STATE OF THE MARKETS

Dollar jumped on cash demand. US stocks closed mixed on Wednesday as Fed’s minutes revealed that the central bank is willing to hike further and risk recession if inflation persists. Dow (+0.23%), S&P (+0.36%) and Nasdaq (+0.35%) eked minor gains while  the small cap Russell (-0.79%) fell lower. Dollar jumped on cash demand as bonds lost bids sending yields higher across the board. The Dollar index closed above the 107 handle as the 10Y benchmark jumped back to 2.93%.

In the commodities market, recession fears and Dollar strength continue to weigh on major commodities with crude settled around $95.70/bl as New York closed. Gold traded lower to $1,738.65 while iron ore continued its downward trajectory to $112.40/tn.

In the FX space, short term traders were quick to bid the oversold Kiwi, Loonie and Aussie while offering Euro, Swiss and Sterling. Medium term accounts favored Kiwi over Swiss while long term investors remain in favor of Dollar, Swiss, Loonie and Euro.

On Thursday, markets expect another volatile and choppy session while waiting for earnings reports from Levi’s Strauss (LEVI), Helen of Troy (HELE) and WD-40 Co (WDFC) as well as the latest figures in US jobless claims and trade balance.