general election

As if the just concluded German elections, and the upcoming referendums in Catalonia and Iraqi Kurdistan were not enough, here comes Japan.

European stocks rose as the euro tumbled following Germany’s election result which was dubbed a "Nightmare Victory" for Merkel and could lead to potentially complicated coalition talks and perhaps even another early election. U.S. equity-index futures point to a lower open, while Asian equities slide after a plunge in Chinese property developer names over worries of new real estate curbs as well as tech stocks following more iPhone delivery concerns. S&P500 futures are steady, down slightly by just over -0.1%, after closing little changed on Friday.

With polls closing shortly, Germany voted on Sunday in the country's federal elections, with long-serving Chancellor Angela Merkel looks certain to win a historic fourth term in office (see full preview here). Absent last minute drama, the poll is also expected to see the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) entering parliament for the first time. The only outstanding question today is which other party or parties will join the chancellor’s Christian Democrats coalition in her new government

With just hours to go before the German election, Angela Merkel looks set to remain Chancellor for a record fourth term. This suggests largely unchanged economic policies, focusing on fiscal prudence and conditional steps towards European integration. However, with new political winds clouding the outlook for globalization, trade relationships and security in Europe, and with lingering questions on the sustainability of the EMU, Germany can ill afford to rest on its laurels, according to SocGen.

On Friday - a day many have called  "the most important day for Brexit since the referendum" - Theresa May will delivers her much anticipated Brexit speech in Florence. The roughly 5000-word speech is scheduled at begin around 09:15 EDT and is expected to provoke an immediate response from Brussels.