By Deepta Bolaky
 @DeeptaGOMarkets

Equity Markets

Global equities pulled back from record highs following new lockdowns and restrictions triggered by the continuous surge in the number of coronavirus cases. European markets ended on a mixed note while major US equities finished in the red. 

Investors were mostly risk-off in the US session and Wall Street ended in negative territory:

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 167 points or 0.6% to 29,783.
• S&P 500 fell by 17 points or 0.5% to 3,610. 
• Nasdaq Composite dropped by 25 points or 0.2% to 11,899.

While tech giants like Apple, Facebook and Microsoft fell by around 1 % or more, Tesla and Amazon rose following their latest announcements:

• The Launch of Amazon Pharmacy on Tuesday is another game-changer for the online giant. After rising higher, its share price pared gains to close relatively flat at $3,136.
• Tesla is set to join the S&P 500 on December 21. The electric-car maker’s share price rose by more than 8% to $441.61.

Currency Markets 

In the FX space, the price action was also driven by the fears of slower growth following the global surge in COVID-19 cases. Major currencies were mixed against the US dollar. Safe-haven currencies advanced higher while commodity-linked currencies edged lower. 

Amid a relatively muted economic calendar, the US Retail Sales stood out. Retail Sales were up by 0.3% from September 2020, and came below the expectations of 0.5% and lower than the previous month of 1.6%. Retail Sales is a leading indicator which provides a glimpse into the upcoming quarterly GDP number and helps to gauge consumer spending and the impact of COVID-19 and more nationals and localised lockdowns on businesses and consumers.

Commodities

Crude oil prices pared some recent gains following the broad risk-off sentiment prevailing in the markets on Tuesday. The global surge in the number of coronavirus infections renewed fears on the global oil demand outlook. Additionally, crude oil prices were underpinned by the larger-than-expected surge in the crude oil inventory reported by the American Petroleum Institute. As of writing, WTI Crude oil (Nymex) and Brent Crude (ICE) were trading at around $41.23 and $43.75 respectively. 

Gold

The precious metal remained depressed by the recent positive vaccine news and the gridlock in Washington despite the concerns on the virus front.  As of writing, the XAUUSD pair is trading around $1,882. 

Source: GO MT4

By Deepta Bolaky
 @DeeptaGOMarkets

Key upcoming events

• RBA Governor Lowe Speech, Westpac Leading Index, HIA New Home Sales and Wage Price Index (Australia)
• Merchandise Trade Balance Total, Imports and Exports (Japan)
• Consumer Price Index, Retail Price Index, and PPI Core Output (UK)
• Consumer Price Index (Eurozone)
• BoE’s Haldane Speech (UK)
• 10-yr Bond Auction (Germany)
• BoC’s Wilkins speech, and BoC Consumer Price Index (Canada)
• Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Fed’s Williams Speech (US)

Thursday, 19 November 2020  Indicative Index Dividends Dividends are in Points
ASX200	WS30	US500	US2000	NDX100	CAC40	STOXX50
0	9.672	0.237	0.244	0.092	0	0
ESP35	ITA40	FTSE100	DAX30	HK50	JP225	INDIA50
0	0	1.494	0	0	0	3.646

Disclaimer:  The articles are from GO Markets analysts,  based on their independent analysis or personal experiences. Views or opinions or trading styles expressed are of their own;  should not be taken as either representative of or shared by GO Markets.  Advice (if any),  are of a ‘general’ nature and not based on your personal objectives, financial situation or needs.  You should therefore consider how appropriate the advice (if any) is to your objectives, financial situation and needs, before acting on the advice.  If the advice relates to acquiring a particular financial product, you should obtain and consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Financial Services Guide (FSG) for that product before making any decisions.

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