Congressional Juggling:
The people of the United States have spoken! With both Trump’s Republican party and the Democrats claiming victory over the mid-term elections in the public eye, markets have been more decisive in the face of the ballot. The Republicans held control of the Senate, however, ceded power of the House of Representatives to the Democrats. Markets have interpreted the mid-term elections by undermining the value of the US Dollar, likely pricing in the increased degree of political gridlock that the United States will face in pursuing economic growth. For months, economists and strategists alike have been debating when will economic growth in the United States peak. Given Trump’s pro-market and pro-growth presidency, political headwinds prevent fiscally driven economic growth, increasing the impetus for Powell’s Federal Reserve to pause its interest rate hiking phase. Positively, with the House being controlled by the Democrats, Trump’s capacity to increase the United States’ extant burden of debt does limit the extent to which the White House could drift into fiscal profligacy. Italy’s spending plan remains in the foreground of the picture of Eurozone risk with signs of inflationary pressure in the Eurozone being overwhelmed by political instability. The Pound received a sustained yet light bid at market open as investors continue to orientate themselves towards a long-awaited Brexit deal.
Discussion and Analysis by Charles Porter

Delayed fuse Last night’s Federal Reserve decision held all the potential requirements for a momentous occasion. Markets had been ascribing a high value to the event with options pricing suggesting the decision posed a significant risk towards exposed assets. Ultimately, the potential swan song publication of Chair Jay Powell passed without incident. Claims from some […]
Long weekend For the UK, it was a long weekend in the sense that it brought with it the Early May Bank Holiday. For markets, it was a long weekend for a whole different reason. With most of the rest of the world not observing a bank holiday yesterday, market liquidity remained sufficient with few […]
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