Dollar strengthening slows ahead of Fed meeting

US stock market retreated on Monday ahead of Federal Reserve two-day meeting starting today. Equities fell as US and Chinese reciprocal tariffs took effect – 10% tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods counterweighed by $60 billion in tariffs on US goods by China. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% to 2919.37. Dow Jones industrial lost 0.7% to 26562.05. The Nasdaqcomposite index however recovered 0.1% to 7993.25. The dollar strengthening slowed with Fed widely expected to hike rates a quarter point and the Chicago Fed’s national activity index came in unchanged in August: live dollar index data show the ICE US Dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, added 0.04% to 94.219 and is higher currently. Futures on stock indices indicate higher openings today.

Last year, I wrote about emerging market equities and whether their time had finally come. Should investors be considering an allocation to the asset class, which theoretically offers the promise of higher returns driven off demographic trends? I think it’s a worthwhile topic to revisit, while also providing an overview of investor behaviour since that time.

CPM Group managing partner Jeff Christian says some gold companies – “only a few, but not many”- have shifted focus to the extent necessary to restore investor faith in equities. But generally the gold space was not a massive sectoral play for investors at present, he said on the sidelines of the Denver Gold Forum at Colorado Springs.

Analysts at TD Securities explained that market sentiment was downbeat with North American equities posting declines (SPX: -0.3%, TSX: -0.1%) to extend the risk-off session in Europe.

Stocks slipped on growing concern about the outlook for global trade and U.S. politics. Oil rallied toward a four-year high.

The MSE Equity Price Index drifted lower for the first time in four trading sessions on Monday as it slipped by 0.19% from its six-week high to 4,353.864 points.

Stocks fell on Monday across the globe as US tariffs on an additional $200bn of Chinese imports kicked in, clouding the global economic outlook with prospects of an intensified trade war between the world’s top economies.

Qurate Retail Inc Series A (NASDAQ:QRTEA) – Analysts at B. Riley reduced their Q3 2018 earnings estimates for shares of Qurate Retail Inc Series A in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, September 5th, Zacks Investment Research reports. B. Riley analyst B. Crockett now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.27 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.35. B. Riley also issued estimates for Qurate Retail Inc Series A’s Q4 2018 earnings at $0.76 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $1.96 EPS, FY2019 earnings at $2.20 EPS and FY2020 earnings at $2.74 EPS.

Regional markets including Japan and China shut for public holiday

What you need to know

• Oil prices climb as producers decide against output rise
• European shares open with modest losses, led by Dax
• Euro zone sovereign bond yields flat
• Hong Kong stocks fall on US-China trade concerns
• Australian dollar knocked lower

Equities

European markets have opened lower, led by Germany’s Dax, down 0.4 per cent with carmakers including Volkswagen, BMW and Daimler AG among the main decliners.

We have been increasingly hearing of people passing away in their mid-’90s or their 90 plus birthdays being celebrated. Owing to medical advancements and increasing consciousness about fitness and wellness, we may very well end up pushing our individual mortality to nineties.