The main US stock indices declined moderately on the last trading day of 2017. However, the strengthening of the global economy, solid profit results and low interest rates helped the S & P 500 index to soar about 20% this year, as well as to feed the rally in global stock markets. The result of the Dow Jones index was even more impressive - about + 25% per year. It is expected that the rally will continue in 2018, if expectations are justified regarding the favorable impact of the new tax legislation, which reduces the tax burden for US companies.

Quotes of oil have moderately grown, and reached the highest level since mid-2015, which was helped by the weakening of the US dollar and yesterday's data from the US Energy Ministry, which pointed to a decline in production and a drop in crude oil stocks. The US Energy Ministry said that in the week of December 16-22, US oil production fell to 9.754 million barrels a day from 9.789 million barrels a day in the previous week.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in the red (21 out of 30). Outsider - Apple Inc. (AAPL, -0.90%). The growth leader is General Electric (GE, + 0.86%).

Most S & P sectors recorded a decline. The health sector showed the greatest decline (-0.4%). The conglomerate sector grew most (+ 0.5%).

At closing:

Dow -0.48% 24,719.22 -118.29

Nasdaq -0.67% 6.903.39 -46.77

S & P -0.52% 2,673.63 -13.91

U.S. stock-index futures signaled higher open on Friday, the final trading day of 2017.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 22,764.94 -19.04 -0.08%

Hang Seng 29,919.15 +55.44 +0.19%

Shanghai 3,307.97 +11.59 +0.35%

S&P/ASX 6,065.10 -23.00 -0.38%

FTSE 7,687.77 +64.89 +0.85%

CAC 5,333.80 -5.62 -0.11%

DAX 12,917.64 -62.30 -0.48%

Crude $60.15 (+0.52%)

Gold $1,301.90 (+0.36%)

The inflation rate in Germany as measured by the consumer price index is expected to be 1.7% in December 2017. Compared with November 2017, consumer prices are expected to increase by 0.6%. Based on the results available so far, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that, on an annual average, the inflation rate is expected to stand at 1.8% in 2017.

In December 2017, the harmonised index of consumer prices for Germany, which is calculated for European purposes, is expected to increase by 1.6% year on year and 0.8% on November 2017. On an annual average, the harmonised index of consumer prices is expected to be up 1.7% in 2017 as compared with a year earlier.

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

• The annual growth rate of the broad monetary aggregate M3 stood at 4.9% in November 2017, after 5.0% in October 2017.

• The annual growth rate of the narrower aggregate M1, which includes currency in circulation and overnight deposits, decreased to 9.1% in November, from 9.4% in October.

• The annual growth rate of adjusted loans to households stood at 2.8% in November, compared with 2.7% in October.

• The annual growth rate of adjusted loans to non-financial corporations increased to 3.1% in November, from 2.9% in October.

The estimated annual inflation of the CPI in December 2017 is 1.2%, according to the advance indicator prepared by the INE. This indicator provides an advance of the CPI which, if confirmed, would imply decrease of five tenths in its annual rate, since in the month of November this variation was 1.7%. This behavior highlights the rise in the prices of fuels (diesel oil and gasoline), lower than that registered in 2016. For its part, the annual variation of the leading index of the HICP is placed in December in 1.3%.

EUR/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.2045 (4716)

$1.2026 (3479)

$1.2010 (4178)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.1951

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.1892 (4572)

$1.1847 (4620)

$1.1799 (4662)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options and PUT options with the expiration date January, 5 is 95633 contracts (according to data from December, 28) with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,2200 (5590);

GBP/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.3566 (3040)

$1.3533 (4878)

$1.3494 (2478)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.3466

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.3420 (1972)

$1.3385 (2404)

$1.3343 (2084)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date January, 5 is 33515 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3500 (4878);

- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date January, 5 is 34147 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3250 (2803);

- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 1.02 versus 1.03 from the previous trading day according to data from December, 28

* - The Chicago Mercantile Exchange bulletin (CME) is used for the calculation.

** - Open interest takes into account the total number of option contracts that are open at the moment.

European stocks ended lower after a thin trading session on Thursday, with few fresh catalysts to inspire investors to send markets higher in the penultimate trading session of the year.

Asian stocks were mostly higher as 2017's last trading day progressed, with Japan rebounding some from weakness late Thursday and tech names in the region continuing to recover from early-week selling.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday logged its 71st record close in 2017, buoyed mostly by gains in bank shares and a slight pick up in energy and materials, as crude-oil prices perked up in seasonally light trading volume.

(raw materials / closing price /% change)

OIL 59.83 -0.02%

GOLD 1296.40 -0.06%

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei -127.23 22783.98 -0.56%

TOPIX -10.76 1819.03 -0.59%

Hang Seng +266.05 29863.71 +0.90%

CSI 300 +27.69 4018.90 +0.69%

Euro Stoxx 50 -25.86 3524.31 -0.73%

FTSE 100 +2.20 7622.88 +0.03%

DAX -90.08 12979.94 -0.69%

CAC 40 -29.42 5339.42 -0.55%

DJIA +63.21 24837.51 +0.26%

S&P 500 +4.92 2687.54 +0.18%

NASDAQ +10.82 6950.16 +0.16%

S&P/TSX +18.82 16221.95 +0.12%

(pare/closed(GMT +3)/change, %)

EUR/USD $ 1,1941 +0,46%

GBP/USD $1,3441 +0,31%

USD/CHF Chf0,9785 -0,79%

USD/JPY Y112,86 -0,41%

EUR/JPY Y134,79 +0,04%

GBP/JPY Y151,71 -0,09%

AUD/USD $0,7767 -0,03%

NZD/USD $0,7087 +0,37%

USD/CAD C$1,2567 -0,69%

00:30 Australia Private Sector Credit, m/m November 0.4% 0.4%

00:30 Australia Private Sector Credit, y/y November 5.3%

09:00 Eurozone Private Loans, Y/Y November 2.7% 2.8%

09:00 Eurozone M3 money supply, adjusted y/y November 5.0% 4.9%

13:00 Germany CPI, y/y (Preliminary) December 1.8% 1.5%

13:00 Germany CPI, m/m (Preliminary) December 0.3% 0.5%

18:00 U.S. Baker Hughes Oil Rig Count December 747