Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Tuesday, June 18:
1. ECB hints at more easing as Fed meeting kicks off
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi gave his clearest hint yet of further stimulus at a forum for central bankers in Sintra, Portugal, on Tuesday.
He indicated that, if no improvement in Eurozone inflation occurred, further interest rate cuts or asset purchases would be required.
Draghi’s comments come as the Federal Reserve kicks off its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday morning.
While markets do not anticipate any changes to be made to interest rates when the decision is announced on Wednesday, expectations are high that persistent worries over economic fallout from the U.S.-China trade war could prompt the Fed to open the door to rate cuts later this year.
Read more: Fed Preview: Caught Between Pride And Pragmatism On Speed, Frequency Of Cuts – Darrel Delamaide
Fed funds futures currently price in the chance of a rate cut in July at more than 80%, with the probability of two more cuts by the end of the year above 50%.
2. Stocks get boost from hopes of central bank easing
European stocks and U.S. futures turned positive after Draghi sparked hopes that central banks would ease policy to support a weakening global outlook.
The Euro Stoxx 50 gained 0.9% by 5:49 AM ET (9:49 GMT) while, in the U.S., Dow futures gained 53 points, or 0.2%, S&P 500 futures rose 7 points, or 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures traded up 36 points, or 0.5%.
The bullish sentiment for stocks did not dampen demand for safe-haven bonds as investors continued to bid up prices. The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury, which trades inversely to prices, slid 4 basis points to 2.05%, its lowest level since September 2017.
3. Oil prices drop for 2nd day ahead of U.S. inventory data
Oil prices were lower for a second day on Tuesday, weighed down by worries that global economic growth is being hit by the U.S.-China trade war and caution ahead of weekly data on U.S. crude stockpiles.
German chipmaker Siltronic reminded markets that U.S. restrictions on China would hurt business, warning that second quarter sales would be significantly lower than the first three months of the year.
The announcement was an echo of Broadcom’s similar profit warning and raised the specter of a weakening global economy that would likely limit demand for oil.
Investors looked ahead to the American Petroleum Institute’s weekly report on U.S. crude stockpiles. The reading comes ahead of the official report from the Energy Information Administration. Although expectations are for a draw of 2.0 million barrels, inventories registered a surprise surge in the previous two reports.
Losses in oil were limited however by tensions in the Middle East after last week’s tanker attacks as U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed reports last week and sent 1,000 troops to the region amid an escalation of tensions with Iran.
4. Boeing records zero new orders, considers name change
The ramifications of the two fatal crashes of Boeing’s (NYSE:BA) 737 MAX that grounded the model worldwide continued to make financial headlines.
Boeing failed to announce a single new order for any of its airplanes in the first day of the Paris Air Show, while rival Airbus recorded orders and options for 123 planes, according to CNBC.
Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg had insisted that the priority at the Paris Air Show would not be orders, but on rebuilding faith in its fleet.
Separately, after Boeing’s Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith told Bloomberg that he would be open to a name change to the 737 MAX, the company hurriedly told Reuters that it was not currently working on plans to change the name.
5. Facebook prepped for Libra launch with Calibra digital wallet
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) announced further details on Tuesday over the highly anticipated launch of a digital currency called Libra, which is expected to go live in the first half of 2020.
Although the Libra currency itself will not be run by Facebook, the company run by Mark Zuckerberg will lead a consortium designed to prep for the launch. That group will include payments companies Visa (NYSE:V), Stripe and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) to help facilitate acceptance while other tech companies such as eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT), Uber (NYSE:UBER) or Spotify (NYSE:SPOT), are also reported to be on board.
— Investing.com
