US equities were briefly ruffled but are little changed, the S&P500 up 0.1% on the day. The defensive US dollar is slightly higher, and bond yields are lower. Noteworthy for markets was news that US fiscal stimulus may be delayed.

Sentiment cooled slightly amid rising Covid infections and obstacles to US fiscal stimulus. The S&P500 fell 0.3%, the defensive US dollar rose slightly and bond yields fell slightly.

Bond yields rose slightly after the on-hold ECB decision and a fall in US jobless claims. Equities are little changed, although the S&P500 did make an intraday record high. The USD weakened slightly.

Markets remained upbeat, pushing the S&P500 1.3% higher to a record high. AUD and NZD also rose, while bond yields were little changed. Joe Biden was inaugurated as US President, and Canada’s central bank left its policy rate unchanged.

An upbeat session saw US equities rise - the S&P500 up 0.9% - and the defensive US dollar fall slightly. Bond yields, though, fell slightly. Janet Yellen’s Treasury Secretary confirmation hearing attracted market attention.

The US holiday thinned overnight trading and left US equity futures and European equities little changed. The US dollar probed slightly higher, the AUD and NZD slightly lower.

Sentiment soured ahead of the long US weekend, the S&P500 closing down 0.7%. The defensive US dollar rose and risk-sensitive currencies underperformed, while bond yields fell slightly. US economic data mostly disappointed.

The S&P500 is up 0.5% to a fresh record high, amid developments in US fiscal stimulus talks. Bond yields are slightly higher, and the defensive US dollar has fallen to a three-year low. (This is the final FinanceAM podcast in 2020. Thank you all for listening. We'll be back in January.)

Sentiment was mixed, leaving the S&P500 little changed on the day. Currencies also recorded little net change, while bond yields probed the upside. US stimulus and Brexit talks continued, US retail sales data disappointed, and the Fed remained on hold.

Markets were in a positive mood, helped by vaccine developments and signs of progress in the US fiscal stimulus talks. The S&P500 is currently up 1.3%, the AUD and NZD are higher, and bond yields are higher.