Monday's Markets Update (February 19, 2024)

19 Feb 2024 by rate3

On Monday, as markets remained closed for the national holiday, EU stocks were steady due to an absence of directional signals for investors. Chinese traders returned from Lunar New Year break energized by strong tourism activity data (+47.3% YoY), leading to a strengthened yuan. Still, aluminum prices fell on expected weaker China demand for commodities. The crypto market was mostly in the green. ETH led the charge with a +3% increase, preparing to test the crucial 3K resistance level. BTC fluctuated around 52K, allowing traders to re-focus on major alts, leading to larger growth in Algorand (+3%), Stellar (+2%) and Cardano (+1%).

Crypto

Bitcoin ETFs had a strong week, with net inflows exceeding £2.2 billion from February 12-16. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust led with £1.6 billion, accounting for 50% of BlackRock's ETF flows this year. Fidelity's Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund and the Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF also saw notable inflows, while the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust experienced outflows. (source)

World Markets

Equity markets in Europe were steady with the STOXX 50 index closing at a 23-year high. Investors are looking ahead to a busy week of economic data and central bank minutes. Positive tourism data from China also buoyed global investors. Temenos stock rebounded after falling Friday on a critical report.
The IBC-Br Index of Economic Activity in Brazil increased by 0.82% in December 2023, exceeding market expectations and signaling the strongest growth since April. This news suggests that the central bank may not need to cut interest rates as urgently, and that industrial production, services output, and retail sales are all performing well, except for a slight contraction in retail sales.(BCB)
Israel's economy contracted 19.4% annually in Q4 2023, the steepest fall since Q2 2020 and the 2nd lowest in this century., as the conflict with Hamas severely disrupted business activity (displacement of citizens, military mobilization and restrictions on the entry of Palestinian workers), consumption (-26.9%), investment (-67.8%), and trade (export -18.3% / import -42%). Government spending surged on war expenses (+88.1%). For full year 2023, GDP grew 2% versus 6.5% in 2022.

Currencies

The offshore yuan strengthened past 7.20 per dollar as traders returned from Lunar New Year break. The currency was buoyed by a weaker dollar and positive Chinese tourism data during the holiday (+ 47.3% YoY). The PBOC left its policy rate unchanged at 2.5%. Markets now await the monthly loan prime rate fixing on Tuesday.

Commodities

Aluminum prices fell to a one-month low near $2.2K per tonne in February amid weak demand outlook. Weak data from top consumer China and uncertainty over EU sanctions on Russian aluminum weighed on prices. The UAE helped restore Guinea's bauxite exports after an explosion disrupted logistics. Broader EU bans on Russian aluminum are called for as current restrictions only impact a small portion of imports.