CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Open account
☰
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Open account
✖

First day of 2019 trading opens with big sell off

Article By: ,  Senior Market Analyst
January 2, 2019 3:00 AM

The FTSE opened down this morning and is still trading in the red to the tune of 1.81% with most of the big miners down by more than 3%.

Negative China data pushes stocks down, gold up

It’s the first day back at the office for many big traders and fund managers and this will mean higher volumes and a re-positioning of portfolios, leading to some potential big swings in asset prices. The sell off in the London market followed on from selling overnight in Hong Kong, with the Hang Seng Index closing down 2.9% while China’s CSI coughed up 1.4%.

Much of the initial negative sentiment seems to be emerging from China: a Shanghai market close that sees it trading at March 2016 valuations is one issue, but this has been compounded by the release of the Caixin-Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index which has dropped below the crucial 50 point indicator, to demonstrate contraction in this sector for China.

While the trade war with the United States last year has played a role in putting the brakes on Chinese manufacturing there were already systemic signals that the country’s economy was starting to slow down before Trump’s election.

China’s growth has been a huge factor in the overall global economic growth story and its influence as a source of investment, credit and cheap manufacturing has been felt everywhere in the last 10 years. These numbers will be making investors nervous. Traders will be starting to watch to the gold price, which is trading at a six month high at $1285 and is a key indicator of the real fear in the global market.

US shutdown continues, Democrats plan workaround

We saw some big swings in the US market going into the festive period which grabbed headlines, but these were to be expected due to the thinner volumes in US equity markets. The rest of this week will be a better gauge of US investor sentiment. S&P and DJIA futures were indicative of a negative opening number on Wall Street today. Bear in mind the US government is still in a partial shutdown situation this morning – President Trump has invited Congressional leaders to the White House for discussions on the stand off today as the newly-energised Democrats, now in control of the House, table their own workaround legislation.

The GBP was down slightly against the EUR this morning at 1.1096, and is also losing some ground to the USD at 1.27.

StoneX Financial Ltd (trading as “City Index”) is an execution-only service provider. This material, whether or not it states any opinions, is for general information purposes only and it does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives. This material has been prepared using the thoughts and opinions of the author and these may change. However, City Index does not plan to provide further updates to any material once published and it is not under any obligation to keep this material up to date. This material is short term in nature and may only relate to facts and circumstances existing at a specific time or day. Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment, legal, tax or other advice and no reliance should be placed on it.

No opinion given in this material constitutes a recommendation by City Index or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. The material has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research. Although City Index is not specifically prevented from dealing before providing this material, City Index does not seek to take advantage of the material prior to its dissemination. This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.

For further details see our full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. CFD and Forex Trading are leveraged products and your capital is at risk. They may not be suitable for everyone. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved by reading our full risk warning.

City Index is a trading name of StoneX Financial Ltd. Head and Registered Office: 1st Floor, Moor House, 120 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5ET. StoneX Financial Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, number: 05616586. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Register Number: 446717.

City Index is a trademark of StoneX Financial Ltd.

The information on this website is not targeted at the general public of any particular country. It is not intended for distribution to residents in any country where such distribution or use would contravene any local law or regulatory requirement.

© City Index 2024