GER30 Down, As Germany Ramps-Up Defense Spending
Germany Military Spending
In light of Russia's attack on Ukraine, German Chancellor Scholz announced over the weekend, plans to increase the country's defense spending, in order "to protect our freedom and our democracy". He pledged a €100 billion from 2022 federal budget and defense spending of more than 2% of the country's GDP from now on. [1]
A day earlier, Germany had decided to provide weapons to Ukraine, shifting from a long-standing policy of not sending weapons to conflict zones.
EU Sanctions
European Commission President Ms von der Leyen, announced on Sunday, a series of new measures against Russia in retaliation for the invasion in Ukraine and that it will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to the latter. [2]
The EU will shut down its airspace to all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft, will exclude important Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system and also ban the transactions of Russia's central bank and freeze all its assets.
Peace Talks
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to hold peace talks in neighboring Belarus, with the war entering its fifth day. Talks between the two delegations are expected to begin today, as Russian news agency TASS reports. [3]
This comes after Russian President Putin has put army deterrence forces on high combat alert, which reportedly includes the nuclear capabilities. [4]
GER30 Reaction
GER30 gapped lower today, with investors on edge as they digest the latest news around Ukraine, following a week of high volatility in stock markets. Volatility remains high today and caution is needed, as risk trends are the main driver.
The index is heading towards potentially its worst month in more than a year and today it is vulnerable to fresh 2022 lows (13,787), but it may be early for a bigger decline that will breach last year's lows (13,309).
Despite the poor open, GER30 covers much of the losses and this may give it the chance to push towards 14,897, but sustained improvement in sentiment will be probably be needed for taking it out. Successful effort will bring key 15,200-15,330 the spotlight, where we locate descending trend-line from its record highs and the EMA200, although the upside seems well protected.
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. He has a long time presence at FXCM, as he joined the company in 2011. He has served from multiple positions, but specializes in financial market analysis and commentary.
With his educational background in international relations, he emphasizes not only on Technical Analysis but also in Fundamental Analysis and Geopolitics – which have been having increasing impact on financial markets. He has longtime experience in market analysis and as a host of educational trading courses via online and in-person sessions and conferences.
References
| Retrieved 28 Feb 2022 https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/policy-statement-by-olaf-scholz-chancellor-of-the-federal-republic-of-germany-and-member-of-the-german-bundestag-27-february-2022-in-berlin-2008378 | |
| Retrieved 28 Feb 2022 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_22_1441 | |
| Retrieved 28 Feb 2022 https://tass.com/politics/1412755 | |
| Retrieved 28 Sep 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch |
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