• Downbeat moods dominated during today’s Asia-Pacific session. Nikkei dropped 0.3%, S&P/ASX 200 moved 0.1% lower and Kospi declined 0.9%. Indices from China traded mixed
  • US and European futures moved lower during the Asian session as US 10-year yields rose to 1.85% – a 2-year high
  • The Bank of Japan left monetary policy settings unchanged as expected. Inflation forecasts were boosted for fiscal 2022 and 2023. GDP forecast was boosted for fiscal 2022 and lower for fiscal 2023 and 2024
  • Fitch expects Chinese economy to grow 4.8% in 2022
  • Japanese industrial production increased 7% MoM in November (exp. 7.2% MoM)
  • OIl continues to gain amid new pandemic restrictions being imposed in Asia, mostly China. Brent trades slightly below $88 per barrel – the highest level since 2014
  • Goldman Sachs expects Brent price to reach $96 in 2022 and $105 in 2023
  • Precious metals trade mixed – gold and platinum drop while silver and palladium gain
  • Cryptocurrencies trade slightly higher today. Bitcoin bounces off the $42,000 area
  • CAD and USD are the best performing major currencies while JPY and CHF lag the most