Happy Thanksgiving! Millions of travellers crowded airports and highways for the busiest post-pandemic holiday. Though an East Coast storm brought rain, it moved offshore Wednesday, allowing most flights to operate smoothly. Houston airports predicted record passenger numbers as cheaper airfares and gas prices aided holiday travellers. A vehicle explosion at the US-Canada border temporarily closed Niagara Falls crossings and prompted Buffalo airport heightened screening. Despite some delays, predictions of smooth travel operations are largely on track so far, benefiting cost-conscious travellers this holiday season.
EQUITY
Asian stocks saw muted trading as holidays dampened volumes, though optimism remained despite Fed hawkish signals weighing on tech. The Dow rose as upbeat economic data and big tech gains offset Nvidia's slip on its China sanctions and Deere's earnings miss. Any further policy support could boost projections like new records for Indian stocks and a positive 2024 for Chinese equities.
GOLD
Gold neared $2,000 once again as the Fed signalled slower rate hikes, but conflicting forces pushed the price back down. A midweek dollar rebound and yield recovery knocked gold decisively under $2,000 for its largest single-day drop in weeks. Though supportive policy looms, complex factors whip gold back and forth, unable to break $2,000, although it is in a steady trend on the upside.
OIL
OPEC+ postponed a key meeting amid disagreements, particularly from African producers seeking higher quotas. Crude prices extended declines as uncertainty swirled around the extent of future supply cuts—this while an unexpected build in US inventories and a Gulf pipeline leak shutting in 3% of regional output added to the complex situation facing volatile oil markets, already grappling with concerns over cooling demand tied to lacklustre economic readings.
CURRENCY
The PBoC established a new yuan benchmark, allowing 2% fluctuation versus the dollar, signalling strategic shifts closely watched by investors for potential impacts. The US dollar rebounded from a 2.5-month low following better unemployment data but also signs of an economic slowdown, while the euro declined on expectations of ECB policy reversal and the yen weakened with bitcoin rebounding after the Binance settlement.
