Latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association for the week ending 23 April 2021
–  +8.6%
– Market index 706.6 vs 724.8 prior
– Refinancing index 3,185.3 vs 3,219.9 prior
A bit of a moderation in both purchases and refinancing after the surge seen in the prior week, as higher rates in general continue to oversee a decline in housing

The top tax rate on capital gains will be 39.6%
The $1.8 trillion plan covers education and childcare but for markets, the thing to take note of is how this will all be funded and that is via tax increases on the wealthy.

Forex news from the European trading session – 27 April 2021
Headlines:
Markets:
– GBP leads, AUD lags on the day
– European equities lower; S&P 500 futures up 0.1%

The vaccine progress in the UK continues to keep optimism flowing
The vaccine rollout continues to allow for the economic reopening, with cases in the UK continuing to ease since peaking in early January. The headline reaffirms that the UK is staying well ahead of the rest of the pack among the major developed nations.

According to the French health ministry
While that figure is progressing and way better than in February to March, there is still much to try and improve on in order to meet any summer reopening timeline.

Latest data released by CBI – 27 April 2021
That said, CBI notes that many retail stores are still struggling despite the reopening:

AUD/USD falls to a low of 0.7766 on the day
After a relatively solid start to the week yesterday, the aussie and kiwi are notable laggards today with AUD/USD now falling by 0.4% to 0.7766 in European trading.

Forex news from the European trading session – 26 April 2021
Headlines:
Markets:
– AUD leads, CHF lags on the day
– European equities mixed; S&P 500 futures down 0.1%

Sanofi says it would  help to supply up 200 million doses of Moderna vaccine at its Ridgefield facility in New Jersey
This is Sanofi’s third such deal, which will see them fill and pack millions of Moderna vaccine doses from September to help meet demand for the latter. In January, Sanofi made a similar deal with

OPEC still weighing impact on lockdowns on the oil market
Oil market/OPEC journalist, Amena Bakr, tweets on the matter as the OPEC joint technical committee meeting gets underway currently before the ministerial meeting takes place later in the week on Wednesday. Just some food for thought for now.