News Recap: US equity markets ended the week lower on new concerns about the omicron variant of COVID-19 and a weaker than expected jobs report

US equity markets ended the week lower on new concerns about the omicron variant of COVID-19 and a weaker than expected jobs report. The omicron is spreading and may be more contagious than the delta variant sent stocks tumbling. Shares of cruise lines and airlines declined. Tech stocks were hard hit as well, with some of the biggest names in the sector falling. Market sentiment was also negatively impacted by the Labour Department report that just 210,000 jobs were created in November, well below economist’s forecasts and the fewest of any month in 2021.

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News Recap: Traders will be on high alert for a number of key economic reports including the Fed’s Beige Book on Wednesday and the NFP report on Friday

Stock prices in London are seen to recover some of Friday’s sharp losses early on Monday opening session as markets continue to grapple with a new coronavirus variant. Global stock markets tanked on Friday, with overnight Asia session extending losses into the new week, after this new Covid-19 strain now known as Omicron cast doubt on global efforts to fight the pandemic, due to fears that it is highly infectious and could potentially evade vaccines. The new variant, on top of a rebound in case counts and widening restrictions in Europe, threaten to put a damper on the global economic recovery. Another widespread shutdown could put the already overstrained global supply chain into deeper trouble.

Several countries have announced plans to restrict travel from southern Africa, where it was first detected, including key travel hub Qatar, the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Netherlands. But the virus strain has already slipped through the net and has now been found everywhere from the Netherlands to Hong Kong. In Australia, authorities on Sunday said they had detected it for the first time in two passengers from southern Africa who were tested after flying into Sydney.

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News Recap: Trading activity in equity markets is expected to quieten down as investors get ready for Thanksgiving Day on Thursday

Stocks in London are set to open lower on Tuesday, as concern over growing cases of Covid-19 in Europe overshadows Monday’s news that US President Joe Biden has confirmed Jerome Powell as chair of the world’s most influential central bank. Fed Chair Powell was getting the nod for another 4-year term leading the US Federal Reserve was the catalyst that managed to pull European stocks back off their lows of the day yesterday. Although it was not enough to pull the likes of the DAX and CAC40 into the green. Europe’s return to the pandemic’s epicentre has been blamed on a sluggish vaccine uptake in some nations, the highly contagious Delta variant, and colder weather moving people indoors again.

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How to Find Out Your Trader Personality

So, what’s your trading personality? Maybe that seems like a weird question, but trading is an activity that needs thoughtful decisions and actions to build the best strategy for you as a trader. 

It might be hard to find which style of trading is right for you without knowing your trading personality type first. The good news is that you don’t have to make your personality fit your trading strategy, it is better to be honest with yourself about what fits best for you. Keep reading to learn more.

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The Most (and Least) Volatile Currency Pairs

What is Volatility?

Volatility is a measure of the change in price over time. Volatility is measured by the annualised standard deviation of daily returns for a particular market over a particular period of time. It shows the range to which the market price of an asset is expected to fluctuate over time. The more volatile a market, the riskier it is considered to be and the higher return you can expect if you invest in that market.

Different levels of volatility will be right for different markets and different trading strategies. For example: if a market is very volatile it may be the right choice for day traders but not for long term investors.

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News Recap: Bitcoin rose to a two week peak on Monday and ether climbed to a fresh record as cryptocurrencies ride higher on a wave of momentum

A weak performance by Asian equity markets overnight, despite upbeat economic data from China at the weekend. The weekend data brought a sharp increase in the trade surplus as export growth outstripped imports. A 27.1% rise in October exports does help reduce some of the fears around supply chain issues and energy-induced shutdowns. In the US, the Democrats have managed to agree upon the $1 trillion infrastructure package pushed by Biden, with the President expected to sign off on the bill.

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News Recap: US equities currently remain near or at all-time highs

Markets in Asia started the week with a negative bias as the region followed on from last Friday’s US session although sentiment began to improve as participants looked towards the opening of European markets. The ASX 200 was higher by around 0.4% supported by gains in the energy sector whilst the Nikkei 225 slumped close to 1% with Softbank and Fast Retailing being the biggest losers. In China, a spokesperson for the National Health Commission outlined that the most recent Covid outbreak covers 11 provinces with cases expected to rise further.

UK Focus

In the UK, Chancellor Sunak is set to announce the UK Budget later in the week and has cited that inflation and interest rates have been key factors to bear in mind ahead of the release. Sunak has reiterated that there must not be a return to significant economic restrictions despite the number of cases continuing to rise as the nation heads into the Winter period. The budget on Wednesday is set to see the minimum wage raised whilst restrictions on public sector pay lifted.

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What Does It Mean to Trade In the Zone?

While we know that trading psychology is an important part of a traders toolbox, do we really understand what makes an effective trading psychology? When we develop this understanding, we open up the opportunity to tradein the zone. But what exactly does it mean to trade in the zone? How does our trading psychology affect our performance? Keep reading this expert industry guide to find out all you need to know.

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News Recap: The Pound continues to see good economic data releases and UK inflation is still running at high levels

Last week saw the return of optimism in the markets. Inflation is still at elevated levels and the supply chain remains a concern, but the markets seem to believe that these issues will eventually be resolved.

The big question is still what actions will be taken by central banks, and what effect they will have on risk assets. The Pound continues to see good economic data releases and UK inflation is still running at high levels. The market is pricing a full 15bp hike in next month’s meeting and more in February 2022, and this has risks.

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The Best Currency Pairs to Trade

The Forex market is one of the most exciting markets a trader can be involved in. The main reason behind this is the second to second fluctuation in the market. Due to this market’s general volatility, the Forex market has many opportunities for making a profit if you utilise the right strategy and choose the right currencies. If you want to trade Forex successfully, you’ll need to understand at least the basics of currency pairs. But what exactly are currency pairs? What are the best currency pairs to trade? Keep reading this handy guide to learn more.

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