CFTC commitment of traders report was released on Friday (7th September) and cover positions up to Tuesday (4th September). COT report is not a complete presenter of entire market positions; however, it represents a good chunk of institutional traders, to feel what’s going on in capital markets and how big traders are aligned.

The equities market fell to a 52-week low last week as the bears consolidated their hold on the market. The persisted selloffs in bellwether counters led to a decline of 2.3 per cent in the Nigerian Stock Exchange All-Share Index (NSE ASI) to close at 34,037.91. Market capitalisation shed N295.9 billion to close at N12.4 trillion.

European Equity Analysis and NewsDAX The outlook for the DAX is somewhat fragile with the index trading at its lowest level in 5 months after last week’s breach through the July lows. Eyes will be on for a weekly close below the 12000, which could see the index make a test for the rising trendline support from the 2016 low. A break through the trendline opens the door for a move to 11800. However, the DAX may be offered some slight reprieve with the RSI indicator moving closer to the oversold area, suggesting there is scope for a possible retracement of the recent losses.

Global equities have held up fairly well in light of the generally negative news flow, entirely driven by the United States, where stocks are up 9.6% year to date, while the euro area, Japan and emerging markets have underperformed. Broader style and sector leadership remains intact with cyclicals and growth outperforming defensives and value. In this context, the Research team from AXA IM points that earnings momentum remains “robust” with the second quarter earnings season posting “positive growth” and “surprising” on the upside across most major regions.

Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN) – Equities research analysts at Capital One Financial raised their Q3 2018 earnings estimates for shares of Southwestern Energy in a report issued on Tuesday, September 4th. Capital One Financial analyst B. Velie now anticipates that the energy company will post earnings per share of $0.20 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.18. Capital One Financial also issued estimates for Southwestern Energy’s Q4 2018 earnings at $0.23 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $0.89 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.14 EPS.

A new report from a government watchdog concludes that Equifax left information vulnerable on several fronts that led to hackers getting access to the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans.

Oil prices fell on Friday for the third straight session, weighed down by a strong dollar, weakness in the equity markets, and Tropical Storm Gordon’s smaller-than-expected impact on U.S. Gulf Coast oil production.

A weaker dollar is not the ingredient for a gold rally.

U.S. job growth accelerated in August and wages notched their largest annual increase in more than nine years, the clearest signs that the economy was so far weathering the Trump administration’s escalating trade war with China.

A healthy outlook for U.S. revenue growth stands to soothe stock investors worried about the effect on corporate profits from tax cuts wearing off next year.