Morning Briefing: Central banks in focus, markets mixed as oil rebounds

Central banks in focus, markets mixed as oil rebounds... Populism set to surge says European Commission...

Steve Randall
Central banks in focus, markets mixed as oil rebounds
World markets are mixed Wednesday as investors consider the moves for central banks while the decline in oil prices has been halted for now.

Asian markets are focused on the Fed and the Bank of Japan. With both meeting next week there is hope for increased stimulus from the BoJ and a bit more certainty over interest rates from the Fed.
Most major Asian indexes closed lower with Sydney bucking the trend. Seoul was closed for a public holiday.

European indexes are generally trending higher Wednesday. While central banks are the talk of the markets, regional activity is also in focus. The Bayer/Monsanto deal is expected to be announced; a $66 billion tie-up between the German and US chemical firms.

Wall Street and Toronto are expected to open slightly higher.
 
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North America (previous session)
US Dow Jones 18,066.75 (-1.41 per cent) -2.74 per cent +9.94 per cent
TSX Composite 14,349.10 (-1.70 per cent) -2.70 per cent +7.46 per cent
 
Europe (at 4.30am ET)
UK FTSE 6,703.00 (+0.56 per cent) -3.08 per cent +10.16 per cent
German DAX 10,427.02 (+0.39 per cent) -2.67 per cent +2.91 per cent
 
Asia (at close)
China CSI 300 3,238.73 (-0.66 per cent) -1.68 per cent -1.29 per cent
Japan Nikkei 16,614.24 (-0.69 per cent) -1.81 per cent -7.52 per cent
 
Other Data (at 2.30am ET)
Oil (Brent) Oil (WTI) Gold Can. Dollar
47.34
(+0.51 per cent)
45.22
(+0.71 per cent)
1325.80
(+0.16 per cent)
U$0.7592
 
Aus. Dollar
U$0.7464

 
Populism set to surge says European Commission
Global concerns over populism have been highlighted by the Brexit vote and a growing wave of unhappiness by consumers regarding inequality and the power of increasingly large corporations.

Speaking Wednesday, the president of the European Commission warned that “galloping populism” is a risk to the European Union from nationalistic interests and a lack of unity on many issues.

He called for “more solidarity” between member states and said that the growth of the EU could not be undermined by national interests.

He warned that unemployment and social injustice were two key areas where the member states need to work together quickly.
 

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