Monday 21st January 2018

There was renewed hope at the tail end of last week that answer to the US China trade dispute isn’t far away. Reports indicated that China had agreed to reduce the trade surplus to zero by 2024. But, as Phil Dobbie discusses with NAB’s Rodrigo Catril, the optimism that buoyed markets could just as easily see sentiment sour if there are any contrary reports. It’s the same with Brexit – the diminishing likelihood of a no-deal Brexit was good news last week, but any sign of bad news could hit hard this week. Whilst the Aussie might be less influenced by the goings on in Europe, the China story will be much more influential, starting with a slug of production and sales data today.