U.S. Stocks Mixed Ahead Of Trump’s News Conference On China

All Eyes On Trump’s News Conference

U.S. – China relations will be in the spotlight today as the U.S. President Donald Trump is set to unveil the country’s response to the new Hong Kong security law.

The worst-case scenario for the market is a decision to revoke Hong Kong’s special status. China has already warned that it will take any necessary measures if U.S. proceeds with its plans to put more pressure on China.

In turn, Hong Kong stated that the loss of its special status could pose problems for the U.S. economy.

It remains to be seen which measures will be chosen by the U.S. as it has to carefully weigh the impact of any additional pressure on China at a time when the world economy starts to recover from the unprecedented coronavirus crisis.

Personal Income Is Up 10.5% In April

U.S. has just released another portion of economic data.

Personal Income was up 10.5% in April compared to analyst consensus which called for a decline of 6.6%. Most likely, the huge government stimulus is the reason for this development.

Personal Spending was down 13.6% compared to analyst consensus which projected a decline of 12.6%. Not surprisingly, Personal Spending was hit by virus containment measures as consumers had to stay at home.

S&P 500 are flat following the release of new economic reports. Most likely, the market will focus on the above-mentioned press conference and the potential U.S. moves against China as they could have a material long-term impact on the world economy.

Oil Rally Takes A Pause

EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report confirmed the data published in the API Crude Oil Stock Change report. According to EIA, oil inventories increased by 7.9 million barrels per day.

This means that the pace of the oil demand recovery is not as robust as previously hoped. This data has a direct impact on the oil market and oil-related stocks, but it also provides a chance to evaluate the pace of economic recovery since energy demand and economic activity are closely linked.

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.