Investing.com - Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Friday, July 12:
1. China trade surplus with U.S. jumps as imports tumble
China's trade surplus with the U.S. rose 12% in yuan terms in the first half of this year, according to the country’s custom agency.
Exports to the U.S. fell 2.6% in the first six months this year from same period a year earlier, while imports shrank 25.7%.
The data will likely displease U.S. President Donald Trump who claimed on Thursday that China had not kept promises to increase purchases of American farm exports.
Bloomberg cited Beijing officials who said that no such agreement had been made, while China’s Commerce Ministry indicated Thursday that substantial discussions had yet to restart.
2. PPI to add to U.S. inflation picture
In a day with few U.S. economic reports, wholesale inflation figures (PPI) arrive at 8:30 AM ET (12:30 GMT) Friday, a day after core consumer prices topped economists’ expectations.
The data will play into remarks this week from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell who admitted he was worried that weak inflation would be more persistent than anticipated.
Powell’s testimony cemented market expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates by 25 basis points at its July 30-31 meeting. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, is trading lower for a third straight day.
3. IEA sees oil supply glut in 2019 as U.S. output jumps
Surging U.S. oil output will outpace sluggish global demand, leading to a supply glut the next nine months, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday.
In its monthly report, the IEA predicted that the demand for OPEC crude oil in early 2020 could fall to only 28 million barrels per day (bpd), with non-OPEC expansion in 2020 rising by 2.1 million bpd - a full 2 million bpd of which is expected to come from the U.S.
Oil was still trading higher as heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf and storm warnings in the Gulf of Mexico continued to support prices.
4. DJIA set for new record high
U.S. futures pointed to a higher open on Friday, setting the Dow up for new record highs after the index closed above 27,000 for the first time ever on Thursday. Dow futures gained 90 points, or 0.3%, by 5:39 AM ET (9:39 GMT), S&P 500 futures rose 7 points, or 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures traded up 22 points, or 0.3%.
Perceptions that Powell had all but promised further easing of monetary policy at the end of July supported global shares this week.
European stock markets were mostly higher on Friday although a profit warning from Daimler (DE:DAIGn) put pressure on the auto industry, while Asian shares closed with solid gains.
5. Boeing's 737 program manager retires
Boeing's 737 program manager, Eric Lindblad, will retire in a matter of weeks, according to a company memo, as the company continues to struggle to return its grounded 737 MAX to service.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) plans to reassign the head of its next airplane project, Mark Jenks, to run the troubled 737 program after two crashes involving its best-selling 737 MAX model killed nearly 350 people in the span of five months.
Jenks had been at the head of Boeing’s potential new mid-market airplane project, which the memo indicated will “continue to operate as a program."
-- Reuters contributed to this report.