FTSE Heads Lower As Covid Fears Overshadow Retail Sales
Fiona Cincotta September 18, 2020 8:30 AM
Following on from a weak performance on Wall Street overnight and a mildly stronger effort in Asia, European bourses are heading southwards on the open.
Following on from a weak performance on Wall Street overnight and a mildly stronger effort in Asia, European bourses are heading southwards on the open. Indices are mildly in the red as markets take stock of a week which has seen coronavirus cases rise steeply in Europe and central banks sit on their hands for another month.
Oil prices have seen their fair share of volatility this week. A combination of inventory draws, Hurricane Sally stopping and starting production, demand concerns have played with the price. WTI is on track for gains of over 10% and Brent exceeding 9%. The latest drive higher in prices comes after OPEC cracks down on non -member states. OPEC urged members to conform with production cuts in its online meeting.
US consumer confidence
Looking ahead the economic calendar is fairly quiet, with US consumer confidence expected to show an increase to 75 in September, up from 74.1. This would be some welcomed good news after the slew of disappointing numbers stateside yesterday. With Congress seemingly still considerable distance from agreeing an additional rescue package, any signs of consumer confidence slipping could negatively impact of sentiment.
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