US Market Open: US equity futures gain with the NQ outperforming; precious metals rebound amid geopols updates

US President Trump warned that the US will “rescue” Iranian protestors if they are shot; the US is “locked and loaded and ready to go”.Ukrainian President Zelensky said they are 10% away from a deal to end the war with Russia but not ‘at any cost’, according to The Independent.Ukrainian authorities in Zaporizhzhia on January 2nd noted of over 700 Russian attacks on the territory of the province "in the past hours", according to Al Jazeera.European bourses were boosted for most of the European morning, but have come off best levels in recent trade; US equity futures gain, with outperformance in the NQ.DXY is slightly firmer, Antipodeans lead whilst the EUR is pressured a touch.Fixed benchmarks are broadly lower, but are off worst levels in quiet trade.Precious metals rebound amid geopolitical updates, Crude focuses on oversupply pre-OPEC.Looking ahead, highlights include, Canadian & US Final Manufacturing PMIs.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Japan is to reduce its new issuance of super-long JGBs next fiscal year to around JPY 17tln, according to Reuters sources.European equity futures are closed as Eurex observes the Christmas Eve holiday. US equity futures are very modestly lower in thin conditions.DXY is flat, JPY is very mildly stronger continuing recent advances.JGBs soft overnight but have been driven higher in recent trade, USTs flat.Crude benchmarks are incrementally firmer, with spot gold also steady.Looking ahead, highlights include US Jobless Claims (w/e 20 Dec), Supply from the US.Note: The Newsquawk desk will run until 18:05GMT/13:05EST on Wednesday, 24th December. FOMC Minutes on 30th December 2025 will be covered. Normal service will resume at 0700GMT/02:00EST on Friday 2nd of January 2026 for the beginning of the European Session. Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks traded mixed and within narrow ranges following a largely positive lead from Wall Street. APAC lacked conviction amid light newsflow and anaemic volumes as markets wound down ahead of the holidays.DXY was choppy, and JPY strengthened before trimming some gains. G10 FX largely moved with the USD.Spot gold and silver both hit fresh all-time highs at above USD 4,500/oz and USD 72.70/bbl. European equity futures are closed as Eurex observes the Christmas Eve holiday. UK equity futures point to a flat open, with FTSE 100 futures U/C after the cash market closed 0.2% higher on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include US Jobless Claims (w/e 20 Dec), Supply from the US.Note: The Newsquawk desk will run until 18:05GMT/13:05EST on Wednesday, 24th December. FOMC Minutes on 30th December 2025 will be covered. Normal service will resume at 0700GMT/02:00EST on Friday 2nd of January 2026 for the beginning of the European Session. Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump said US will keep ships and oil seized near Venezuela.European bourses are mixed on either side of the unchanged mark, US equity futures are mostly incrementally firmer ahead of US data.DXY is under pressure whilst the JPY continues to strengthen; Antipodeans benefit from strength in metals prices.JGBs lead global fixed income higher after PM Takaichi rejected any "irresponsible bond issuance or tax cuts", via a Nikkei interview.Crude benchmarks trade rangebound, whilst spot gold eyes USD 4.5k/oz to the upside.Looking ahead, highlights include US Richmond Fed (Dec), Durable Goods (Oct), GDP  Advance (Oct), PCE Prices (Q3), Industrial Production, Consumer Confidence, Canadian GDP, BoC Minutes (Dec Meeting), Supply from US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks eventually traded mixed after initially taking their cue from Wall Street, although volumes and news flow remained subdued as markets wound down for the holiday period.JPY extended its prior session’s advances, and USD/JPY eventually dipped under 156.00, whilst the CNH saw notable strength. US President Trump said the US will keep the ships and oil seized near Venezuela.Novo Nordisk (NOVOB DC) said the Wegovy pill is approved in the US as the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight management.European equity futures are indicative of an uneventful cash open with the Euro Stoxx 50 U/C after cash closed -0.3% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Import Prices (Nov), Spanish GDP Final (Q3), US Richmond Fed (Dec), Durable Goods (Oct), GDP  Advance (Oct), PCE Prices (Q3), Industrial Production, Consumer Confidence, Canadian GDP, BoC Minutes (Dec Meeting),  Supply from US. Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US Coast Guard officials over the weekend tracked two oil tankers in international waters close to Venezuela, marking three tankers within the past week.Russia’s Kremlin said changes made by Ukrainians and Europeans to peace proposals did not bring agreements closer or add anything positive, IFAX reported.Israeli PM Netanyahu reportedly plans to brief US President Trump on possible new Iran strikes, according to NBC News.European bourses are broadly unchanged in quiet trade; US equity futures are firmer, with mild outperformance in the NQ.USD is slightly lower vs G10 peers; Antipodeans outperform on strength in metals prices.USTs are slightly lower but with price action contained, awaiting a 2yr auction.WTI and Brent are boosted by rising geopolitical tensions, spot gold surges to ATHs above USD 4.4k/oz.Looking ahead, highlights include Canadian Producer Prices (Nov), and supply from the US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks kicked off the week with gains across the board as the region coat-tailed on the strength seen stateside. Tech outperformance continued across the region.US Coast Guard officials over the weekend tracked two oil tankers in international waters close to Venezuela, marking three tankers within the past week.Russia’s Kremlin said changes made by Ukrainians and Europeans to peace proposals did not bring agreements closer or add anything positive, IFAX reported.Israeli PM Netanyahu reportedly plans to brief US President Trump on possible new Iran strikes, according to NBC News.European equity futures are indicative of a slightly softer cash open, with the Euro Stoxx 50 future down 0.2% after cash closed +0.3% on Friday.Looking ahead, highlights include Italian Producer Prices (Nov), Canadian Producer Prices (Nov), and supply from the US.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump’s administration initiated a multi-agency review of NVIDIA (NVDA) H200 licenses for sales to China, according to sources cited by Reuters.US President Trump is scheduled to make an announcement at 13:00EST/18:00GMT on Friday and will deliver remarks on the economy at 21:00EST/02:00GMT.European bourses are mixed whilst US equity futures are broadly firmer, with outperformance in the NQ.DXY is firmer, whilst the JPY underperforms; the BoJ hiked rates by 25bps as expected, though Governor Ueda avoided explicitly guiding future policy.Global fixed benchmarks generally pressured but with price action fairly muted.Crude benchmarks trade muted as EU agree on Ukraine loans; XAU trades rangebound after failing to break above USD 4350/oz.Looking ahead, highlights include Canadian Retail Sales (Oct), EZ Consumer Confidence (Dec), US Employment Trends (Nov). Speakers include ECB's Lane & Fed's Williams.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were mostly higher as the region took impetus from the positive handover from Wall Street, where the major indices gained following softer CPI data and strong Micron earnings, while the attention overnight turned to the BoJ.USD/JPY edged higher alongside the positive risk appetite and despite the BoJ decision to hike rates, as widely expected, and with no mention of FX-related concerns.US President Trump’s administration initiated a multi-agency review of NVIDIA (NVDA) H200 licenses for sales to China, according to sources cited by Reuters.US President Trump is scheduled to make an announcement at 13:00EST/18:00GMT on Friday and will deliver remarks on the economy at 21:00EST/02:00GMT.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.4% after the cash market closed with gains of 1.1% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include German GfK Consumer Sentiment (Jan), UK PSNB (Nov), UK Retail Sales (Nov), GfK Consumer Confidence (Dec), Canadian Retail Sales (Oct), EZ Consumer Confidence (Dec), US Employment Trends (Nov), and CBR Announcement. Speakers include BoJ’s Ueda, ECB’s Cipollone, Lane & Fed's Williams.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump said he will soon announce the next Fed chair and that the new Fed chair will believe in lowering interest rates by a lot.European bourses are mostly firmer; US equity futures also gain, with mild outperformance in the NQ.DXY is slightly firmer as traders await US CPI; GBP underperforms a touch ahead of the BoE, EUR awaits the ECB.Fixed income grinds higher; Bunds saw some modest downticks after Germany's DFA announced their 2026 issuance plan, which came in slightly above analyst expectations.Crude complex was initially firmer but now hovering just above the unchanged mark, as Trump avoided mentioning Venezuela/Russia in his primetime address.Looking ahead, highlights include US CPI (Nov), Jobless Claims (w/e 13 Dec), Philly Fed (Dec), Japanese CPI (Nov), NZ Trade Balance (Nov), ECB Announcement, BoE Announcement, CNB Announcement, Banxico Announcement. Speakers include ECB’s Lagarde & BoE’s Bailey, Supply from US, Earnings from Carnival, Nike & FedEx.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk