Squawk Box Europe Express

China’s post-Covid recovery stutters as factory prices nosedive at their fastest pace in seven years. Risk of deflation prompt calls for more government stimulus. The S&P 500 is up by 20 per cent since its low in October, sparking talk of a potential new bull market. Crypto exchange Binance suspends all U.S. dollar deposits in the wake of its SEC lawsuit. SEC chair Gary Gensler has slammed the crypto sector calling it rife with ‘hucksters’ and ‘fraudsters’. Meanwhile in Washington, President Biden hosts UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak where the pair announced an ‘Atlantic Declaration’ which pledges to strengthen ties on clean energy and A.I. The deal, however, falls far short of an FTA between the two nations. And former U.S. President Donald Trump has been indicted on seven criminal charges in Miami over alleged mishandling of classified documents.

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The Bank of Canada surprises markets by hiking rates, becoming the second global central bank to take a hawkish turn ahead of next week’s Fed meeting. U.S. Treasury Secretary tells CNBC exclusively that strong American employment will not prevent inflation from being reined in back to target. Crypto exchange Coinbase’s CEO Brian Armstrong slams the SEC for moving to ring-fence the sector, saying that the case against his company should not be compared with procedures against Binance. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in Washington on a two-day trip where he is to meet with President Biden, seeking to play down trade tensions between the two countries. Volvo unveils its electric EX30 premium SUV as it plans for half of its products to be fully electric by 2030. We hear from CEO Jim Rowan who says that last year’s supply chain concerns are finally dissipating.   

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Chinese exports disappoint in May by a wide margin as weak domestic forecasts and global consumption concerns weigh. U.S. indices rally, however, with fresh record highs for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. The VIX drops to its lowest intra-day level since before February 2020. The World Bank slashes its global growth forecast for next year, citing higher rates and tight credit conditions. Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose tells CNBC that the world economy remains in a precarious situation. U.S. authorities clamp down on crypto, targeting Coinbase and freezing all U.S. assets globally owned by Binance. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler tells our U.S. colleagues that the sector’s business model must be regulated. And in sports news, the PGA Tour merges with Saudi-backed outfit LIV, ending all litigation between the factions.

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Apple launches Vision Pro – its first mixed-reality product since it first entered the wearable category almost a decade ago. In crypto news, the SEC sues the world’s biggest exchange, Binance, as well as its CEO Changpeng Zhao for breaking security rules in the U.S. The RBA unexpectedly hikes rates by 25bps, warning that a soft landing still remains elusive for the Australian economy. ECB President Christine Lagarde admits that there are signs core inflation is moderating but says it is too early to announce price pressures have peaked in the euro zone.  

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Oil prices lift following Saudi Arabia’s pledge to cut supply by a further 1m bpd from July onwards. Speaking exclusively to CNBC, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the move was a precautionary measure. Friday’s Dow Jones session was the strongest since January, moving 700 points on news of a strong U.S. jobs report and President Biden signing the debt agreement into law. We also hear from IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva in Dubrovnik who says that despite a stellar U.S. employment situation, it is still too early for the Fed to step back from its tightening cycle. ECB hawk and Croatian National Bank Governor Boris Vujčić echoes her words, saying that rate rises will only stop when the economic situation allows. We are also at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore where German defence minister Boris Pistorius tells us that German weapons manufacturers are working non-stop to support Ukraine’s military endeavours against Russia.

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The U.S. Senate votes to pass the debt ceiling agreement to send it onto President Biden to ratify, avoiding what would have been the first ever U.S. default. The news pushes Asian markets into the green. The Nikkei is now on course for its eighth consecutive week of gains while tech stocks lead the way on the Hang Seng in Hong Kong. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy puts pressure on NATO to forge a path for Kyiv’s accession with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak telling CNBC Ukraine rightfully belongs in the alliance. And crude prices are up ahead of this weekend’s Opec+ meeting but still track towards their worst week since early May.

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The debt ceiling bill is approved by House Representatives, moving it onto the Senate. Hose Speaker Kevin McCarthy has warned Democrats he intends on making more cuts in coming years. Markets lower odds of a Fed rate hike in June after two officials say they are in favour of pausing this month. We are live in Moldova where 50 European leaders are meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine with President Volodomyr Zelenskyy expected to attend. Manufacturing activity in China recovers in May according to a private sector survey.  

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The bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling clears the first hurdle in the House Rules Committee and faces a House floor vote tonight. Chinese manufacturing contracts further, reaching a five-month low while the services sector activity hits its slowest pace in four months. Asian markets slump as a result. The Nasdaq manages to cross the 13,000-point mark for the first time since August 2022, buoyed by an A.I. tech stock-inspired rally. The Dow, however, is set to post its first negative month in three. Sticking with tech, chip maker Nvidia briefly joins the trillion-dollar club, but falls back towards the end of the session with a market cap of $990bn. 

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Following a battering for his PSOE party in regional and municipal elections, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calls a snap election for 23rd July. The U.S. debt ceiling agreement is due to face its first test today when it comes up against the House Rules Committee. President Biden says he is confident the bill will pass despite signs of resistance from some GOP lawmakers. Asia markets are mixed with oil slipping as investors await Wall Street’s reaction to the debt deal following the Memorial Day weekend. In the UK, shop price inflation shows no signs of abating, hitting 9 per cent – its highest level in 18 years. 

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U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hail a debt ceiling deal with a vote on the agreement set for later this week. Markets in Asia respond positively to the news with the Nikkei hitting a 30-year high while U.S. futures trade in the green with oil also up. In regional Spanish elections, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s PSOE party get thumped with the conservative People’s Party making significant gains in key areas. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims victory in Sunday’s presidential election to extend his hold on power into a third decade.

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