(raw materials / closing price /% change)

Oil 60.95 +0.40%

Gold 1,324.30 -0.21%

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

Nikkei -190.81 21777,29 -0,87%

TOPIX -7.82 1743,21 -0,45%

Hang Seng -166.44 31435,01 -0,53%

CSI 300 -17,91 4073,34 -0,44%

Euro Stoxx 50 -6.37 3390.98 -0.19%

FTSE 100 -6.09 7132.69 -0.09%

DAX +16.71 12237.74 +0.14%

CAC 40 -9.43 5233.36 -0.18%

DJIA -248.91 24758.12 -1.00%

S&P 500 -15.83 2749.48 -0.57%

NASDAQ -14.20 7496.81 -0.19%

S&P/TSX +6.47 15653.61 +0.04%

(pare/closed(GMT +2)/change, %)

EUR/USD $1,2367 -0,19%

GBP/USD $1,3964 +0,01%

USD/CHF Chf0,9446 +0,13%

USD/JPY Y106,31 -0,14%

EUR/JPY Y131,48 -0,34%

GBP/JPY Y148,45 -0,12%

AUD/USD $0,7874 +0,25%

NZD/USD $0,7306 -0,25%

USD/CAD C$1,29541 +0,03%

Major US stock indexes ended the session in negative territory, with the Dow Jones industrial index falling most, as US producers continue to worry about the impact of new tariffs on trade.

In addition, as the report of the Ministry of Trade showed, retail sales decreased by 0.1% m / m in February, while economists expected to see growth of 0.3% m / m. At the same time, the indicator for the previous month was revised to -0.1% m / m from -0.3% m / m. Excluding sales of cars, retail sales grew by 0.2%, against analysts' forecasts + 0.4% m / m. The indicator for the previous month was revised to + 0.1% from 0.0%.

At the same time, the report of the Ministry of Labor showed that in February producer prices increased by 0.2% m / m (against the forecast + 0.1% m / m), whereas without changes in the cost of food and energy, producer prices rose by 0.2% m / m (against the forecast + 0.2%). Year-on-year, the producer price index (CPI) rose 2.8%, and the basic CPI jumped 2.5%, as economists had expected.

Most components of the DOW index finished trading in the red (25 of 30). The leader of growth was the shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS, + 0.19%). Outsider were shares of The Boeing Company (BA, -2.53%).

Most S & P sectors recorded a decline. The largest drop was shown by the sector of industrial goods (-0.9%). The utilities sector grew most (+ 0.6%).

At closing:

Dow -1.00% 24,758.12 -248.91

Nasdaq -0.19% 7.496.81 -14.20

S & P -0.57% 2,749.48 -15.83

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) increased by 5.0 million barrels from the previous week. At 430.9 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are in the lower half of the average range for this time of year.

Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 6.3 million barrels last week, and are in the upper half of the average range. Finished gasoline and blending components inventories both decreased last week.

Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 4.4 million barrels last week and are in the lower half of the average range for this time of year. Propane/propylene inventories decreased by 2.3 million barrels last week, and are in the lower half of the average range. Total commercial petroleum inventories decreased last week.

Manufacturers' and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $1,917.0 billion, up 0.6 percent from December 2017 and were up 3.7 percent from January 2017.

The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of January was 1.34. The January 2017 ratio was 1.37.

U.S. stock-index futures rose on Wednesday, signaling a rebound after a decline in the previous day on fears of political and trade uncertainties.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 21,777.29 -190.81 -0.87%

Hang Seng 31,435.01 -166.44 -0.53%

Shanghai 3,291.26 -18.98 -0.57%

S&P/ASX 5,935.30 -39.40 -0.66%

FTSE 7,161.32 +22.54 +0.32%

CAC 5,258.88 +16.09 +0.31%

DAX 12,284.22 +63.19 +0.52%

Crude $61.25 (+0.89%)

Gold $1,327.00 (-0.01%)

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

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for February 2018, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $492.0 billion, a decrease of 0.1 percent from the previous month, but 4.0 percent above February 2017. Total sales for the December 2017 through February 2018 period were up 4.3 percent from the same period a year ago. The December 2017 to January 2018 percent change was revised from down 0.3 percent to down 0.1 percent.

Retail trade sales were down 0.1 percent from January 2018, but 4.2 percent above last year. Nonstore Retailers were up 10.1 percent from February 2017, while Gasoline Stations were up 7.9 percent from last year.

Ford Motor (F) upgraded to Overweight at Morgan Stanley

The Producer Price Index for final demand advanced 0.2 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices rose 0.4 percent in January and were unchanged in December. On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index increased 2.8 percent for the 12 months ended in February.
In February, the rise in final demand prices is attributable to a 0.3-percent advance in the index for final demand services. In contrast, prices for final demand goods edged down 0.1 percent.
The index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services climbed 0.4 percent in February, the same as in January. For the 12 months ended in February, prices for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services increased 2.7 percent, the largest rise since 12-month percent change data were available in August 2014.

Analisando USD/CAD a gráfico diário podemos ver que o preço encontra-se novamente a testar os antigos máximos da semana passada.

No final da semana passada assistimos a alguma exaustão por parte do preço depois de sucessivas tentativas de "breakout" para atingir novos máximos.

Se o preço continuar a mostrar dificuldades em quebrar esses máximos podemos então expectar um movimento de correção perto da linha de tendência ascendente.

In January 2018 compared with December 2017, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 1.0% in the euro area (EA19) and by 0.7% in the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In December 2017, industrial production rose by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU28. In January 2018 compared with January 2017, industrial production increased by 2.7% in the euro area and by 3.0% in the EU28.

The number of persons employed increased by 0.3% in the euro area (EA19) and by 0.2% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the third quarter of 2017, employment increased by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.2% in the EU28. These figures are seasonally adjusted. Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 1.6% in the euro area and by 1.5% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2017 (after +1.7% and +1.6% respectively in the third quarter of 2017).

Eurostat estimates that, in the fourth quarter of 2017, 236.8 million men and women were employed in the EU28, of which 156.7 million were in the euro area. These are the highest levels ever recorded in both areas. These figures are seasonally adjusted. Over the whole year 2017, employment rose by 1.6% in both areas, compared with +1.3% in the euro area and +1.2% in the EU28 in 2016.

• While we are now more confident than in the past that inflation is on the right track, risks and uncertainties remain

• Adjustments to our policy will remain predictable, and they will proceed at a measured pace

• We still need to see further evidence that inflation dynamics are moving in the right

EUR/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.2536 (2724)

$1.2511 (1978)

$1.2491 (847)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.2387

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.2317 (3570)

$1.2278 (3699)

$1.2235 (3591)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options and PUT options with the expiration date April, 6 is 93456 contracts (according to data from March, 13) with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,2150 (4657);

GBP/USD

Resistance levels (open interest**, contracts)

$1.4154 (2704)

$1.4110 (3094)

$1.4041 (141)

Price at time of writing this review: $1.3957

Support levels (open interest**, contracts):

$1.3876 (980)

$1.3842 (3268)

$1.3806 (1181)

Comments:

- Overall open interest on the CALL options with the expiration date April, 6 is 32099 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3950 (3094);

- Overall open interest on the PUT options with the expiration date April, 6 is 28526 contracts, with the maximum number of contracts with strike price $1,3800 (3491);

- The ratio of PUT/CALL was 0.89 versus 0.90 from the previous trading day according to data from March,13

* - 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.

China's industrial production increased at a faster-than-expected pace in the first two months of the year, official data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday, cited by rttnews.

Industrial output climbed 7.2 percent in the January to February period from a year ago, faster than the 6.2 percent rise in December. That was also above the 6.6 percent increase economists had forecast.

During the first two months of 2018, retail sales surged 9.7 percent as compared to the same period of last year. In December, the rate of growth was 9.4 percent.

That was slightly slower than the expected growth of 10.0 percent.

The statistical office also revealed that fixed asset investment grew 7.9 percent annually in the January to February period. It was forecast to increase by 7.0 percent.

• Most members shared view BoJ should persistently pursue powerful monetary easing

• Some members said must monitor positive impact, side effects of policy including effect on financial system

• One member said must pay attention to financial institutions' lending attitudes amid low interest rate environment

• One member said it was undesirable to let market speculation heighten that boj may adjust monetary easing slightly at an early stage

Consumer prices in Germany were 1.4% higher in February 2018 than in February 2017. The inflation rate - measured by the consumer price index - thus decreased for the third consecutive month. In January 2018, it had been +1.6%. Compared with January 2018, the consumer price index rose by 0.5% in February 2018. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) thus confirms its provisional overall results of 27 February 2018.

In February 2018, energy prices as a whole were only slightly above the previous year's level (+0.1%) and had a downward effect on the overall inflation rate. In January 2018, the rate of energy price increase had been +0.9%. In the period from February 2017 to February 2018, price increases were recorded for electricity (+1.5%) and charges for central and district heating (+1.3%). In contrast, the prices of gas (−1.4%), solid fuels (−0.6%) and mineral oil products (−0.5%; of which motor fuels: −0.6%; heating oil: −0.2%) went down over the same period. Excluding energy prices, the inflation rate in February 2018 would have been +1.5%.

• New Zealand's seasonally adjusted current account deficit was $1,951 million in the December 2017 quarter, up $407 million from the September 2017 quarter.

• The annual current account deficit increased to $7,722 million for the year ended December 2017 (2.7 percent of GDP), up from the revised $5,985 million deficit for the year ended December 2016 (2.2 percent of GDP).

In the December 2017 quarter

• The seasonally adjusted goods deficit widened to $465 million, up $385 million.

• The seasonally adjusted services surplus decreased to $1,164 million, down $16 million.

• The primary income deficit widened to $2,733 million, up $217 million.

• Secondary income was a $83 million surplus, up $211 million from a $128 million deficit in the September 2017 quarter.

• The financial account had a net inflow of $1,498 million.