Delta fears remain despite market rebound

Joshua Mahony MSTA Scope Markets

The rise in Covid cases continues to hamper sentiment, with dollar strength and falling treasury yields undermining the gains in stocks. In the UK, reopening stocks and housebuilders lead the gains.

Stocks regain ground, yet weak yields and a rising dollar highlight ongoing anxiety
Reopening stocks likely to remain at forefront of volatility
Housebuilders benefit from easing fears of monetary tightening

US markets have followed their European counterparts higher today, with traders opting to buy the dip in the wake of yesterday’s sharp decline. Fears around the rise of the Delta variant remain evident despite today’s reprieve, with a five-month low for the US 10-year highlighting the lack of full conviction behind this move. We are also seeing that risk-off sentiment exhibited throughout the FX-markets, with GBPUSD hitting a five-month low thanks to rising UK Covid cases and haven dollar demand. Crude prices have stabilised somewhat after a dramatic collapse in energy prices yesterday, with OPEC expected to gradually ramp-up demand in the months ahead.

The recent UK market volatility has seen reopening stocks swing between outperformers and underperformers as investor sentiment shifts on a daily basis. Despite fears that the Delta variant could undermine travel and consumer activity, today’s gains for the likes of Rolls-Royce, Hammerson, and Cineworld highlight how reopening stocks are likely to be at the forefront of recent volatility. Housebuilders has been one sector in favour today, with the fall in treasury yields highlighting how many perceive this recent rise in Covid cases as lessening the risk of inflation-led monetary tightening.

Author

Joshua Mahony MSTA

Scope Markets

Joshua Mahony is Chief Markets Analyst at Scope Markets. Joshua has a particular focus on macro-economics and technical analysis, built up over his 11 years of experience as a market analyst across three brokers.

EUR/USD hovers around nine-day EMA above 1.1800

EUR/USD remains in the positive territory after registering modest gains in the previous session, trading around 1.1820 during the Asian hours on Monday. The 14-day Relative Strength Index momentum indicator at 54 is edging higher, signaling improving momentum. RSI near mid-50s keeps momentum balanced. A sustained push above 60 would firm bullish control.

GBP/USD holds medium-term bullish bias above 1.3600

The GBP/USD pair trades on a softer note around 1.3605 during the early European session on Monday. Growing expectation of the Bank of England’s interest-rate cut weighs on the Pound Sterling against the Greenback.

Gold sticks to gains above $5,000 as China's buying and Fed rate-cut bets drive demand

Gold surges past the $5,000 psychological mark during the Asian session on Monday in reaction to the weekend data, showing that the People's Bank of China extended its buying spree for a 15th month in January. Moreover, dovish US Federal Reserve expectations and concerns about the central bank's independence drag the US Dollar lower for the second straight day, providing an additional boost to the non-yielding yellow metal.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate after massive sell-off

Weekly column: Saturn-Neptune and the end of the Dollar’s 15-year bull cycle

Tariffs are not only inflationary for a nation but also risk undermining the trust and credibility that go hand in hand with the responsibility of being the leading nation in the free world and controlling the world’s reserve currency.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate after massive sell-off

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices consolidated on Monday after correcting by nearly 9%, 8%, and 10% in the previous week, respectively. BTC is hovering around $70,000, while ETH and XRP are facing rejection at key levels. Traders should be cautious: despite recent stabilization, upside recovery for these top three cryptocurrencies is capped as the broader trend remains bearish.