Investing.com -- Markets are rallying on the prospects of a de-escalation to the U.S.'s trade conflict with China, the British pound is having another good day after parliament thwarted Prime Minister Boris Johnson's strategy of risking a disorderly Brexit on Oct. 31, and there's a shakeup coming at Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), according to The Wall Street Journal.
Here are the top 5 things you need to know in financial markets on Thursday, 5th September.
- Wall Street lifted by fresh trade hopes
U.S. stock markets are set to open broadly higher again after trade negotiators from China and the U.S. confirmed they would resume talks in early October. There was no indication of any preconditions set by either side.
The news sent Asian stocks soaring again, with the Japanese Nikkei 225 rising 2.3% and the Shanghai Composite adding 1.0%. European bourses also gained, as the news outweighed a bigger-than-expected drop in manufacturing orders in Germany in July, putting Europe’s largest economy on course for another quarter of economic contraction.
By 6 AM ET, Dow 30 futures were trading up 245 points or 0.9%, while the S&P 500 futures contract was also up 0.9% and the Nasdaq futures contract was up 1.2%.
- Sterling rises as lawmakers block ‘No-Deal’ Brexit
Sterling rose against the euro and dollar for a second straight day after the U.K. House of Commons voted to stop the country leaving the EU without a transitional deal on Oct. 31.
In an obvious prelude to a snap election, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to hold a series of speeches blaming recalcitrant Members of Parliament for stopping him implementing the 2016 referendum.
The House of Commons blocked Johnson’s attempt to dissolve parliament and call a General Election last night, but the opposition has signaled it will allow an election, once the bill preventing a No Deal Brexit is officially in force. That could be as early as Friday.
- Payrolls rehearsal tops heavy data schedule
The ADP payrolls report for August at 10:15 AM ET heads a busy session for U.S. economic data, a day after numerous Federal Reserve officials warned that weakening business investment could signal a sharper slowdown ahead.
The ADP (NASDAQ:ADP) data are followed by initial jobless claims at 10:30, which have been trending up since May, albeit from 50-year lows. Then come durable goods orders for July and the ISM non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index at 12 PM.
The durable goods orders may, among other things, corroborate weaker-than-expected German manufacturing orders. Figures out earlier showed that export orders from outside the euro zone fell much more sharply than either domestic or eurozone orders.
- Oil inventories due
The oil market gets its weekly check on the state of conditions in the U.S. with official government data on crude inventories at 11 AM ET. Analysts predict a draw of just under 2.5 million barrels, after a monster drawdown of over 10 million barrels the previous week.
The API’s figures, released on Wednesday, had pointed to a 400,000 barrel increase in stocks, but that hasn’t stopped crude futures hitting their highest in a week on the back of the broader rally in risk assets. By 6 AM, WTI futures were steady at $56.27 a barrel, while the international benchmark Brent was up 0.3% at $60.86
- Some of the smartest guys in the room…leave the room
Remember when Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) held its IPO at the top of the dot-com boom? Well, more of the self-styled ‘smartest guys in the room’ appear to be getting ready to leave the room.
The Wall Street Journal.reported that as many as a dozen Goldman partners will announce their departures in the coming weeks and added that 15% of the total partnership will leave this year, far more than usual.
It styled the development as a conscious policy of new chief executive David Solomon to cull a group he thinks has become too bloated. The bank currently has nearly 500 partners, compared to 221 when it went public.