ECB announces their latest monetary policy decision – 22 April 2021
They are reaffirming their pledge of higher PEPP purchases until June but so far it hasn’t really been showing up in the data, at least not „significantly“. Other than that, the rest of the policy language appears to be unchanged. The ECB still retains the

Bloomberg Intelligence think so
Corn has been on a strong run higher over the last months in line with commodities generally. Vaccine optimism, reflation expectations, and a weak USD have all lifted commodities. Corn, a food staple, has been no exception.

Latest data released by CBI – 22 April 2021
Of note, the quarterly optimism index jumps to 38 from -22 in March as UK manufacturers‘ expectations of a rebound rose to the highest in almost 50 years. The monthly reading for factory orders were less upbeat though as seen with the headline.That said, it is all

Dollar moves back to being little changed for the most part against the major currencies bloc in European trading
The kiwi and pound are leading losses so far today, with the latter moving back below 1.3900 against the greenback – notably slipping below its 100-hour moving average @ 1.3913 as buyers surrender near-term control in the

Forex news from the European trading session – 21 April 2021
Headlines:
Markets:
– NZD leads, EUR lags on the day
– European equities higher; S&P 500 futures flat

French government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal, comments
Adding that the base case scenario remains for bars, restaurants to reopen outdoor seatings by mid-May. That’s certainly optimistic but the hope here is that vaccinations will pick up significantly and outpace virus infections and hospitalisations, though the latter remains a key concern still for the time being.

Latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association for the week ending 16 April 2021
–  -3.7%
– Market index 724.8 vs 667.7 prior
– Refinancing index 3,219.9 vs 2,916.7 prior
The jump in mortgage applications in the past week owes to both a spike in purchasing and refinancing activity, with the long-term rate seen slipping further from the high of 3.36%

BOE governor, Andrew Bailey, delivers a keynote speech at a virtual event hosted by the central bank
The full remarks can be found . Nothing much of note.
here

Remarks by Japanese prime minister, Yoshihide Suga
This looks inevitable, so expect a formal announcement to follow later in the week. Earlier reports suggest that Tokyo will observe a state of emergency from 29 April to 9 May to start with, so that provides some idea of the proposal.

Forex news from the European trading session – 20 April 2021
Headlines:
Markets:
– AUD leads, JPY lags on the day
– European equities lower; E-minis down 0.4%