EU Market Open: European equity futures point to a slightly firmer open; US threatens to retaliate against EU companies over digital tax

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

APAC stocks were mostly lower following on from the tech-led selling stateside and ahead of US inflation data and a slew of upcoming central bank decisions.US President Trump's primetime address to the nation made no mention of a US blockade against Venezuela or Russian sanctions.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.US equity futures traded rangebound with little reaction seen following President Trump's primetime address and as participants awaited US CPI data.European equity futures indicate an uneventful cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures U/C after the cash market closed with losses of 0.6% on Wednesday.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, Norges Bank Announcement, Riksbank Announcement, CNB Announcement, Banxico Announcement. Speakers include Norges Bank’s Bache, Riksbank’s Thedeen, 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

US President Trump is to give an address to the nation on Wednesday night, live from the White House at 21:00EST (02:00GMT Thursday). White House Press Secretary said that Trump’s address will be about accomplishments, while he will talk about what's to come and maybe tease new year policies.European bourses are mostly stronger this morning, with US equity futures also posting modest upside.DXY is firmer, the GBP has been hit after the UK’s cooler-than-expected inflation report, which near-enough cements a BoE cut this week.Gilts outperform on the UK’s data whilst USTs hold a downward bias.Crude benchmarks reverse Tuesday's losses following the blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers and reports of new Russian energy sanctions if Russia rejects the peace deal; XAU and Copper trading with slight gains.Looking ahead, highlights include Fed's Waller, Williams & Bostic, Supply from US, Earnings from Micron, New Zealand GDP (Q3).Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump is to give an address to the nation on Wednesday night, live from the White House at 21:00EST (02:00GMT Thursday). White House Press Secretary said that Trump’s address will be about accomplishments, while he will talk about what's to come and maybe tease new year policies.US threatened to retaliate against EU companies over digital tax, while it will use 'every tool' to counter the EU digital tax and may consider fees and foreign services restrictions.US House China Panel wrote a letter to US Commerce Secretary Lutnick, stating that NVIDIA (NVDA) H200 chip sales to China risk US' advantage.US President Trump announced a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.APAC stocks were indecisive for most of the session; European equity futures indicate a slightly firmer cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.6% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK Inflation (Nov), German Ifo Survey (Dec), EZ CPI Final (Nov), NZD GDP (Q3), Speakers including Fed’s Waller, Williams & Bostic, Supply from US, Earnings from Micron.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Ukrainian President Zelensky said there is still no ideal peace plan as of now, and the current draft is a working version; Russia's Ryabkov said they are ready to make efforts to overcome disagreements relating to the Ukraine crisis.China Securities Times commentary noted that China should set a positive yet 'pragmatic' 2026 GDP growth target with leeway, while researchers are said to be divided between an around 5% or 4.5%-5.0% growth target for 2026.European bourses are broadly lower, with US equity futures also in the red as the NQ continues to underperform.USD awaits data deluge, GBP outperforms following hawkish LFS and PMI & JPY continues gains into BoJ on Friday.USTs trade steady into NFP, Bunds chop on PMI metrics whilst Gilts underperform post-jobs data.Brent dips below USD 60/bbl for the first time since May as geopolitical tensions ease; metals are broadly subdued.Looking ahead, highlights include US Flash PMIs (Dec), US Average Weekly Prelim Estimate ADP (4-week, w/e 29 Nov), Non-Farm Payrolls (Oct), Jobs Report (Nov), Retail Sales (Oct), Business Inventories (Sep), NBH Announcement, Comments from BoC’s Macklem.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were mostly lower after the weak lead from Wall Street, as the tech-related pressure rolled over into the region; Nikkei 225 fell beneath the 50,000 level amid a firmer currency.China Securities Times commentary noted that China should set a positive yet 'pragmatic' 2026 GDP growth target with leeway, while researchers are said to be divided between an around 5% or 4.5%-5.0% growth target for 2026.US President Trump said they are looking into whether Israel violated the ceasefire by killing a Hamas leader; Ukrainian President Zelensky said there was still no ideal peace plan as of now.European equity futures indicate a lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.7% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.6% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK Jobs Report (Oct), EZ/UK/US Flash PMIs (Dec), German ZEW Survey (Dec), Japanese Trade Balance (Nov), US Average Weekly Prelim Estimate ADP (4-week, w/e 29 Nov), Non-Farm Payrolls (Oct), Jobs Report (Nov), Retail Sales (Oct), Business Inventories (Sep), NBH Announcement, Comments from BoC’s Macklem, Supply from UK.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

The BoJ Tankan survey showed sentiment of Large Manufacturers was at the highest in four years, which supports the case for a rate hike.European bourses are entirely in the green, with US equity futures also firmer; the RTY outperforms.DXY is a touch lower, whilst the JPY outperforms amidst growing bets of a BoJ hike this week and the Tankan Survey; the Kiwi underperforms after the RBNZ Governor suggested that market conditions have tightened “beyond” what the RBNZ intended.Global bonds are firmer across the board; USTs are currently firmer by c. 5 ticks.Crude benchmarks were initially firmer, but are now mildly lower as traders digest President Zelensky’s potential concessions of Ukraine’s NATO membership goals; XAU gains.Looking ahead, highlights include Canadian CPI (Nov), US Advance Goods Trade Balance (Sep), Australian PMI (Dec), Speakers including Fed’s Miran, Williams & RBA’s Jones.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were mostly pressured at the start of a risk-packed week and following on from the tech-led declines stateside amid a rotation out of AI, while participants digested economic releases, including the BoJ Tankan and Chinese activity data.The BoJ Tankan survey showed sentiment of Large Manufacturers was at the highest in four years, which supports the case for a rate hike.Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were subdued after the latest Chinese activity data disappointed, and house prices continued to contract, with tech and biotech leading the declines in Hong Kong.US President Trump said on Friday that he is leaning towards Kevin Warsh or Kevin Hassett to lead the Fed and that the next Fed Chair should consult with him on interest rates.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.6% on Friday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Wholesale Price Index, EZ Industrial Production (Oct), Canadian CPI (Nov), US Advance Goods Trade Balance (Sep), and Australian PMI (Dec). Speakers include Fed’s Miran, Williams, & RBA’s Jones.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump said they would help on security with Ukraine, and he thought they were close to a deal.US President Trump said that it is going to start on land soon regarding Venezuela; the US is reportedly preparing to seize more ships transporting Venezuelan oil.European bourses are in the green whilst US equity futures are mixed, and with underperformance in the tech-heavy NQ as Broadcom falls 4.9% in post-earnings.DXY is a little firmer, GBP incrementally pressured on a poor UK GDP report.Global bonds are mildly pressured, scaling back recent upside.XAU continues to trend higher above USD 4300/oz; Copper pulling back from another ATH.Looking ahead, highlights include Fed's Paulson, Hammack, Goolsbee, Schmid & Miran.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were predominantly higher following on from the mostly positive handover from Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and DJIA notched record closes, but the Nasdaq lagged on Oracle-related headwinds.US President Trump said they would help on security with Ukraine, and he thought they were close to a deal.US President Trump said that it is going to start on land soon regarding Venezuela; the US is reportedly preparing to seize more ships transporting Venezuelan oil.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.6% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.8% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include UK GDP Estimate (Oct). Speakers include Fed's Paulson, Hammack, Goolsbee, Schmid, & Miran.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk