Market Headlines – 21/12/2017

US

• US bonds extended weakness from the previous session, the dollar moved lower against a basket of peers, while US equities were little changed yesterday.
• Moves in government bonds received the most attention once again. 10-year yields traded a further 4bps higher (prices fell), settling at 2.50%, translating into a 10bps move higher over the past two days.
• In currency markets, the dollar extended recent weakness, most notably against the euro. The common currency gained 0.4% against the greenback, settling at $1.1877.
• Oil prices were buoyed by positive US inventory data which highlighted a 5.2m drawdown in inventories. Brent Crude gained 1.2% following the data release.

Europe

• European equities underperformed their US peers yesterday. The Euro Stoxx 50 index fell 0.8%, the German DAX declined 0.7% and the French CAC settled 0.6% lower.
• Moves in European government bond yields mirrored that in the US, as German 10-year yields rose 4bps to 0.42%.
• In Spain, Catalonia will hold its regional election today with polls showing neither side will win a clear majority.

Asia

• A mixed session for Asian equities overnight. Japanese stocks were little changed following the BoJ decision to leave its monetary stimulus unchanged (as widely expected), while Chinese stocks rose 0.4%.