Brexit vote; Bank earnings; China stimulus
London(CNN Business) 1. Brexit vote: The British pound could be volatile Tuesday ahead of a crucial vote on Brexit.
UK lawmakers are widely expected to reject the divorce deal with the European Union negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May. The only real question is the margin of the loss.
Analysts have warned that the pound is likely to weaken following the vote. The currency was trading slightly lower on Tuesday in London at $1.28.
Yet there is a "silver lining" for the pound, according to Societe Generale strategist Kit Juckes. A defeat for May increases the chances that Brexit will eventually be delayed, or called off altogether.
"There's a case for hiding way from all things UK and all things Brexit, but there's still more upside for sterling than downside from here," Juckes said in a research note.
2. Banks report: JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and scandal-ridden Wells Fargo (WFC) will report earnings before the open.
Citi (C), the first US bank to report this earnings season, did so on Monday. Its revenues in the fourth quarter were lower than what Wall Street was expecting.
The bank's bond trading business suffered as markets grappled with the effects of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve, and analysts will want to know whether its rivals were also hit.
3. China stimulus: Stocks listed in Hong Kong and Shanghai rose after China unveiled more policies designed to boost its slowing economy.
Beijing announced 1.3 trillion yuan ($193 billion) worth of new measures designed to stimulate the economy, including tax cuts for small businesses and reduced tariffs.
It's the latest in a flurry of government efforts to prop up growth in recent months, such as boosting infrastructure spending and looser monetary policy.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 1.9% and the Shanghai Composite added 0.6%.
Weakening growth in the world's second biggest economy combined with the trade war with the United States has spooked investors and prompted warnings from top companies like Apple (AAPL).
4. German slowdown: The German economy grew at the slowest rate in five years in 2018, according to the Federal Statistics Office.
Growth in the export powerhouse was 1.5% last year, much weaker than the 2.2% rate recorded in 2017.
Europe's biggest economy has been hit by worries about global trade war and an economic slowdown in China. Data released last week showed a major decline in the country's industrial production in December.
Official data for the fourth quarter of last year is not yet available. But German officials said Tuesday that the economy likely returned to growth during the quarter, dodging a potential recession.
The euro slumped 0.4% against the US dollar.
5. Global market overview: US stock futures were pointing higher.
Most European markets opened with gains following a positive trading session in Asia.
US markets completed their first back-to-back declines of 2019 on Monday. The Dow closed 0.4% lower while the S&P 500 shed 0.5% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.9%.
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6. Earnings and economics: Delta Air Lines (DAL) will release earnings before the open. Pinnacle Financial (PNFP) and United Continental (UAL) will follow after the close.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish data on producer price inflation for December at 8:30 a.m. ET.
7. Coming this week:
Tuesday — JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Delta and United earnings
Wednesday — Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and BlackRock (BLK) earnings
Thursday — American Express (AXP) and Netflix (NFLX) report earnings
