Key events: UK - S&P Global/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI (Dec) USA - S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI (Dec) USA - Atlanta Fed GDPNow (Q4) Overnight trading on Monday saw stock futures maintaining stability, setting the tone for the beginning of the new year. This follows a remarkably strong 2023, where the S&P 500 rallied by an impressive 24%. Dow Jones Futures and Nasdaq 100 Futures saw a marginal uptick of 0.1%, while S&P 500 Futures remained unchanged.

Key events:  New Zealand - RBNZ Interest Rate Decision USA - GDP (QoQ) (Q3) USA - FOMC Member Mester Speaks USA - Beige Book On Tuesday, the Dow saw an upward trend, supported by a decline in Treasury yields, fueled by dovish statements from certain Federal Reserve officials, intensifying expectations of imminent rate cuts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced an increase of 83 points, equivalent to 0.2%, while the S&P 500 exhibited a 0.1% rise, and the NASDAQ Composite recorded a 0.3% increase.

Key events: USA - Thanksgiving Day Wednesday witnessed a rise in Wall Street's primary indices, fueled by optimism that the Federal Reserve had concluded its cycle of interest rate hikes. Despite this positive sentiment, escalating Treasury yields and lackluster earnings reports tempered the overall market gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.4%, the S&P 500 rose 0.6%, and the NASDAQ Composite added 1.1%.

Within the financial market, there exist numerous sectors, each with its unique characteristics. These sectors encompass energy, consumer staples and discretionary, technology, financial, utilities, and more, and they are not perceived in a uniform manner. To illustrate, consider energy stocks such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Occidental, boasting a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of less than 10.

Key events: USA - Initial Jobless Claims USA - Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index (Oct) USA - Existing Home Sales (Sep) USA - Fed Chair Powell Speaks USA - FOMC Member Bostic Speaks The Dow closed in negative territory on Wednesday as Nvidia continued to put pressure on the tech sector for a second consecutive day while rising Treasury yields added to the downward pressure on stocks.

Key events:   USA - Fed Chair Powell Speaks On Thursday, all three major US stock indices concluded with declines exceeding 1% each. The Nasdaq experienced the most significant drop due to recent substantial gains, while investor apprehension loomed ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's scheduled speech on Friday.

Key events:   USA - Core Durable Goods Orders (MoM) (Jul) USA - Initial Jobless Claims The closing of Wednesday witnessed a pronounced surge in US stocks, prominently propelled by the escalating value of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares ahead of the company's quarterly financial disclosures. Nvidia's chips enjoy widespread utilization for artificial intelligence (AI) computing purposes.

Key events:   Japan - GDP (QoQ) (Q2) USA - Core Retail Sales (MoM) (Jul) USA - Retail Sales (MoM) (Jul) European markets embarked on a cautiously optimistic note at the onset of the week, aiming to rebound from two weeks of declines, despite lingering concerns about the Chinese real estate sector's impact on the FTSE100.