US futures are lower on Nvidia day; with the stock down 56bps in premarket trading, while Mag7 and semis are also all lower pre-mkt. As of 7:20am, S&P futures are down 0.1%, just off session lows amid signs of sticky inflation that dampened bets on early interest-rate cuts; Nasdaq futures drop 0.2% while Europe’s Stoxx 600 gauge slipped 0.3%, with energy shares among the big losers amid an earlier drop in crude prices. Bond yields are higher by 2-3bps in sympathy with Gilts where yields jumped on much hotter than expected inflation, or rather less than expected disinflation. The USD is higher and commodities are mixed: energy is higher, reversing earlier losses, while precious metals are lower with Ags outperforming. Aside from NVDA, the latest Fed Minutes are also released today, which should align with recent Fedspeak (hikes unlikely in 2024 and need more data to support cuts), as well as some consumer-sector earnings (Target tumbled 8% after guidance disappointed) which, in total, show a still solid aggregate consumer but continued deterioration in the lower income consumers.
In premarket trading, Tesla slid after disclosing European sales fell to a 15-month low in April while Lululemon shares dropped 4.6% after the athleisure brand announced organizational changes, including the departure of chief product officer Sun Choe. Raymond James said Choe leaving the company added to the “wall of worry” in the near term, while Jefferies noted that the adjustments could indicate future issues with top-line growth. Here are some other notable premarket movers:
- Bentley Systems shares fall 3.8% after Schneider Electric says talks with the software firm regarding a potential strategic transaction have been mutually terminated, according to an emailed statement. No transaction was agreed upon.
- Edwards Life shares climb 1.7% after an upgrade to buy at Citi.
- Kraft Heinz shares tick 0.9% higher after an upgrade to overweight from neutral at Piper Sandler, which said there is better visibility on the packaged-food company’s upside in food service, aided by a new innovation in time-saving dispensers.
- Lululemon shares decline 4.6% after the athleisure brand announced organizational changes, including the departure of chief product officer Sun Choe. Raymond James said Choe leaving the company added to the “wall of worry” in the near term, while Jefferies noted that the adjustments could indicate future issues with top-line growth.
- Middleby shares slip 2.2% after a downgrade to underweight at JPMorgan.
- Modine shares decline 9.1% after the maker of heating and air conditioning products provided a fiscal 2025 earnings forecast range with a midpoint that’s short of estimates.
- Rezolute shares jump 31% after the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said the Phase 2 study of RZ402 for certain patients with diabetic macular edema met both primary endpoints.
- Urban Outfitters shares jump 5.5% after the clothing retailer reported 1Q net sales that beat the average analyst estimate. Barclays highlighted the performance of Anthropologie, Free People, Free People Movement and Nuuly, which more than made up for the underperformance of its Urban Outfitters banner.
All eyes now turn to AI bellwether Nvidia, which is down 0.6% in thin premarket New York trading. It’s projected to report a 243% gain in revenue, according to Wall Street estimates, but its 90% year-to-date share rally sets a high bar for further gains. Shares have hit a fresh record high this week ahead of the result, seen as the grand finale for a robust US earnings season.
“Nvidia remains the focal point,” Pepperstone Group Ltd. strategist Chris Weston said, noting that options markets are pricing a 7% to 9% swing in the stock after the result. And while Nvidia’s sales and gross margins will grab the initial spotlight, “it’s the guidance on the earnings landscape and product roll-out from CEO Jensen Huang that could dictate if the market really wants to push this one along for a more sustained period,” Weston said.
Markets are also growing jittery about the prospect of stubbornly high inflation that could prevent central banks from easing policy as early as currently anticipated. The latest UK CPI figures lifted the pound and knocked bond prices across Europe as traders pushed back their expected timing for the first Bank of England rate cut. Earlier on Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept interest rates unchanged and signaled policy will stay tight for longer, while Federal Reserve Governor Waller said on Tuesday he needs to see several more good inflation numbers to begin interest-rate cuts.
“Both the RBNZ and the UK inflation data highlight the fraught nature of the current juncture, with investors struggling to gauge both the timing and extent of long-awaited central bank easing cycles,” Rabobank’s head of rates strategy, Richard McGuire, said.
Meanwhile, two more Fed officials again reinforced a higher-for-longer message on rates. On Tuesday, Loretta Mester and Susan Collins said they need more evidence of slowing inflation before cutting. In response, traders dialed down expectatons for Fed interest rate cuts this year, currently seeing around 40 basis points of rate cuts in 2024, versus the 50 basis-point reduction priced last week. Minutes of the last Fed policy meeting, due later Wednesday, could offer further clues on rate-setters’ thinking.
European stocks dropped, with the Stoxx 600 index slipped 0.3%; travel and leisure stocks lead gains while the autos sector have the largest declines. Among individual stock movers, shares in Anglo American Plc weakened as investors waited to see if rival BHP Group Ltd. would launch its takeover bid to create a global copper behemoth. BHP has a deadline of 5 p.m. London time to announce a firm intention to make an offer for what could be among the world’s biggest takeover deals this year. Here are some of the biggest European movers Wednesday:
- Evotec climbs as much as 2.6% after first-quarter sales beat market expectations. Still, analysts flag risks to the firm’s reiterated 2024 guidance amid a broader slowdown
- Marks & Spencer jumps as much as 8.3% after reporting adjusted pretax profit that came ahead of estimates, saying it’s in the strongest financial health since 1997
- Swiss Life falls as third-party asset management net inflows came in “much weaker than expected,” and overshadow fee income growth, according to Citi
- SSE falls as much as 2.5% as the lack of EPS guidance by the UK power company disappoints alongside weaker performance in its renewables unit
- RS Group falls as much as 13% after reporting lower sales and profits in the recently-ended financial year, warning that demand remains subdued
- Ypsomed jumps 7.1% after its guidance beat expectations, according to ZKB. The Swiss supplier of auto-injectors also plans to separate its Diabetes Care operations
- Mytilineos drops as much as 6.3% after a shareholder launched an offer to sell shares in the Greek energy company at a discount to yesterday’s closing price
- Close Brothers falls as much as 7.9% after a trading update that saw downgrades to net interest margins and loan book growth
- Eutelsat drops following a downgrade to neutral at Citi, which says the satellite company’s risk profile is currently “heightened”
Earlier, Asian stocks traded in a narrow range as investors awaited new catalysts. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped as much as 0.3% before erasing some losses. Toyota Motor and Alibaba Group dragged on the gauge, while chipmaker TSMC, a top Nvidia supplier, was among the biggest boosts. Stocks rose in Taiwan and New Zealand while benchmarks fell in Japan. Markets were closed for holidays in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The key MSCI Asia stock gauge is trading close to its highest level in more than two years after a recent rally in Chinese stocks and hopes of US rate cuts. Strong gains in Hong Kong have raised some concerns of overheating, however, while two Federal Reserve officials reinforced a higher-for-longer message on interest rates Tuesday.
In FX, the Bloomberg dollar index rose to sessoon highs, tracking the rise in yields. The pound rose to the strongest level in two months against the euro as traders pared UK rate-cut bets after inflation cooled at a slower-than-expected pace. “UK services inflation remains high and suggests the BOE can wait before cutting the policy rate,” said Elias Haddad, a senior strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in London. “The upward adjustment to UK interest rate expectations supports a firmer GBP particularly versus EUR.”
- EUR/GBP fell as much as 0.3% to 0.8512, crossing the April low to hit the weakest since March 11
- GBP/USD rose as much as 0.4% to 1.2761, extending a four-day rally to 0.7%; pair continued to trade at the highest since March
- EUR/CHF rose 0.3% to 0.9916, on its longest winning streak since October 2022
Treasuries were pressured lower over early London session, following wider losses seen across gilts which aggressively bear flattened with yields at highest in weeks after inflation slowed far less than expected. Following the UK April CPI, the UK 2-year year yield remains cheaper by around 12bp on the day into early US session with UK 2s10s spread flatter by 3bp and 5s30s by 4bp on the day. Subsequently, UK markets no longer fully priced two Bank of England rate cuts for this year. US yields are also cheaper by 3bp to 5bp across the curve with belly-led losses on the day flattening 5s30s spread by around 1bp; 10-year yields around 4.45%, cheaper by 4bp vs. Tuesday close with UK 10-year underperforming by around 6.5bp in the sector
US session focus also includes supply pressure with $16 billion 20-year bond sale scheduled for 1pm New York, while Fed release latest policy minutes at 2pm. Treasury auctions resume with $16b 20-year bond sale at 1pm, before $16b 10-year TIPS reopening Thursday. The WI 20-year yield at ~4.66% is roughly 16bp richer than April’s stop-out, which traded 2.5bp through the WI in a strong auction result
In commodities, crude reversed earlier losses, when prices were pressured by the surprise build in private inventories (Crude +2.5mln vs exp. -2.5mln) ahead of today's DoEs; Brent traded as low as $81.50 before rebounding over $82. Precious metals are softer with spot gold subdued amid a lack of notable geopolitical developments in recent days and ahead of FOMC minutes; XAU resides within a USD 2,410.69-2,426.62/oz range. A pullback is seen across most base metals following the recent rally, with profit-taking not to be discounted, with 3M LME copper towards the bottom end of a 10,636.50-10,857.50 intraday range.
In crypto, Bitcoin stabilized around $70K, with Ethereum holding just above $3.7k.
To the day ahead now, and the main highlight will be Nvidia’s earnings after the close. Otherwise, data releases include the aforementioned red hot UK CPI print for April and US existing home sales for April. We’ll get the FOMC minutes from the May meeting, and hear from ECB President Lagarde, BoE Deputy Governor Breeden, and the Fed’s Goolsbee.
Market Snapshot
- S&P 500 futures little changed at 5,340.75
- MXAP down 0.2% to 180.88
- MXAPJ up 0.3% to 568.56
- Nikkei down 0.8% to 38,617.10
- Topix down 0.8% to 2,737.36
- Hang Seng Index down 0.1% to 19,195.60
- Shanghai Composite little changed at 3,158.54
- Sensex up 0.3% to 74,199.82
- Australia S&P/ASX 200 little changed at 7,848.14
- Kospi little changed at 2,723.46
- STOXX Europe 600 down 0.3% to 521.14
- German 10Y yield little changed at 2.53%
- Euro little changed at $1.0849
- Brent Futures down 1.5% to $81.66/bbl
- Gold spot down 0.3% to $2,413.00
- US Dollar Index little changed at 104.70
Top Overnight News
- China’s mega banks are urging branch managers to lend to state-owned companies that buy unsold homes, offering a quick show of support for the government’s housing rescue package unveiled last week. BBG
- China signaled it’s ready to unleash tariffs as high as 25% on imported cars with large engines, as trade tensions escalate with the US and European Union. BBG
- New Zealand’s central bank makes a hawkish tweak to its statement, warning that rates may need to stay at present levels for longer than previously envisioned. WSJ
- UK inflation falls by less than anticipated in April, causing markets to dial back expectations for a June BOE rate cut (headline CPI was +2.3% in Apr, a steep fall from +3.2% in Mar but ahead of the Street’s +2.1% forecast. Core came in at +3.9%, down from +4.2% in Mar but above the Street’s +3.6% forecast). RTRS
- White House says a deal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is within reach, but its not clear if Netanyahu will agree to Riyadh’s demands (which include committing to the creation of a Palestinian state and a halt to the war in Gaza). Politico
- The US should lift its “absolutely unfair” ban on the Ukrainian army using American-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia, in order to help thwart Moscow’s new offensive, Ukraine’s top national security official has said. FT
- Biden’s approval rating falls to the lowest level in nearly two years (the rating sank to 36%, down from 38% in Apr). RTRS
- US gasoline supplies gained by more than 2 million barrels last week, API data is said to show. That would take total holdings to the highest in eight weeks if confirmed by the EIA today. Crude inventories also rose. BBG
- Fed's Mester (voter) said expect above-trend growth for the year and keeping rates restrictive is not that big of a risk right now given job market strength. Mester said she raised her estimate of the long-run neutral rate in the last projection and the current level of policy may not be "as restrictive" as it might otherwise have been, while she needs to see a few more months of inflation coming down and is also watching expectations.
- Fed's Collins (non-voter) said elevated uncertainty continues to be a feature of the economy and cannot overreact to any data point, while she added this is a period when patience really matters and uncertainty is a key factor at this point. Furthermore, she said there are a lot of reasons to think Fed policy is "moderately" restrictive with some impacts still in the pipeline and the neutral rate may be higher at least in the medium term
A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk
APAC stocks were mostly rangebound as global markets brace for the FOMC Minutes and Nvidia earnings. ASX 200 just about kept afloat as strength in the heavy industries picked up the slack from the sluggish consumer and tech sectors. Nikkei 225 underperformed following a retreat beneath the 39,000 level and amid mixed data releases as trade data disappointed but machinery orders topped forecasts and showed a surprise M/M expansion. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were somewhat varied as the former mildly resumed its advances with XPeng among the notable gainers in Hong Kong due to its Q2 delivery guidance, while the mainland was contained amid a lack of drivers and lingering trade frictions.
Top Asian News
- RBNZ kept the OCR unchanged at 5.50% as expected, while it noted that monetary policy needs to be restricted and it raised its OCR projections with the OCR seen at 5.61% in September 2024 (prev. 5.60%), 5.54% in June 2025 (prev. 5.33%), 5.40% in September 2025 (prev. 5.15%) and at 2.99% in June 2027. RBNZ said restrictive monetary policy has reduced capacity pressures in the New Zealand economy and lowered consumer price inflation, as well as noted that annual consumer price inflation is expected to return to within the committee's 1%-3% target range by the end of 2024. RBNZ Minutes noted the committee agreed that interest rates need to remain at a restrictive level for a sustained period to ensure annual headline CPI inflation returns to the 1%-3% target range, while the committee agreed that interest rates may have to remain at a restrictive level for longer than anticipated in the February Monetary Policy Statement to ensure the inflation target is met. Furthermore, the committee discussed the possibility of increasing the OCR at this meeting.
- RBNZ Governor Orr said during the press conference that it would take time for domestic inflation to decline, while he added the economy has a lower potential growth rate and he is unsure if that is temporary. Orr also commented that they have limited upside room for inflation surprises and the OCR track is a central projection not an absolute prediction, as well as noted that they had a real consideration on raising rates at this meeting.
European bourses, (Stoxx 600 -0.3%), are subdued across the board, but within recent ranges as the tone from APAC reverberated into Europe. European sectors are mostly lower, with the breadth of the market fairly narrow; Autos are found at the foot of the pile, after EU car registrations showed a fall in EV market share. Energy is also hampered by broader weakness in the crude complex. US equity futures (ES -0.1%, NQ U/C, RTY -0.2%) are trading tentatively in a catalyst-thin session, with focus on the FOMC Minutes and after-market earnings from Nvidia.
Top European News
- EU New car registrations: +13.7% in April 2024; battery electric 11.9% market share (vs 13% in March), according to acea. EU New Car Registrations by company in April Y/Y: Volkswagen (VOW3 GY) +15.5%. Stellantis (STLAP FP/ STLAM IM) +1.7%. Renault (RNO FP) +11.0%. BMW (BMW GY) +11.5%. Mercedes-Benz (MBG GY) +4.2%. Toyota (7203 JT) +47.3%. Nissan (7201 JT) +14.3%. Ford (F) -9.1%. Tesla (TSLA) +3.0%.
- UK ONS House Price Index (Mar) +1.8% (vs -0.2% in Feb).
- Barclays removed its expectations that the BoE will conduct the first rate cut in June.
FX
- DXY is slightly firmer but is showing mixed performance vs. peers (softer vs. NZD and GBP but firmer vs. CHF and JPY). DXY has caught a recent bid and currently trades near session highs at 104.77.
- EUR is marginally softer vs the Dollar but a session of losses vs. the GBP; In terms of price action for EUR/USD, the pair is currently respecting yesterday's 1.0842-74 range.
- GBP is firmer in the wake of an unambiguously disappointing inflation report for the BoE. Y/Y measures fell from their priors but came in hotter-than-expected, as such the first full cut is now priced in November vs September pre-release. Accordingly, Cable vaulted to a high of 1.2761, though has since pared almost the entire move amid the recent Dollar strength, although EUR/GBP holds onto losses.
- Antipodeans are mixed vs. the USD with NZD the best performer across the majors post-RBNZ rate decision. The hawkish lean of the release saw NZD/USD spike higher to 0.6152. AUD/USD is a touch softer vs. the USD in quiet newsflow and as copper prices pull back.
- PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1077 vs exp. 7.2376 (prev. 7.1069).
Fixed Income
- USTs are softer following the broader dynamics in fixed income markets but to a lesser extent than peers. Today's FOMC minutes will be parsed for details on what lies ahead for the Fed. Trough thus far at 108.31+ low matched that of yesterday's but failed to make any headway below that level.
- Gilts are notably lagging peers in the wake of the latest UK inflation release whereby Y/Y measures fell from their priors but came in hotter-than-expected. Gilts gapped lower by over a point, printing a low at 96.83, before stabilising on a 97 handle.
- Bunds were already on the backfoot before subsequently being dragged lower by UK inflation metrics. Jun'24 Bund contract went as low as 130.30, tripping below yesterday's trough at 130.53.
- UK sells GBP 4bln 4.125% 2029 Gilt: b/c 3.2x (prev. 3.21x), average yield 4.199% (prev. 4.251%), tail 0.6bps (prev. 0.8bps).
- Germany sells EUR 3.283bln vs exp. EUR 4bln 2.20% 2034 Bund: b/c 2.8x (prev. 2.5x), average yield 2.53% (prev. 2.54%) & retention 17.9% (prev. 19.03%)
Commodities
- Crude is lower in a continuation of the recent trend, with prices also pressured by the surprise build in private inventories (Crude +2.5mln vs exp. -2.5mln) ahead of today's DoEs; Brent July closer to the bottom end of a 81.57-82.63/bbl parameter.
- Precious metals are softer with spot gold subdued amid a lack of notable geopolitical developments in recent days and ahead of FOMC minutes; XAU resides within a USD 2,410.69-2,426.62/oz range.
- A pullback is seen across most base metals following the recent rally, with profit-taking not to be discounted, with 3M LME copper towards the bottom end of a 10,636.50-10,857.50 intraday parameter
- Global crude steel output -5.0% Y/Y; Chinse crude steel output -7.2% Y/Y
- Norway's April Prelim oil production 1.854mln BPD (vs 1.84mln BPD in March), gas output 10.4bcm (vs 364.5mcm/day in March), according to the Oil Directorate
- China's Coal Group said that China's May coal imports are likely to be lower than April's 42.5mln metric tons
- US Private Energy Inventory Data (bbls): Crude +2.5mln (exp. -2.5mln), Cushing +1.8mln, Gasoline +2.1mln (exp. -0.7mln), Distillate -0.3mln (exp. -0.4mln).
- Commerzbank said it expects Gold price to fall to USD 2300/toz in H2'24; raises forecast for Silver to USD 30/toz (prev. USD 29)
Geopolitics
- US senior official said negotiators are nearing a final set of arrangements for the US-Saudi defence deal and it is 'pretty much there to do’, while the deal includes a security component and nuclear agreement but the deal is not done and requires more work. The official said elements such as a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood still have to be completed, while the US talked with Israeli officials and reinforced President Biden's concerns about a Rafah ground invasion. Furthermore, the official said they had a very detailed discussion with Israelis about how to transition to a stabilisation phase in Gaza.
- China's Foreign Minister Wang said in talks with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister that China will continue to strengthen strategic cooperation with Iran, safeguard common interests, and make endeavours for regional and world peace, according to Reuters.
- Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia's response will not only be political if France sends troops to Ukraine, according to RIA.
- Russian Defence Ministry proposed to change external border of Russian territorial waters in Baltic Sea, via Interfax citing draft bill
US Event Calendar
- 07:00: May MBA Mortgage Applications, prior 0.5%
- 10:00: April Existing Home Sales MoM, est. 0.8%, prior -4.3%
- 10:00: April Home Resales with Condos, est. 4.22m, prior 4.19m
- 14:00: May FOMC Meeting Minutes
Fed speakers
- 09:40: Fed’s Goolsbee Gives Opening Remarks
DB's Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap
Markets continued to inch higher yesterday, with the S&P 500 (+0.25%) closing at another all-time high. But even with the new record, there were still clear signs of investor caution ahead of Nvidia’s earnings announcement later today, which is now the main focus for investors. It might seem strange that markets are hanging on the results of a single company, but over recent quarters, the release has become one of the most important events on the macro calendar. Moreover, that status has been justified by the massive moves afterwards, and Nvidia’s previous results in February saw the S&P 500 surge by +2.11% the next day, marking its strongest daily performance in over a year. So this is a pivotal event, and the recent releases have seen reactions that rival the sort of moves taking place after a surprise US jobs report or CPI release.
We won’t get Nvidia’s results until after the US close, but in the meantime, investors were focused on several Fed speakers yesterday, who sounded cautious on the prospect for near-term rate cuts. For instance, Fed Governor Waller said that “in the absence of a significant weakening in the labor market, I need to see several more months of good inflation data before I would be comfortable supporting an easing in the stance of monetary policy.” In addition, he said that “We’re not seeing anything right now that looks like staying here for three or four months is going to cause the economy to go off a cliff”. Later on, that message was back up by other speakers, and Vice Chair for Supervision Barr said that “We need to sit tight where we are for longer than we previously thought”. So the comments all added to the sense that any rate cuts (if they happen at all) would be later in the year.
But even as Fed speakers were in no hurry to cut rates, several other developments meant that sovereign bonds still rallied on both sides of the Atlantic. First, we had the Canadian CPI release for April, where inflation slowed to +2.7% year-on-year, in line with expectations. That helped to bolster expectations that the Bank of Canada would cut rates at their next meeting, and overnight index swaps moved up the chance of a June cut to 64%, up from 43% the previous day. Secondly, there was a fresh decline in oil prices, with Brent crude down by -0.99% on the day to $82.88/bbl, and overnight it’s fallen a further -0.68% to $82.32/bbl. And third, we also heard from ECB President Lagarde, who said that “there is a strong likelihood” of a move in June, and that “I’m really confident that we have inflation under control”.
Overall, that meant y ields on 10yr Treasuries fell -3.2bps to 4.41%, whilst Canadian government bonds outperformed, with their 10yr yield down -5.0bps on the day. That was echoed in Europe, where yields on 10yr bunds (-3.0bps), OATs (-2.4bps) and BTPs (-1.8bps) also moved lower. And here in the UK, 10yr gilts were down -3.9bps, which comes ahead of the UK CPI data for April, which is out shortly after we go to press this morning.
For equities however, there was a more divergent performance yesterday on either side of the Atlantic. In the US, the S&P 500 (+0.25%) managed to advance for a 3rd consecutive day to a new record, surpassing its previous closing peak last Wednesday. That was supported by a +1.04% advance to a new record for the Magnificent 7, which was led by a +6.66% gain for Tesla . On the other hand, small-cap stocks struggled, with the Russell 2000 down -0.20%. Meanwhile in Europe, the STOXX 600 (-0.18%) also fell back, alongside losses for the FTSE 100 (-0.09%), the CAC 40 (-0.67%) and the DAX (-0.22%).
That divergence has continued in Asian markets overnight, with losses for the Nikkei (-0.64%), alongside modest gains for the Hang Seng (+0.18%), the CSI 300 (+0.07%), the Shanghai Comp (+0.02%) and the KOSPI (+0.18%). And looking forward, US equity futures are flat this morning, with those on the S&P 500 up just +0.02%.
Elsewhere overnight, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand left interest rates unchanged at 5.5%. However, there were some hawkish elements to the decision, as Governor Orr said raising rates was a “real consideration” at the meeting, and their new forecasts suggest rate cuts will now happen later in 2025 than before. In turn, the New Zealand Dollar has strengthened by +0.43% against the US Dollar this morning, and yields on 10yr New Zealand government bonds are up +3.5bps, with the 2yr yield up +7.0bps.
Finally, there were several interesting commodity moves yesterday, alongside the decline in oil prices. In particular, month ahead TTF natural gas prices in Europe rose +4.13% to EUR 33.01/MWh, with futures for next winter approaching EUR 40/MWh, their highest level since the start of year. Asian LNG prices similarly reached their highest levels since December. So a potential sign of inflationary pressures ahead. The latest moves follow the news of a bankruptcy for an LNG contractor in the US, which added to fears of tighter global LNG supplies at a time of solid restocking demand for LNG in both Asia and Europe. Meanwhile on the food side, wheat prices reached their highest level since August (up by over 25% since mid-April). And finally in metals, copper (+0.62% yesterday) posted another record high, extending its YTD gain to +31.58%.
To the day ahead now, and the main highlight will be Nvidia’s earnings after the close. Otherwise, data releases include the UK CPI print for April and US existing home sales for April. Finally, we’ll get the FOMC minutes from the May meeting, and hear from ECB President Lagarde, BoE Deputy Governor Breeden, and the Fed’s Goolsbee.
