I don’t know about you but I need the Pentagon Accountant to have a look at my finances. They announced yesterday that they overestimated the value of the weapons it has sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion(!?!). How this is possible I do not know but the extra coffers will be used for future security packages I read so that is good news. Another day in European Equities that offered little to get really excited about with the Stoxx 600 happier to continue to drift from recent highs and closed -50bp…

Given I spent 9 hours at Edgbaston yesterday I was feeling surprisingly sprightly this morning. I’m not sure it had anything to do with the thought of coming into the office and keeping an eye on the relentlessly unexciting European Equity complex at this point in time so I’ll put it down to plenty of water and possibly finally learning some lessons about drinking in the sun. I didn’t miss much yesterday by the looks of things and today continued in similar drifty fashion after Chinese bank cut…

The weather always gets people talking, especially when the cricket is on, which is why I’ve stepped in for today’s ‘Snapshot’ given our usual author had a ‘too good to refuse’ ticket offer for Day 4 of the Ashes at Edgbaston. He for one would’ve been praying for rain over the weekend to ensure he sees some play, and mother nature delivered Sunday! If there are two things classed as very ‘British’ it’s ‘cricket’ & our weather & a report some years back claims British people will spend the equiv…

I’m playing in an intra-company Cricket T20 tonight. I haven’t played since I was at School and that was in Scotland so I am told my cricketing prowess from the noughties can largely be ignored. To add to my teams woe’s I’ve got a pretty dodgy knee and have informed them I will need a runner, field at slip, and possibly offer up an over of off-spin (that will likely get dispatched for at least a few sixes). It’s the taking part that counts right, 25 degrees and realistically the only place I’ll…

So Saturday was national gin and national rose day (but certainly not something to combine)….tomorrow is national beer day and I get the sense that June is slowly trying to take us down. Today wasn’t ever going to be full of activity as we all patiently wait for the FOMC this evening though volumes suggested there was some activity ahead of the release. All signs that a ‘hawkish skip’ are on the way this evening but it will likely be combined with upwards revisions to growth forecasts and the d…

It’s all about risk/reward this week as investors gauge how to play multiple Central Bank rate decisions, China stimulus and inflation data all condensed into a jam packed 72 hours. Though with none of those hours falling today and with plenty of these still up in the air it is quite hard to be critical of the market for a very patient, tentative start to the week with the Stoxx 600 edging up 20bps. And for those looking for views into each of the Central Banks decisions both short and longer t…

The most impressive/ridiculous story I’ve seen over the past 24 hours is the one of David Bingham who completed one of the strangest challenges just yesterday. He spent 4 years, travelling far and wide to all parts of the UK to have a drink in every single Wetherspoons (JDW LN +1.4%) in the UK – 875 of them in total with the last one at Gatwick’s Flying Horse (many will know it well)! Not sure what inspired this sort of challenge but either way a very good effort if a little bit greedy. And a l…

Quicky has called the Snapshot a labour of love in the past. Managing to depict the days big news, market moving themes and combine them with wit and humour to create an engaging and succinct end of day Snapshot. A slightly easier task on exciting days but on days like today when the catalysts are hiding in the shadows it is tricky. The Stoxx 600 closed down 20bps but traded within a 50bp range the entire session as interest waned. The one bit of macro excitement came in the form of the Bank of…

We’ve got a void at the moment but it feels like an all-encompassing global one. In the sporting world the Football and Rugby Union seasons all but over, The Ashes, The Open and Wimbledon all to come in the next few weeks and I’ve been left to catch the highlights of the NBA Finals to get my sporting fix (Miami Heat in 7 if you ask me). Politics is fairly quiet, we’ve avoided a debt ceiling fiasco, we’re in black out period for the Fed (well apart from Clarida saying Fed will likely raise rates…

Monday’s really are a bit rubbish. Half-term over for many Schools but today felt like a bit of a Inset Day for the markets. A bit of catch up on what has gone on, some internal meetings, plenty of Conferences starting and arguably lots going on, just not within the European Equity landscape. The Stoxx 600 ended the day -50bps after what was a largely sideways day until the U.S. came in and data suggested the inflation picture is continuing to soften there. With the Fed in quiet period we’re…