United Kingdom

Following an early shaky start, which saw the Hang Seng tumble as much as 1.6% driven by weakness in financials and real estate names following the latest warning by PBOC governor Zhou about "sudden, complex, hidden, contagious, hazardous" risks In markets and a decline in local real estate prices, and pressure global risk, US equity futures have recouped all losses and are back to unchanged on monday morning, as President Trump continues on his first official trip to Asia.

Former UK Treasury Secretary and Prime Minister Says US Deceived UK Into Supporting US Invasion of Iraq

Gordon Brown says the US defence department knew that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction but kept Britain in the dark and that there was no justification for the invasion and war.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/gordon-brown-says-pentagon-misled-uk-over-case-for-iraq-invasion/ar-AAusrOs?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Yesterday's brief late night dip in ES has been promptly bought with US equity futures fractionally lower, Asian shares inching higher on Thursday and Europe unchanged ahead of today's Super Thursday, where we get the Republican tax bill revealed shortly before noon, the BoE's rate hike announcement, and Trump appointing Jay Powell as the next Fed chair, as well as as earnings from companies including Apple and Starbucks. With the dollar dropping slightly, markets seem to have taken a shine to the euro and EM FX, specifically your high beta currencies.

At last, it seems like the deadlock in Brexit negotiations is over and, not surprisingly, it was the UK which blinked first.

According to Bloomberg, the U.K. signalled it is preparing to compromise in its stand-off with the European Union over the Brexit bill, with new talks scheduled next week in an effort to break the deadlock. The deal on the divorce terms will probably be better for the remaining 27 EU countries than for Britain on the financial settlement, Brexit Secretary David Davis said on Tuesday.

• NYC truck attack: Investigators scour driver’s background (AP)
• Release of House tax bill delayed until Thursday (Reuters)
• U.S. pursues direct diplomacy with North Korea despite Trump rejection (Reuters)
• GOP Braces for ‘All Hell’ to Break Loose Over Tax Bill (BBG)
• Former Trump adviser’s guilty plea could rattle White House (AP)
• Disclosure of Papadopoulos’s Email Hunt Sheds Light on Quest for Clinton ‘Dirt’ (WSJ)
• Brexit May Cost 75,000 U.K. Finance Jobs, Top Regulator Says (BBG)