Crude oil price continues hovering at year-high level in European morning as the market awaits the inventory report. Apart from this report, there’s not much industry-specific data that investors can rely on this week. On the macro front, focus of today is inflation data from the Eurozone and the US. Moreover, regional manufacturing in the US should also trigger market sentiment which will decide oil price’s direction in the near-term.
Released earlier, Eurozone’s CPI moderated more rapidly than anticipated in September. The reading came in flat on monthly basis after rising +0.3% in August. The market had expected a gain of +0.1%. On annual basis, the headline reading contracted -0.3% while the core CPI was stickier and increased +1.2%. In the US, analysts forecast CPI would have risen +0.2% mom in September after surging +0.4% a month ago. On annual basis, contraction should have slowed to -1.4% following a decline of -1.5% in August. CPI is a barometer that investors have been monitoring as its outlook determines the Fed’s monetary policy.
The Empire manufacturing index probably fell to 17.75 in October after soaring to23-month high at 18.88 in the previous month. At the same time, the Philly Fed index might have dropped to 12 after rising 10 points to 14.1 in September. The regional manufacturing surveys will give important indication on how the ISM index moves from September’s level of 52.6.
Gold plunges to 1052 in European morning as investors take profits after the yellow metal rallying +9% in the past 2 weeks. Other precious metals also decline in sympathy. Silver falls -2.2% to 17.5 while platinum pares gains in the past 2 days and currently trades -1.2% lower at 1351.
Silver, which outperformed gold in recent rise, may undergo deeper correction as its fundamental outlook is not at all brilliant. Yesterday, both Rio Tinto and Fresnillo reported rise in silver supply in 3Q09. Rio Tinto said that its silver output rose +39% yoy in the third quarter to 2.12M oz while Fresnillo reported that its production in the white metal increased +7% yoy and +1% qoq to 9.6M oz. Although there are potential strike in Peru (the world’s largest producer in silver), it will be unlikely to eliminate supply surplus this year unless industrial demand picks up rigorously.
Stock market strengthens amid speculations on favorable earnings results. In Asia, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed +0.6% as Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose +1.8% to 10238.7 after Elpida memory posted the first operating profit in 8 quarters. Moreover, Credit Suisse recommended buying Panasonic Corp. Other indices such as Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index and South Korea’s Kospi Index also gained +0.6%. In Europe, benchmark indices fluctuate between gains and losses. In the US session, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup will report 3Q09 earnings.