• US UMich October final consumer sentiment 70.5 vs 69.0 expected
• US September durable goods orders -0.8% versus -1.0% expected
• Canada August retail sales +0.4% vs +0.5% expected
• Canada Sept new housing price index 0.0% vs 0.0% prior
• Baker Hughes US oil rig count -2
• BOC Macklem: If population grows slows more than assumed, headline GDP will be lower
• CNN: Trump 47%. Harris 47%. It’s a horse race.
• Nvidia is once again the world’s most-valuable company
• Atlanta Fed Q3 GDPNow 3.3% vs 3.4% prior
• ECB’s Lagarde: Disinflation process is well on track

Markets:

• Gold up $8 to $2743
• US 10-year yields up 3.6 bps to 4.23%
• WTI crude oil up $1.43 to $71.63
• S&P 500 flat
• USD leads, NZD lags

The mood steadily soured throughout US trade and NZD and AUD finished at the lows. The S&P 500 rose as much as 50 points but gave it all back to finish flat.

There wasn’t a catalyst for the change in mood that saw steady US dollar buying and bond selling. Perhaps it’s angst about the election of something happening in the Middle East on the weekend. It’s the time in the election cycle when there is often a big surprise and nerves are frayed.

The shape of the move was steady and most pairs grinded lower against the dollar, including the uro which slid to 1.0795 from 1.0835.

A winner on the day was gold, which finished at the best levels and climbed $25 from the lows despite the dollar strength. It’s had an impressive run, hit a record high earlier int the week and today’s close will be the best weekly close ever.

Crude also bucked the trend in risk assets, perhaps in a sign of Middle East worries or position squaring. It rose more than $1 in US trading including a curious spike late just before midday.

USD/CAD finished at its highest since early August and the highest weekly close since 2020 in the fourth weekly decline. A series of highs over the past two years stretch up to 1.3975 but those are now within striking distance in what could be a major break.

In contrast, AUD/USD finished at the lowest since August but has 400 pips of breathing room before the post-pandemic lows. That pair could be in focus in the weeks ahead if China delivers on the fiscal side of stimulus or disappoints.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.

A strong gap higher at the open quickly turned into a day of disappointment for bulls. After surging nearly 50 points in early trading to hit 5860, sellers stepped in and methodically unwound those gains throughout the session. The late morning and early afternoon saw particularly steady selling pressure, though buyers did attempt to defend the 5820 level multiple times. A late-day drift lower saw the index ultimately close down just 2 points, a round trip that essentially erased virtually all of the day’s moves.

The weak close despite the strong open could be a warning sign for bulls heading into next week’s trading.

• S&P 500 flat
• NASDAQ Comp +0.6%
• Russell 2000 -0.5%
• Dow Jones Industrial Average -0.6%

On the week:

• S&P 500 -1.0%
• NASDAQ Comp +0.2%
• Russell 2000 -3.0%

This week’s decline in the S&P 500 breaks a six-week winning streak.

Next week is a huge one for the stock market with 5 of the Mag 7 reporting.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.