US stocks opened higher today, buoyed by the latest labour market data indicating a slight easing. The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9% in April from 3.8% the previous month, while the change in non-farm payrolls was lower than anticipated, coming in at 175,000 compared to the robust 303,000 recorded in March. Initially, both the dollar index and the 10-year US Treasury yield dipped following the release of this data, but they later recovered, stabilizing at around 105 and 4.55%, respectively. With the Federal Reserve's recent hints at potential interest rate cuts later this year, we expect monetary easing to start in September, with forward swaps now pricing in an almost 90% likelihood of a rate cut in the first month of autumn. Elsewhere, Eurozone unemployment remained steady at 6.5%, aligning with projections.
In today's metals trading, the base metals complex presented a mixed picture. Aluminium showed a slight rebound but continued to face resistance just below the $2,550/t level, and closed at $2,551/t. Copper recovered some of yesterday's losses, closing at $9,910/t. As Chinese markets prepare to reopen next Monday following a holiday, there is a potential for further declines if a risk-off sentiment prevails, amplified by the resumed market activity. Meanwhile, lead displayed robust performance, surpassing the $2,200/t mark, and zinc also saw gains, reaching $2,903/t.
In the precious metals market, gold experienced fluctuations, briefly dipping below the $2,300/oz mark, while silver fell to $26.3/oz. Oil prices remained relatively steady, with WTI at $78.4/bl and Brent holding at $83.3/bl.
All price data is from 03.05.2024 as of 17:30