intervention is just a question of time. Locally, the jobs numbers will be the key event of the session with the unemployment rate expected to creep up to 5.3% with 5100 jobs added. Should the data disappoint, we could see AUD/USD take another leg lower with near-term support close to overnight lows at 1.0177.

On a stock level, we expect a firmer start for BHP Billiton with its ADR pointing to a 0.3% rise to $31.14. Once again iron ore and gold miners will be in focus after the recent price action we’ve seen in both resources. Lynas Corp will also be one to watch with a strong start tipped after saying it received a temporary operating license from the Malaysian board and expects to reach full production rate by end-2013. Qantas is reported to have sealed a joint venture alliance with Emirates and this will put the airline firmly in focus today. Billabong has just announced it has received a proposal from another party.

Market Price at 6:30am AEST Change Since Australian Market Close Percentage Change
AUD/USD 1.0194 -0.0003 -0.03%
ASX (cash) 4292 15 0.35%
US DOW (cash) 13063 45 0.35%
US S&P (cash) 1408.4 4.0 0.28%
UK FTSE (cash) 5664 -2 -0.03%
German DAX (cash) 6969 29 0.41%
Japan 225 (cash) 8683 3 0.04%
Rio Tinto Plc (London) 27.18 -0.04 -0.16%
BHP Billiton Plc (London) 17.79 -0.48 -2.63%
BHP Billiton Ltd. ADR (US) (AUD) 31.14 0.09 0.28%
US Light Crude Oil (October) 95.97 0.77 0.81%
Gold (spot) 1693.1 1.3 0.07%
Aluminium (London) 1964 31 1.60%
Copper (London) 7734 120 1.58%
Nickel (London) 16066 51 0.32%
Zinc (London) 2028 33 1.66%

IG Markets provides round-the-clock CFD trading on currencies, indices and commodities. The levels quoted in this email are the latest tradeable price for each market. The net change for each market is referenced from the corresponding tradeable level at yesterday’s close of the ASX. These levels are specifically tailored for the Australian trader and take into account the 24hr nature of global markets.

Please contact IG Markets if you require market commentary or the latest dealing price.

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