primary

Donald Trump all but secured the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday with a decisive win in Indiana. The businessman from New York is now recognized as the party’s nominee for President of the United States after his main Republican rival Ted Cruz suffered a crushing defeat and suspended his campaign. Trump won the Republican vote but in the upcoming U.S. presidential election for him to win the White House he has to deal with a whole spectrum of voters. Evidence suggests that he is in for a crushing defeat come November. The Conversation report:  President Trump?

While there was no unexpected overnight central bank announcement unlike yesterday's surprise by the RBA which unleashed volatility havoc in the FX market, which promptly spilled over into all asset classes, overnight stocks around the world saw another leg lower without a tangible catalyst, while EM currencies fell to a one-month low after two Fed presidents raised concern investors had become too complacent in their belief that U.S. interest rate raises will stay on hold.

Ted Cruz has dropped out of the presidential race:

Crushed in the Indiana primary he had declared would decide the fate of the Republican presidential campaign, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday night ended his presidential campaign, essentially ceding the nomination to front-runner Donald Trump.

With the polls in eastern Indiana closed (the last polls in the western part of the state are open until 7pm Eastern), the first results come in, and in early counting of the available votes, Trump has a daunting 53% lead over Cruz's 33% and Kasich at 11%, while Hillary leads Bernie Sanders 58% to 43%.

If Trump's 50%+ lead remains largely unchallenged, it is difficult to see how the New York real estate billionaire will fail to accumulate the required threshold of votes before the Republican convention in July.

Developing

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Update: *PAUL RYAN SAYS TRUMP WILL BE NOMINEE IF HE WINS INDIANA: CNBC

Today's primary in the Hoosier State could prove to be the last stand for Ted Cruz and John Kasich, as The Donald looks to deliver the final knockout blow to the two challengers. If Trump wins, it certainly would be an embarrassment for a GOP establishment that has literally done everything it can to stop Trump, most recently touting the Cruz/Kasich alliance that self-destructed just hours after it was announced.