CURRENCY MARKET WRAP 

As of Tue, Apr 30, Singapore Time zone UTC+8

Dollar Index, -0.19%, 97.85     
USDJPY, +0.08%, $111.68
EURUSD, +0.32%, $1.1185
GBPUSD, +0.10%, $1.2931   

USDCAD, -0.06%, $1.3455  
AUDUSD, +0.17%, $0.7055
NZDUSD, +0.06%, $0.6670 

The 2-yr yield and the 10-yr yield increased three basis points each to 2.30% and 2.54%, respectively. The U.S. Dollar Index declined 0.19% to 97.85. WTI crude increased 0.4% to $63.44/bbl.

U.S. Personal spending m/m jumped 0.9% (consensus 0.7%) in March. The PCE Price Index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, was up 1.5% yr/yr in March while the core PCE Price Index was up 1.6% yr/yr in March – both below the Fed’s annual inflation target of 2.0%.

 

STOCK MARKET WRAP 

S&P500, +0.11%, 2,943.03
Nasdaq, +0.16%, 7,839.04
Nikkei Futures, +0.09%, 22,377.5     

The S&P 500 (+0.11%) and Nasdaq Composite (+0.16%) both set new closing, and intraday, records on Monday. It was a tight-ranged session, but positive economic data and the outperformance of the financial and communication services stocks helped maintain the market’s bullish bias.

The latest personal income and spending data helped advance the narrative that the U.S. economy seems to be benefiting still from solid consumer spending activity and muted inflation pressures.

Alphabet shares fell about 7% in after market trading, Google’s parent company reported revenue that fell below analyst estimates for its first-quarter 2019. Earnings per share: $11.90 per share, ex-items, vs. $10.61 expected. Revenue: $36.34 billion, vs. $37.33 billion expected.