Daily Market Bulletin – 4 March 2022
Market Developments
Markets appear to be calmer, after the overnight scare from news of fire in a Ukrainian nuclear plant, which has now been extinguished as per Interfax. [1]
The Ukranian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, said that "the Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe" and called it stop" [2]. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has put its Emergency Centre in full 24/7 response mode, as a repsonse.[3]
The White House pressed on with more sanctions yesterday, targeting Russian oligarchs . On Wednesday, the Department of Justice had announced a task force to ensure the full effect of sanctions against Russia, including cracking down on the use of Cryptocurrencies to evade the restrictions [5].
Fed Chair Powell did not offer anything new with his second testimony on Thursday [6], while Cleveland Fed President Ms Mester (voter), said that the situation in Ukraine "poses some downside risk to growth", in a CNBC interview. On the issue of rate hikes and size, she thinks that "Starting with 25 (bps), followed by further increases in coming months" puts the Fed in a good position" [7].
Main Asia-Pacific stock markets were downbeat and European futures are cautious, but try to react. In the FX space, the JPY Basket and the US Dollar appear a bit mixed, while Antipodeans (AUD, NZD) are up against both.
Instruments Snapshot
EUR/USD extends its losses to new nearly 2-year lows, threatening (1.1000).
GBP/USD is on the back foot below 1.3350.
USD/JPY trades mixed, as it covers earlier losses, but struggles to surpass 115.50.
USD/CAD stays on the front foot, trying to take 1.2700 out.
AUD/USD advances for third straight day and sets new 2022 highs, testing 0.7350.
NZD/USD is upbeat, trading above 0.6800.
GER30 extended drop to the lowest since December 2020 (13,275), but covers some of the losses to reclaim 13,400.
US30 is on the defensive above 33,600, off the day's worst levels.
USOIL is upbeat above 109.00.
XAU/USD is in good mood below 1,940.
Economic Calendar Picks (GMT)
The US Jobs Report (13:30) dominates today's otherwise light calendar. The last report had showed a solid addition of 467,000 payrolls in January.
See the economic calendar here.
Nikos Tzabouras
Senior Financial Editorial Writer
Nikos Tzabouras is a graduate of the Department of International & European Economic Studies at the Athens University of Economics and Business. With extensive experience in market analysis and a strong foundation in international relations, he brings a unique perspective to financial markets. Nikos emphasizes not only technical analysis but also on fundamentals and the growing influence of geopolitics on financial trends.
As a Senior Financial Editorial Writer, he delivers comprehensive and forward-looking insights across a wide range of asset classes, including equities, commodities, and currencies. His work explores how macroeconomic events, political developments, and global policies impact market dynamics, providing readers with a deeper understanding of both short-term movements and long-term trends.
References
| Retrieved 04 Mar 2022 https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/75399/ | |
| Retrieved 04 Mar 2022 https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1499543775240196099 | |
| Retrieved 04 Mar 2022 https://twitter.com/iaeaorg/status/1499582507653681186 | |
| Retrieved 04 Mar 2022 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-announces-launch-task-force-kleptocapture | |
| Retrieved 04 Mar 2022 https://www.c-span.org/video/ | |
| Retrieved 10 Apr 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch |
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