WTI crude oil and its Brent counterpart remain above $70 and $75/barrel respectively, but prices appear to be flattening somewhat as the US rig count rises and funds begin to cut bearish bets.
"Last week saw the US rig count rise to 844, the highest level seen since March 2015," reports Saxo Bank head of commodity strategy Ole Hansen. Hansen also notes that a delegation of Iranian diplomats will be touring Europe, Russia, and China in an effort to secure buyers following the US' decision to pull out of the nuclear deal.
"Oil traders will watch the progress of the Iranian tour closely, along with the clashes between Israel and Iran in Syria".
Beyond crude, Hansen says that gold and silver have held key support levels at $1,300/oz and $16/oz respectively as the US dollar rally loses momentum.
"Dollar strength is easing with emerging market and commodity currencies the main initial beneficiaries," says Saxo Bank head of FX strategy John Hardy. Looking at EURUSD, however, Hardy says that the benchmark pair cannot truly be seen as reclaiming bullish momentum until it retakes the 1.22 area to the upside.
"One potentially euro-positive development is the currency's ability to shrug off the political news out of Italy [where a populist government is forming]," Hardy adds.
In stocks, Saxo head of equity strategy Peter Garnry says that the June 1 inclusion of the first round of Chinese A-shares into the MSCI emerging market and world indices marks a key date on traders' calendars. Garnry also reiterates his view that the Xiaomi IPO will be the biggest event of the year in equities.
For more on forex, bonds, equities, and commodities, watch the recording of today's Morning Call in full.
The market is trying to get back to the pre-Covid and pre-war times, but that model is broken. A new dawn is here and the financial world needs to adapt.
Steen Jakobsen,
Chief Investment Officer
A political switch in China towards less tough control of its people and companies may kick things back into gear.
Redmond Wong,
Market Strategist
While the economic situation in Europe may not be as bad as feared, there's still a plethora of things to fix.
Chris Dembik,
Head of Macroeconomic Research
As the world turns increasingly bipolar, equity markets face harsh times as they transition into the new reality.
Peter Garnry,
Head of Equity Strategy
New alliances and collaborations outside of China may lead to prosperous times in Asia.
Charu Chanana,
Market Strategist
For years, it was thought that the balanced portfolio was a thing of the past. But recent developments may have changed that.
Peter Siks,
Investment Coach
Following a dramatic and volatile 2022 with good returns, a lot of this year's commodity performance may be driven by Chinese politics.
Ole S. Hansen,
Head of Commodity Strategy
2023 could be a tough year for currencies but EUR and JPY may have some upside.
John J. Hardy,
Head of FX Strategy
The commodity-heavy Australian market may have a good start to 2023, as the Chinese focus on growth signals demand for Aussie resources.
Jessica Amir,
Market Strategist
From a near-perfect environment for speculative assets before 2022 to the opposite, crypto faces fundamental challenges.
Mads Eberhardt,
Cryptocurrency Analyst
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