Asian shares edged up on Monday as a U.S. holiday (Presidents’ Day) made for slow trading ahead of minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting and a reading on core inflation that could add to the risk of interest rates heading higher for longer.
Geopolitical tensions were ever present with North Korea firing more missiles and talk of Russia ramping up attacks in Ukraine before Friday’s one-year anniversary of the invasion.
In Europe, money markets show that investors are already betting on a peak European Central Bank rate around 3.75% by late summer, up from levels around 3.4% earlier this month.
Investors are unwinding earlier bets after a string of hawkish comments from policymakers, forcing European shares to retreat further from one-year highs.
ECB officials have highlighted their fears about stubborn underlying inflation.
The central bank raised rates by 50 basis points this month and pre-announced another increase of the same size for March 16, but it kept an open mind about future moves, with most policymakers expecting another rate hike in May.
Stand-out items on this week’s economic calendar include the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, earnings reports from big U.S. retailers, global flash PMIs, and inflation readings from the euro zone and Japan.
Have your trading charts ready!
This Week’s High Impact Events
The times below are GMT +2.
Monday 20th February
No High Impact Events
Tuesday 21st February
02.30 – Australia – Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes
Potential instruments to Trade: AUD Crosses.
From 10.15 – Europe – French & & German Manufacturing & Services PMI
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