Stock Market Analysis with FintechZoom

Economic

Summary:

Discover FintechZoom's comprehensive stock market analysis, featuring real-time data, detailed financial insights, advanced charting tools, and expert commentary to help investors make informed decisions and succeed in the market.

The stock market is a complex and dynamic arena where investors and traders rely on a range of tools and platforms to make informed decisions. FintechZoom has emerged as a leading fintech platform, providing extensive resources and insights for stock market enthusiasts. This article explores FintechZoom's features and services, highlighting how they aid investors in navigating the stock market effectively. Additionally, we will discuss the role of FastBull and how its integration with FintechZoom enhances stock market analysis.

Overview of FintechZoom

FintechZoom is a prominent financial technology platform known for its comprehensive stock market analysis and real-time data services. It caters to both novice and experienced investors by offering a wealth of information and tools that simplify the process of market research and trading. The platform covers a wide array of financial instruments, including stocks, forex, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, making it a versatile resource for investors.

Key Features of FintechZoom

Real-Time Market Data: FintechZoom provides real-time stock quotes, price charts, and financial news updates. This feature ensures that investors have access to the latest market information, which is crucial for making timely and informed decisions.

In-Depth Financial Analysis: The platform offers detailed analysis of various stocks, including earnings reports, revenue trends, and financial metrics. Expert insights and commentary help investors understand market dynamics and evaluate stock performance.

Advanced Charting Tools: FintechZoom's advanced charting tools allow users to analyze stock trends, identify patterns, and apply technical indicators. Customizable charts provide a visual representation of market data, facilitating technical analysis and strategy development.

Historical Data and Performance Metrics: Investors can access historical data and performance metrics for stocks, enabling them to track long-term trends and assess past performance. This data is essential for evaluating a stock’s potential and making strategic investment decisions.

Market Sentiment and News Analysis: FintechZoom aggregates news articles, analyst ratings, and social media sentiment related to various stocks. This comprehensive news analysis helps investors gauge market sentiment and understand the factors driving stock price movements.

Educational Resources: The platform offers educational content, including articles, tutorials, and webinars, designed to enhance investors' knowledge and skills. These resources cover a range of topics, from basic investment principles to advanced trading strategies.

How FintechZoom Enhances Stock Market Analysis

Real-Time Data and Timely Updates

One of the most significant advantages of FintechZoom is its provision of real-time market data. This feature is essential for investors who need up-to-the-minute information on stock prices, trading volumes, and market movements. Real-time updates enable investors to react quickly to market changes and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Comprehensive Financial Analysis

FintechZoom's in-depth financial analysis provides a detailed view of a company’s performance. Investors can access key financial metrics, including earnings per share (EPS), price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, and revenue growth. This analysis helps investors assess a company's financial health and make informed investment decisions based on solid data.

Advanced Technical Analysis

Technical analysis is a crucial aspect of stock market trading, and FintechZoom’s advanced charting tools play a pivotal role in this process. The platform offers a range of technical indicators, such as moving averages, Bollinger Bands, and relative strength index (RSI). These tools help investors identify trends, gauge market momentum, and develop effective trading strategies.

Historical Performance and Trends

Access to historical data is valuable for evaluating a stock’s past performance and understanding its long-term trends. FintechZoom provides historical price charts and performance metrics that allow investors to analyze how a stock has performed over time. This information is critical for making predictions about future performance and assessing investment risk.

Market Sentiment and News Analysis

Understanding market sentiment is key to making informed investment decisions. FintechZoom’s market sentiment and news analysis feature aggregates a wide range of sources, including news articles, analyst reports, and social media insights. This comprehensive approach helps investors gauge public perception and anticipate market reactions to news and events.

The Role of FastBull in Stock Market Analysis

FastBull, a fintech platform renowned for its real-time market signals and in-depth analysis, complements FintechZoom’s offerings. By integrating FastBull's tools and expertise, FintechZoom enhances its stock market analysis capabilities, providing investors with additional resources and insights.

FastBull’s Contribution to Stock Market Analysis

Real-Time Market Signals: FastBull offers timely market signals based on advanced algorithms and comprehensive analysis. These signals alert investors to potential trading opportunities and significant market movements, helping them make informed decisions.

Expert Analysis and Reports: FastBull provides detailed market reports and expert opinions on various stocks and financial instruments. This analysis adds depth to FintechZoom's coverage, offering investors a broader perspective on market conditions and stock performance.

Trading Strategies and Insights: FastBull’s trading strategies, tailored to different market conditions, enhance FintechZoom's analytical tools. These strategies, based on technical and fundamental analysis, provide investors with actionable insights for optimizing their trading approaches.

Integration and Synergy

The integration of FastBull’s real-time signals and expert analysis with FintechZoom’s comprehensive data and tools creates a robust ecosystem for stock market investors. This synergy enables users to leverage both platforms' strengths, enhancing their ability to make strategic and informed investment decisions.

Conclusion

Navigating the stock market requires access to accurate, timely information and advanced analytical tools. FintechZoom offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to support investors in their decision-making process, from real-time data and in-depth financial analysis to advanced charting tools and market sentiment insights.

The addition of FastBull’s real-time market signals and expert analysis further enriches FintechZoom’s capabilities, providing investors with a powerful toolkit for analyzing market trends and making informed decisions. Together, FintechZoom and FastBull represent a cutting-edge approach to stock market analysis, equipping investors with the resources they need to succeed in today’s dynamic financial landscape.

To stay updated on all economic events of today, please check out our Economic calendar

Risk Warnings and Disclaimers

You understand and acknowledge that there is a high degree of risk involved in trading. Following any strategies or investment methods may lead to potential losses. The content on the site is provided by our contributors and analysts for information purposes only. You are solely responsible for determining whether any trading assets, securities, strategy, or any other product is suitable for investing based on your own investment objectives and financial situation.

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Warren Takunda

Economic

The dollar ticked higher on Monday as traders looked ahead to policy decisions by the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan on Wednesday for further direction.

The yen held steady, meanwhile, following the Japanese currency's best weekly rally since late April on the back of shifting interest rate expectations and a stock-market sell-off.

The dollar index DXY, which measures the currency against the yen and five other major peers, rose 0.22% to 104.59. The euro slipped 0.35% to $1.08175 EURUSD while the pound GBPUSD was down 0.31% to $1.2827.

The dollar was last flat at 153.80 yen USDJPY, reversing an earlier decline of as much as 0.49% to the cusp of 153 at one point.

Markets have been focused on the surge in the yen over the last week, with rising speculation of a BOJ interest rate hike this week helping buoy the currency.

The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is widely expected to leave rates unchanged this week, but cut them by a quarter point at the following meeting in September.

The Fed decision poses a risk to the dollar/yen pair, said Kristina Clifton, senior economist and chief currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

"Any hints of loosening by the FOMC could pull USD/JPY down significantly, but a hawkish FOMC will probably have little impact," she added.

Data released on Friday showed investors have sharply cut back on their bets against the yen (JPYNETUSD=), which was trading at a 38-year low at the start of the month.

"Sentiment remains fragile," said Shinichiro Kadota, a currency and rates strategist at Barclays in Tokyo.

Ultimately, "U.S. equities are still the key," Kadota added, referencing the demand for safe-haven currencies like the yen seen during last week's stock market rout. "Market moves have been led by U.S. equities, and we need to see if things stabilize there."

The U.S. earnings calendar this week is populated with heavyweights including Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft.

Investors were also wary of further geopolitical volatility, with Israel weighing a response to a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights which Israel and the United States blamed on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Currency traders also need to contend with not just the BOJ and Fed on Wednesday, but the Bank of England a day later.

Sterling GBPUSD fell as investors looked towards the BoE meeting, where the market sees the odds of a first rate cut as a coin toss. British bond yields fell on Monday, pulling the pound lower.

Elsewhere, the Australian dollar was slightly lower at $0.6542, attempting to recover from Friday's low of $0.65105, a level not seen since the start of May.

Leading cryptocurrency bitcoin BTCUSD advanced 3% to $69,540, receiving some support from positive comments from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who told a bitcoin conference on Saturday that the U.S. must dominate the sector or China would.

Source: Reuters

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Risk Warnings and Disclaimers

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Economic

Central Bank

Forex

Will BoJ hike rates on Wednesday?

At its next meeting, the Bank of Japan (BoJ), one of the most important central banks in the world, will make an extremely significant decision about interest rates. The world economy is already having a difficult time due to inflation and other economic issues. The Bank of Japan's decision will have a significant impact on the world's financial markets and the Japanese economy.

Along with the rate hike, the BoJ is also going to announce a plan to reduce its usual bond purchases by half over the next few years. Even with these changes, the Bank of Japan has promised to keep buying long-term government bonds as needed and to keep conditions accommodative for now. This shows that the BoJ is cautiously positive about the economy and is still determined to support growth and stability. Bets on a July move have gone up, and a 10-basis-point-hike is now priced in at a 63% chance. So, if the bank leaves rates unchanged, there's a lot of room for disappointment.

Ueda comments, inflation, and yen

But Kazuo Ueda, the governor of the Bank of Japan, said that inflation expectations are still some way off from hitting 2%. He also said that the BoJ will keep its stance loose until the underlying price trend hits that level. He added that the BoJ may raise rates further if prices rise beyond expectations. This demonstrates that the Bank of Japan is committed to its inflation goal and is willing to make changes to monetary policy as needed to achieve it.

This week’s interest rate decisions are not only significant for the BoJ but also for other major central banks like the Bank of England (BOE) and the Federal Reserve (Fed). Around the world, investors and lawmakers will be paying close attention to these events and what they might mean for global economic trends.

Will BoJ Raise Rates at This Policy Meeting? _1

In terms of the Japanese economy, the yearly inflation rate stayed at 2.8% in June, the same as the previous month. It was the highest level since February. Japan's economy was having a hard time at the beginning of 2024, but a small improvement may be on the way thanks to higher wages and more spending by consumers. The real GDP dropped 0.5% from the previous quarter to the first quarter of 2024. It also fell 1.3% from its peak in the second quarter of 2023. In three of the last four quarters, household spending in the US decreased. The economy seems to be at a turning point, which is positive news. Stronger wage growth and more moderate inflation are expected to boost consumer spending. In addition, a weak currency is likely to help exports grow. Even though all these conditions should make the economy better, growth is only expected to be moderate.

Will BoJ Raise Rates at This Policy Meeting? _2

Finally, the upcoming interest rate decision by the Bank of Japan and the current state of the Japanese economy present a complex mix of opportunities and challenges. The Bank of Japan's change in monetary policy shows that they have faith in the economy, but ongoing inflation and other economic headwinds show how important it is to handle policy carefully. The BoJ and other central banks will have to deal with these challenges, and the choices they make will have a big impact on the world economy in the coming months.

USDJPY moves with weak momentum

From a technical perspective, USDJPY found strong support near the eleven-week low, slightly beneath the 152.00 round number, and near the 200-day simple moving average (SMA). The pair has lost more than 6% since it topped at 161.94 and is still trading well below the long-term descending trend line. The next level to consider as support may be the 200-day SMA near 151.60, ahead of the 50.0% Fibonacci retracement level of the up leg from 140.20 to 161.94 at 151.10.

On the upside, a decisive break above the 154.50 barrier could drive the bulls to the 23.6% Fibonacci level of 156.85. A climb towards the upcoming bearish crossover within the 20- and 50-day SMAs near the 157.90 resistance level could not be enough for a full-scale reversal, as the pair would need to jump above the uptrend line and the previous high of 161.94. Will BoJ Raise Rates at This Policy Meeting? _3

Will BoJ Raise Rates at This Policy Meeting? _3

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Risk Warnings and Disclaimers

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WELLS FARGO

Central Bank

Economic

The Bank of Canada (BoC) cut its policy rate 25 bps to 4.50% at this week's monetary policy announcement, matching the consensus forecast and following on from the initial rate cut delivered in June. Just as important as the interest rate reduction, the BoC offered dovish guidance that points to ongoing rate cuts in the months ahead. Among the comments from the Bank of Canada's announcement as well as Governor Macklem:

· The upside risks to CPI inflation need to be increasingly balanced against the risk that the economy and inflation could be weaker than expected. Indeed, as inflation gets closer to target “the downside risks are taking on increased weight in our monetary policy deliberations.”

· Spare capacity in the economy has increased, and ongoing excess supply is lowering inflationary pressures.

· Household spending, including both consumer purchases and housing, has been weak. The softness in household spending was cited as a particular area of focus, with the BoC pointing to a larger share of incomes being allocated to debt servicing and with upcoming mortgage rate renewals also seen as a downside risk for consumer spending.

· The labor market has cooled significantly. While policymakers acknowledged elevated wage growth, it suggested a loosening labor market should see a moderation of pay increases over time.

These dovish overall comments were reinforced by the BoC's updated economic projections in which the central bank lowered its near-term GDP growth forecasts and projected headline and core inflation to return to the 2% inflation target by the second half of next year. Overall, we view this week's announcement as fully consistent with further 25 bps rate cuts at the September and October monetary policy meetings, which would take the central bank's policy rate to 4.00%. While our base case is currently for the Bank of Canada to pause in December, should economic growth, as well as wages and inflation, remain especially subdued, the risks are tilted in the direction of the BoC cutting interest rates at its December meeting as well.

It was also a relatively active week in the policy front in China, with a reduction in several key benchmark interest rates. Following underwhelming Q2 GDP growth of 0.7% quarter-over-quarter, this week's moves included

· A 10 bps reduction in the seven-day reverse repo rate to 1.70%, aimed at easing pressure in the bond market.

· Unexpected reductions in the loan prime rates. The one-year loan prime rate was reduced by 10 bps to 3.35%, while the five-year loan prime rate, a reference for mortgages, was reduced by 10 bps to 3.85%.

· A 10 bps reduction to the overnight, seven-day and one-month standing lending facility rates.

· A 20 bps reduction in the one-year medium-term lending facility rate to 2.30%, the largest cut to that benchmark rate since April 2020.

While the interest rate moves are helpful at the margin, in the absence of significant fiscal stimulus, we doubt they will be enough to drive a turnaround in consumer and domestic demand and broader economic growth. Our forecast remains for gradual overall deceleration in the Chinese economy, with our forecast for GDP growth of 4.8% in 2024 and 4.5% in 2025.

Finally, in Turkey, the central bank held its one-week repo rate at 50% this week, as expected. The central bank said it was focusing its attention on a build-up of lira liquidity and said it would maintain a tight monetary policy stance until it sees a lasting slowdown in monthly price increases. Services inflation, inflation expectations, geopolitical risks and food prices were also cited as factors keeping inflationary pressures alive. Given the hawkish leaning announcement, rate cuts are not on the immediate horizon, suggesting that monetary easing could be delayed until 2025. Bank of Canada Doubles Down on Monetary Easing_1

Bank of Canada Doubles Down on Monetary Easing_1

The July PMI surveys for the Eurozone and United Kingdom pointed to mixed economic trends across Europe early in the third quarter. The Eurozone PMI surveys unexpectedly softened, with the manufacturing index easing to 45.6, the services index falling to 51.9 and the composite or economy-wide index dropping to 50.1. The results are consistent with the European Central Bank's view that GDP growth could slow from its first quarter pace and that growth risks are potentially tilted to the downside. In terms of the region's largest economies, Germany's manufacturing and services PMIs both fell in July. In France, the manufacturing PMI declined but the services PMI improved—the latter perhaps reflecting some relief following the French elections, and perhaps also getting a boost ahead of the Paris Olympics.

In the United Kingdom, the July PMI readings were more encouraging overall. The manufacturing PMI rose to 51.8— the highest reading since July 2022—with the details showing an increase in the new orders component to 52.0. The services PMI also rose to 52.4, with the new business component jumping to 55.3. The rise in the July PMIs adds to evidence of improving economic momentum coming off the back of monthly GDP figures that suggest solid growth in the second quarter. Against this backdrop, we recently raised our 2024 U.K. GDP forecast to 1.0%. Given signs of stronger growth, and with wages and underlying inflation decelerating only gradually, next week's Bank of England rate decision looks likely to be a close call. While our base case is for the Bank of England to lower interest rates next week, we acknowledge there is also a decent chance that an initial rate cut could be delayed until the central bank's September monetary policy meeting.

International Outlook

Eurozone CPI • Wednesday

Next week's July Eurozone CPI will offer the latest reading on inflationary pressures across the region as the European Central Bank contemplates whether to lower its policy rate further at its September meeting. While headline inflation has slowed dramatically from its peak, it has moved broadly sideways since early this year. That is a pattern that likely continued in July, with consensus forecast for the headline CPI to ease only slightly to 2.4% year-over-year.

Core inflation is also forecast to slow modestly to 2.8%, while, helped in part by base effects, services inflation could slow more noticeably. However, even with the slight year-over-year deceleration, when measured on a shorter three- or six-month basis, the annualized rate of core inflation will likely still be elevated above 3%, and annualized rate of services inflation likely still elevated above 4%. Thus while the July CPI will keep the possibility of a September rate cut alive, we doubt it will be decisive. We suspect European Central Bank policymakers will also want to see some moderation in Q2 wage growth, and another tame CPI reading in August, to be fully comfortable in delivering further monetary easing in September.

Bank of Japan Policy Announcement • Wednesday

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announces its policy decision next week, with markets focused on whether—and what—steps the central bank will take along its monetary policy normalization path. Recent economic figures have been mixed, suggesting a still uneven economic expansion. Q1 GDP growth was revised to show a larger than previously reported decline, but looking ahead, the details of the Q2 Tankan survey were more encouraging for growth prospects. In May, regular earnings for Japanese workers rose 2.5% year-over-year, the biggest increase since 1993, as the increases at this year's spring wage talks start to get reflected in pay checks. The June core CPI firmed slightly to 2.6% year-over-year but was still a downside surprise.

Against a backdrop of mixed activity and sentiment data, and a modest acceleration in wages and prices, we believe the BoJ will hold off on a rate hike this month. We expect the central bank to maintain the target range for its policy rate at 0% to 0.1% at next week's meeting. As previously signaled, we do expect the BoJ to provide a detailed plan for a reduction in the pace of its bond purchases over time. Our base case is for the BoJ to reduce the pace of its bond purchases in 1 trillion yen increments. We expect confirmation of a slower ~5 trillion yen pace of bond purchases through the remainder of Q3-2024. We then see a slowing to an ~4 trillion yen pace in Q4-2024, an ~3 trillion yen pace in Q1-2025 and an ~2 trillion yen pace from Q2-2025 forward. Finally, the Bank of Japan will provide updated growth and inflation forecast. Any significant increase in the medium-term inflation forecasts could portend further rate hikes to come. We forecast the next BoJ rate hike to come in October, by 15 bps to a range of 0.15% to 0.25%.

Bank of England Policy Rate • Thursday

The Bank of England's (BoE) latest monetary announcement is due next week, with split views among market participants on whether the BoE will deliver an initial rate cut at its early August meeting. To be sure, comments from some BoE policymakers have leaned more dovish in recent weeks. For example, in the BoE's June policy announcement the central bank in part explained away the persistence of services inflation as due to regulated or index-linked prices, or volatile components. The BoE also said that as part of its August forecast round, it would consider how incoming information affects the assessment that risks from inflation persistence are receding.

Given the apparent inclination of U.K. central bank policymakers to begin moving to a less restrictive monetary policy stance, we expect an initial 25 bps policy rate cut to 5.00% next week, even as recent economic data have not been entirely cooperative. May GDP rose 0.4% month-over-month, more than expected and keeping the economy on track for another solid quarter of growth in Q2. Services inflation held steady at 5.7% year-over-year in June, although wage growth did slow moderately in the three months to May, including regular pay for private sector workers. Still, while we lean toward the BoE beginning its rate cut cycle next week, we acknowledge that lingering inflation concerns mean there is a risk of BoE easing being delayed further, to the central bank's September announcement. Bank of Canada Doubles Down on Monetary Easing_5

Bank of Canada Doubles Down on Monetary Easing_5

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Risk Warnings and Disclaimers

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Commodity

Gold bounces off 50-day moving average

Spot gold rebound on Friday from the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) will raise hopes that a new move higher can begin.

The price has edged higher this morning, and a higher close today, above $2400, will bolster the bullish view and open the way to a possible test of recent highs.

Sellers will want to see a close below the 50-day SMA to negate this short-term bullish view, though the longer-term uptrend is still firmly in place. Gold Price Higher, But WTI Crude Price and Natural Gas Price Under Pressure_1

Gold Price Higher, But WTI Crude Price and Natural Gas Price Under Pressure_1

WTI quiet after Friday slump

It was a choppy week for WTI crude oil prices, which rallied on Thursday before slumping again on Friday.

Hopes of a low being formed were dashed with Friday's drop, and further losses below $76 put the price on course to test the June low. Gold Price Higher, But WTI Crude Price and Natural Gas Price Under Pressure_2

Gold Price Higher, But WTI Crude Price and Natural Gas Price Under Pressure_2

Natural gas stumbles again

The natural gas price briefly moved to a new three-month low on Friday, but a recovery above 2060 leaves hopes of a low intact.

The past two weeks saw a bounce above 2200 fizzle out, so any longer-term rally must clear this hurdle. This would then open the way to the 100- and then 200-day moving averages.

A close back below last week's low leaves the sellers in charge once more. Potential positive divergence on daily stochastics gives hope that a bounce can be sustained this time. Gold Price Higher, But WTI Crude Price and Natural Gas Price Under Pressure_3

Gold Price Higher, But WTI Crude Price and Natural Gas Price Under Pressure_3

Risk Warnings and Disclaimers

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Warren Takunda

Economic

European shares started the week strong, lifted by global oil gains amid Middle East conflict fears and a slew of upbeat earnings, though a drop in Reckitt tempered the rally.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged up 0.3%, as of 0832 GMT on Monday, after the benchmark posted marginal gains last week.

Oil and gas stocks were on top, gaining 1.4%, as crude prices inched higher following a rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Meanwhile, investors braced for a bustling week, with attention shifting to the U.S. as four of the 'Magnificent 7' companies report, poised to significantly influence market sentiment.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting is on Wednesday where traders are wagering the central bank will lay the groundwork for a September rate cut.

"This week could very well end up setting the tone for the rest of the summer because we're going to learn how central banks are thinking about the trade offs they're facing," said Arun Sai, senior multi-asset strategist at Pictet Asset Management.

Investors were on guard as a global tech selloff was sparked last week when results from Tesla and Alphabet failed to impress markets.

"If we went into this earnings season expecting the same kind of beats that we had the last three or four quarters - we are in for some disappointment. We got a little bit of that last week and we're not out of the woods yet," Sai said.

Among individual stocks,soared 10.3% after the Dutch medical devices maker reported an estimate-beating quarterly result, boosted by higher earnings and the implementation of its restructuring programme.

Shares of Germany's were up 3.3% after the company raised its forecast for the group, mainly driven by a strong operating performance at its healthcare and electronics units.

Keeping gains in check, slumped 9% as close to multiple lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. against the Enfamil formula maker and Abbott Laboratories.

A jury on Friday found that Abbott's specialized formula for premature infants caused an Illinois girl to develop a dangerous bowel disease, ordering the healthcare company to pay $495 million in damages.

Heineken lost 7% after the Dutch brewer missed estimates for half-year operating profit growth, even as it raised its full-year profit outlook. Peer Carlsberg lost 4%.

Source: Reuters

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Cohen

Economic

It's a big week for central banks, with policymakers in the United States, Japan and Britain all due to reconsider lending rates and markets on edge over more earnings from U.S. tech giants.

In Venezuela, voters went to the polls to elect a president.

Here's your look at what's happening in markets in the coming week, from Kevin Buckland in Tokyo, Ira Iosebashvili and Rodrigo Campos in New York and Amanda Cooper in London.

1/September Question

The steep selloff in markets in recent days is shining a spotlight on the Federal Reserve, which concludes its July monetary policy meeting on Wednesday.

Signs of economic concern from the Fed could give investors - already unnerved by turbulence in U.S. tech stocks - yet another reason to worry. As it is, investors believe the time to ease monetary policy is swiftly approaching: futures tied to the Fed funds rate show investors pricing in a more than 90% chance of a September rate cut amid evidence of cooling inflation and a nascent downshift in the jobs market.

U.S. employment data due Aug. 2 will give investors the opportunity to assess whether the gradual signs of slowing that bolstered rate cut expectations have continued in July. Economists polled by Reuters expect the U.S. to have created 185,000 jobs in July, compared with 206,000 in the prior month. Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_1

Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_1

2/Tech Tantrums

Spooked investors also face a minefield of Big Tech earnings, with misses threatening to further upend a market roiled by worries over stretched stock valuations.

Microsoft is scheduled to report earnings on Tuesday, followed by Facebook-parent Meta on Wednesday and Apple and Amazon on Thursday. Disappointing numbers could re-ignite the worries that caused a crushing selloff in U.S. stocks on Wednesday, when both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq suffered their worst day since late 2022.

The huge run-up in tech stocks may have set a high bar for their results. Google-parent Alphabet, whose earnings were one of the triggers for the recent selloff, actually reported better-than-expected revenue, but investors grew wary that rising spending on AI infrastructure could squeeze margins, sending the shares 5% lower. Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_2

Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_2

3/Hikes And Spikes

Speculation is growing that the Bank of Japan could hike rates on Wednesday after high-profile politicians - including the prime minister - hinted at the need for near-term policy normalisation.

It's not the need to end decades of extraordinary stimulus, per se, that is at the heart of their arguments. Rather, the weak yen's choking effect on households and businesses that looks to be turning the exchange rate into a central issue for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership convention in September.

The fact that the currency has rebounded by a staggering 10 yen per dollar from three-decade lows at the start of the month hasn't deterred some from predicting a July hike. They argue the BOJ can get the most bang for its buck by hiking into a rallying yen. Others worry a fragile economy and weak consumer sentiment couldn't weather higher borrowing costs, with slowing U.S. growth set to have a knock-on effect already.

4/Sticky Issues

The Bank of England meets on Thursday and right now, markets see a roughly 48% chance that rates will fall for the first time since March 2020.

Growth is modest and consumer inflation has returned to 2%. Yet wage growth and service-sector inflation are proving sticky and running hotter than a number of policy-setters at the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, as the Bank of England is known, would like.

Clare Lombardelli, the new deputy governor, may hold the deciding vote, as the other eight Monetary Policy Committee members are split evenly on whether to hold or cut.

British consumers might be feeling the pinch of interest rates at more than 14-year highs, but banks have certainly reaped the benefits. Markets will watch results from HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered to get a sense of how well they are likely to fare when borrowing costs, and the profit they make on them, start to fall. Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_3

Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_3

5/A Multi-Billion Question

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez each claimed victory in a presidential election on Monday morning, after a vote marked by accusations of underhand tactics and isolated incidents of violence.

The electoral authority said just after midnight on Monday that Maduro had won a third term with 51% of the vote, despite multiple exit polls pointing to an opposition win.

The authority said opposition candidate Gonzalez won 44% of the vote, though the opposition had earlier said it had "reasons to celebrate" and asked supporters to continue monitoring vote counts.

Venezuela had suffered six-digit hyperinflation for about four years, with the indicator reaching a heady 130,000%, eroding savings and making basic supplies scarce. But annual inflation fell to around 50% over the last year as the government restricted credit, held the exchange rate steady and curbed public spending.

The results and handling of the vote are one half of the puzzle determining future U.S. sanctions on Venezuela - the battle for the White House is, of course, yet to come in November.

Current curbs include a ban on buying bonds directly from Venezuela's government. That precludes, for now, a restructuring of some $60 billion in international bonds owed by the government and state-owned oil firm PDVSA.

Venezuela's and PDVSA'S defaulted bonds trade at deeply distressed levels of 13-22 cents, but have rallied sharply from late last year's single-digits. Investors are watching Maduro's handling of the election very closely. Take Five: Scores on the Doors for Big Tech_4