#edgeforex #trading #market #stocks #money #dollar #priced #kremlin #prices #survey #japanese #forex #stocks #currencies #movement #price #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin

Japan

A survey conducted by the Japanese government (Consumer Affairs Agency). Japanese consumers’ one-year forward expected inflation rate rose to 2.43 percent in February, the highest since the survey began in December 2014.

2.16 percent in the previous month

The highest percentage on record, 89.8 percent, predicted that prices for everyday goods would rise in a year.

Ukraine

According to Ukraine’s defense minister, the latest threat assessments do not contain anything unexpected.

Reznikov claims that the most recent threat assessments are consistent with previous assessments and do not contain anything unexpected. That could be code for there isn’t anything suspicious coming from Russia for the time being, but that doesn’t mean the threat has receded or subsided completely. To be sure, we’ll see how things go in the coming day(s). But every hour that passes with nothing happening is one step closer to markets and risk assets becoming more upbeat.

UK

The UK defense minister, Ben Wallace, has stated that he has seen no evidence of Russian withdrawal. He also says that speculating on possible invasion dates is pointless. The current rhetoric is that Russia says its troops are leaving after supposed military drills, but other countries claim that this does not imply a meaningful withdrawal from any potential attack on Ukraine. Unless we see more concrete developments, this type of he says, she says narrative will keep markets guarded, and any optimism will undoubtedly be accompanied by a note of caution.

European equities

European equities open slightly higher.

Hopes for peace persist, but markets remain cautious; Eurostoxx +0.4 percent, Germany DAX +0.2%, France CAC 40 +0.4% , UK FTSE flat ,Spain +0.3% for the IBEX.

There are some slightly better undertones in Europe, but US futures are showing some caution against any potential overemphasis. The S&P 500 futures are down 0.1 percent, the Nasdaq futures are down 0.2 percent, and the Dow futures are down 0.1 percent.

The dollar and yen are both slightly weaker in the forex market, with the Australian dollar leading gains so far today. AUD/USD is currently up 0.3 percent to 0.7173.