Headlines:
- The risks are skewed to the downside for the dollar ahead of the NFP
- ECB's Panetta: We have not reached the end of rate hike cycle
- ECB's Panetta: We must not be too quick to raise interest rates
- ECB's Makhlouf: Beyond probable rate hikes in June and July, picture is a lot less clear
- ECB's Vasle: More rate hikes needed to get inflation to 2% target
- SNB's Schlegel: Cannot rule out further monetary policy tightening
- China reportedly working on a host of new measures to bolster property market
- Japan's demographic struggle deepens as birth rate hits record low in 2022
Markets:
- AUD leads, CHF lags on the day
- European equities higher; S&P 500 futures up 0.5%
- US 10-year yields down 0.3 bps to 3.604%
- Gold up 0.1% to $1,979.31
- WTI crude up 1.5% to $71.19
- Bitcoin up 0.9% to $27,133
We're now in the final countdown to the big event at the end of the week. The US non-farm payrolls is up next and European trading today was more of a placeholder session more than anything else.
Risk tones continue to stay more optimistic while the dollar is trading a little more mixed after the "skip" talks by Fed policymakers this week.
The euro, pound and yen are all little changed against the dollar on the day while we are seeing modest gains for the antipodeans at least. AUD/USD is up 0.7% to 0.6620 and NZD/USD up 0.3% to 0.6090 as both pairs held gains throughout the session without really pushing further.
The mood is helped by a decent advance in equities, with US futures nudging higher and also by added stimulus measures from China.
It's now over to the jobs data to see if that will validate all the talk about skipping a rate hike at the next meeting for the Fed.