Latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association for the week ending 22 October 2021
–  -6.3%
– Market index 645.1 vs 643.0 prior
– Purchase index 275.6 vs 266.2 prior

Kaisa Group downgraded to ‚CCC+‘ on refinancing risk
Kaisa is a familiar name when it comes to this as it was the first Chinese property developer to default on its dollar bond coupon back in 2015. The firm came back from the dead to return to the debt market in 2019 but is facing more troubles

China voices their side of the story after vice premier, Liu He, had a video call with US Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, yesterday
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a convenient excuse for geopolitical tensions to be cast aside but as the world slowly returns to normal, expect more blows to be traded between US and China

Remarks by German economy minister, Peter Altmaier
Adding that even with no more lockdowns, rising inflation might have negative impact on the economy. Well, duh. Come next year, expect the headline narrative to shift further out to the middle of the year before a further kick towards 2H 2022.

Forex news from the European trading session – 26 October 2021
Headlines:
Markets:
– GBP leads, JPY lags on the day
– European equities higher; S&P 500 futures up 0.4%

GBP/USD trades up by 0.4% to 1.3820 on the day
That has seen the pound push up to lead gains in the major currencies space, with cable rising from 1.3780 earlier to 1.3820 – pushing past its 100-hour moving average (red line). That comes as buyers somewhat defended a couple of tests of its 200-hour moving

Dollar slips against major currencies, except against the yen
The greenback is mostly lower now as it slumps to fresh lows on the day against the euro, pound, franc, loonie, and kiwi currently. The yen is also marked lower as risk sentiment is still leaning towards the positive side ahead of North American trading.

Reuters reports, citing a trade source familiar with the matter
It is reported that the WTO will establish a dispute settlement panel to examine the matter at hand, which came about earlier in the year as Australia and China relations soured amid calls to probe into the COVID-19 origins at the time.

China regulators have also met with and warned companies in key sectors to proactively prepare for foreign debt repayments

EUR/USD falls to 1.1611 and below key near-term levels
It has been a rough time for buyers amid the bounce last week as they have struggled to get above the 38.2 retracement level of the recent downswing around 1.1671 and that seems to be enough for sellers to turn things around currently.