European update – Trade war, China, Gold, Oil

Silence is bliss as markets pare losses

It’s been a wild ride in the markets so far this week and there’s little reason to expect anything different today, with Europe currently higher and US futures in the green.

Source – Thomson Reuters Eikon

It’s safe to say investors are struggling to make up their mind at the moment. On the one hand, the trade war is a significant downside risk to the global outlook but on the other, central banks are cutting rates around the world in a bid to halt the slowdown before it takes hold.

I guess the fact that we haven’t had an escalation in the last couple of days is also helping, given how quickly everything escalated in the immediate aftermath of the talks in Shanghai. Markets clearly aren’t stabilizing but the sell-off has stalled, for now, which will come as a relief.

Chinese trade data released overnight further highlighted the impact that the tariffs are having on trade, although exports did surprisingly rise in July while the import numbers weren’t as bad as feared, resulting in a still high surplus. August data may also show a pop in export activity ahead of the new tariffs which take effect on 1 September.

Sign up for our next webinar on 13 August below

Gold approaching major historical support/resistance area

Gold broke through $1,500 for the first time since April 2013 on Wednesday but profit taking has once again kicked in as the rebound on Wall Street turned traders away from the safe haven. I don’t think people are going to suddenly turn bearish on gold though, with the uncertain environment and easing central banks two notable bullish factors. The last time we traded around these levels, the $1,520-1,560 area was a very strong area of support and resistance over a couple of years from 2011-2013.

Brent Daily Chart

OANDA fxTrade Advanced Charting Platform

Oil traders fretting as global outlook darkens

It’s interesting to see how the different asset classes are reacting right now and oil charts suggest there is plenty to fear in the current environment. As the trade war has deteriorated further, oil prices have plunged, dropping almost 15% in a week before paring some of those losses over the last 24 hours or so. Oil prices are back around the 2019 lows and for all the wrong reasons and it seems no amount of central bank easing is making traders feel any better about what lies ahead.

Brent Daily Chart

Economic Calendar

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.