自2008年12月份以来,美联储一直都将联邦基金利率维持在0到0.25%的目标区间,并已承诺将至少在2014年底以前将其维持不变。伯南克曾在8月2日致信美国国会众议院下属监管和政府改革委员会(Oversight and Government Reform Committee)主席、加利福尼亚州共和 党众议员达莱尔-伊萨(Darrell Issa)称,美联储有能力采取更多措施来提振美国经济。
Chicago PMI
Released On 8/31/2012 9:45:00 AM For Aug, 2012
Prior Consensus Consensus Range Actual
Business Barometer Index - Level 53.7 53.0 51.0 to 54.5 53.0
Consumer Sentiment
Released On 8/31/2012 9:55:00 AM For Aug, 2012
Prior Consensus Consensus Range Actual
Sentiment Index - Level 73.6 73.5 73.0 to 75.0 74.3
Factory Orders
Released On 8/31/2012 10:00:00 AM For Jul, 2012
Prior Consensus Consensus Range Actual
Factory Orders - M/M change -0.5 % 2.0 % -0.4 % to 2.6 % 2.8 %
Growth worries held Asian shares lower this morning; however, chances for help from an easing-inclined Fed kept European bourses and US futures in the green so far today. It is, after all, the morning for Fed Chairman Bernanke to make his Jackson Hole speech, at which he has previously announced the central banks’ quantitative easing plans. This time around he may risk forerunning the FOMC policy meeting decision, one that may reflect unusually divided opinions from Fed members. Last month’s FOMC policy meeting minutes were surprisingly dovish; however, since then surprisingly robust economic data has accumulated. Furthermore, Chairman Bernanke is well-versed on the risks of the threatened “fiscal cliff,” as indeed he coined the phrase, and so may be loathe to preempt a later need for the “shock and awe” of large asset purchasing plans. Such uncertainty has kept trading volume exceptionally low this week, although major indices hold not far from their multi-year highs, not yet convinced that Bernanke will not display his firearms, showing the power of Fed monetary easing capability as he details and justifies previous Fed actions and outlines the capability of the central bank to take further actions in the future should the troublesome world economies put the US recovery at risk, or should the soft patch of last Spring return as manufacturing production weakens further, deteriorating confidence erodes consumer spending, or employment data fails to improve. The irony of such a plan, of course, is that Bernanke’s attempt to outline the current economic risks, be they from a hard landing in China, a Greek exit of the eurozone or unsustainably high borrowing costs in Italy and Spain, or weakness within US borders, could itself erode confidence further, undermining strength in equity markets.作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:39
No wonder then the uncertainty reflected in equity action, nor the anemic trading volume on stock exchange floors. After rising to multi-year highs last week, stocks have traded within tight ranges this week, awaiting not only the much-talked about Friday speech from the central bank chairman at 10:00 AM EDT, but also next Thursday’s policy decision from the ECB, following on the heels of ECB President Draghi’s pledge early this month to “do whatever it takes” to save the euro. Since Wednesday, according to this morning’s news, German Chancellor Merkel has been trying to quell an upheaval within the Bundesbank, where the central bank chief reportedly is threatening to resign in condemnation of ECB plans to undertake a bond purchasing plan to hold down interest rates for Spanish and Italian sovereigns. Today’s reports reveal Merkel has asked both Italy and Spain to defer any requests for bailout aid for the moment.作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:39
Asian markets closed broadly lower today, led by a 1.6% loss in Japan’s Nikkei that followed a post showing industrial production unexpectedly down 1.2% in July, disappointing forecasts of a 1.7% rise. The Hong Kong Hang Seng slipped 0.4% and China’s Shanghai Composite, remaining near 3 ½-year lows, lost 0.3%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.1%; the nation’s industrial production was 1.6% lower in July from June, worse than expectations for a 0.9% decline, as production of semiconductor chips, ships and autos fell. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.01%. For the month, the Shanghai Composite lost 2.7% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.6%; showing advances were Japan’s Nikkei, up 1.7%, South Korea’s Kospi, up 1.2%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200, up 1.1%.作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:39
European bourses are higher despite the day’s economic data showing eurozone unemployment the highest on record last month at 11.3%, unchanged from June’s upward-revised, 11.3%. The region’s August consumer price index showed a 2.6% rise, up from forecasts of 2.5%. A post on Germany’s July retail sales disappointed, indicating a surprise MoM drop of 0.9%, which compared unfavorably with a 0.2% MoM rise previous. Yields on Spanish benchmark 10-years rose 2.1 bps to 6.56%; Italian 10-year yields eased 0.1 bps to 5.76%.作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:40
Major exchanges showed France’s CAC 1.3% higher; Germany’s DAX up 1.3%; the UK FTSE 100 up 0.5%. Among the eurozone’s periphery, Italy’s FTSE MIB was up 1.9%, Spain’s IBEX 35 1.7% higher, and Greece’s AEX up 0.8%. The euro has rallied 0.6% this morning to an eight-week high at 1.2580 against the US dollar on news quoting executive ECB board member Coeure as saying Thursday, "We are working on the possibility of intervening in the bond market, in the short-term bond market, subject to a strict conditionality," which he further detailed by saying, "From my point of view, this means a request for support from the EFSF and the ESM on the primary debt market."作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:40
US futures reveal traders increasingly convinced that the ECB will be able to cobble together a plan to ameliorate the eurozone’s difficulties and that perhaps Fed Chairman Bernanke’s speech may not prove too much of a disappointment for equity markets. DJIA futures are 80 points higher, up 0.6%. NASDAQ futures are trading up 0.7% and S&P500 futures are 0.6% higher. The US dollar, traditionally a barometer of risk sentiment as well as easing expectations, is off 0.5% in electronic trade at 81.314. Among commodities, growth-related crude is up 0.5% at $95.30 and copper up 0.5% at $3.46. Gold is up 0.3% at $1661.60.作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:40
After the dust from Bernanke’s speech settles, various economic data is due for release, none expected to dominate the day’s trade. The Commerce Department’s report on July factory orders is expected to show a 2.0% rebound from June’s 0.5% decline. The Chicago PMI (9:45 AM EDT) is forecast at 53.8 from 53.7 for August. The final reading of Michigan consumer sentiment is expected to post unchanged at 73.6 in August.作者: Diver 时间: 2012-8-31 10:40
According to our analytics team, our indictor movements foretold of the market indices testing support, which held, at DJIA 13,000 and S&P500 index at 1,400; a new rally leg is likely after central banks signal more money is soon to be printed.