GERMANY: Migration Bill Defeated In Parl't In Blow To Oppo Ldr. Merz
Legislation intended to restrict migration into Germany has been defeated in the Bundestag after a day of high political drama and bitter accusations in parliament. The 'Influx Limitation Act' was defeated by 338 votes to 350 with five abstentions after several parties split on the issue. The main disagreements came down to the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the bill. Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) argued that the bill had widespread backing among voters and should not be halted due to the AfD's votes.
- However, moderates within the CDU and the pro-business liberal Free Democrats (FDP) disagreed, resulting in a split that saw the bill fail. The combined seat total of the parties backing the legislation (CDU/CSU, AfD, FDP and far-left nationalist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance) totals 372, over the 367 needed for a majority.
- Merz has spent significant political capital on getting the bill through before the election, only to see major divisions emerge within his CDU. In the short term, the result is an embarrassment for Merz, could cause ructions within the CDU and risk losing support among moderate voters opposed to even the smallest signs of working with the AfD.
- However, as Bild noted ahead of the vote there is broad public support for the legislation. Bild: " 67 percent of Germans are demanding that the SPD agree to the Merz law. Almost half of Germans (48 percent) are in principle in agreement if tougher migration laws are passed with AfD support. 33 percent reject this." As such, Merz may seek to argue the Bundestag has stood in the way of a popular law, and that only voting for the CDU on 23 Feb can see such legislation be brought back.
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US TSYS: Tsy Curves Look To Finish 2024 at June'22 Highs
- Treasuries look to finish the last trading session of 2024 lower after reversing Tuesday morning support. Markets closed Wednesday for New Years day, resume full trade Thursday.
- The Mar'25 10Y contract trades 108-25.5 (-5.5) late in the day, 10Y yield near session high of 4.5871%. Curves bounced off flatter levels, 2s10s climbing to 34.344 -- the highest level since June 2022.
- Short end support, in turn, helped projected rate cuts into early 2025 gain momentum vs. late Monday levels (*) as follows: Jan'25 steady at -2.8bp, Mar'25 -14.6bp (-13.6bp), May'25 -20.6bp (-19.5bp), Jun'25 -29.8bp (-28.8bp).
- No substantive reaction to this morning's housing and regional Dallas Fed services activity data. Looking ahead to Thursday data (prior, est): Initial Jobless (219k, 221k) and Continuing Claims (1.910M, 1.890M) at 0830ET; S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI (48.3, 48.3) at 0945ET; Construction Spending MoM (0.4%, 0.3%) at 1000ET.
- Treasury supply: $85B 4- & $80B 8W bill auctions at 1130ET, $64B 17W bill auction at 1300ET.
COMMODITIES: WTI Futures, Gold Holding Higher
WTI futures are trading higher today as the contract extends recent gains. A stronger reversal to the upside would refocus attention on key short-term resistance at $76.41, the Oct 8 high. Initial firm resistance is unchanged at $71.97. A bear threat in Gold remains present. The yellow metal traded sharply lower on Dec 18 and the move undermines a recent bull theme. A resumption of weakness would open key support at $2536.9, the Nov 14 low.
- WTI Crude up $0.9 or +1.27% at $71.88
- Natural Gas down $0.32 or -8.13% at $3.618
- Gold spot up $19.24 or +0.74% at $2625.86
- Copper down $6.95 or -1.7% at $402.3
- Silver down $0.1 or -0.34% at $28.8383
- Platinum up $3.96 or +0.44% at $908.02
US STOCKS: Late Equity Roundup: Tech & Interactive Media Sectors Underperforming
- Stocks are trading near session lows after reversing early session gains. Though off this year's record highs (SPX Eminis 6178.75, DJIA 45,073.63, Nasdaq 20,204.58) major averages will finish the year with double digit gains: SPX Eminis +19.5%, DJIA +13.1%, while the Nasdaq gained 29.9%!
- Currently, the DJIA trades down 92.19 points (-0.22%) at 42474.46, S&P E-Minis down 28 points (-0.47%) at 5929.75, Nasdaq down 147 points (-0.8%) at 19337.13.
- Information Technology and Communication Services shares underperformed continued to underperform late Tuesday, shares of software and semiconductor makers weighing on the tech sector: Nvidia -1.61%, Advanced Micro Devices -1.36%, Crowdstrike Holdings -1.28%.
- Interactive media and entertainment shares weighed on the Communication Services sector: Alphabet -0.9%, Live Nation -0.76%, Netflix -0.60%, Meta -0.41%.
- On the positive side, Energy and Materials sectors outperformed in the second half, oil & gas stocks buoyed the Energy sector as crude prices continued to rise (WTI +1.0 at 71.99): APA Corp +3.59%, Marathon Petroleum +2.46%, Occidental Petroleum +2.15%.
- Meanwhile, shares of chemical & fertilizer makers supported the Materials sector: Mosaic +2.44%, Celanese +1.42%, Dow +1.37%.
- Looking ahead, the next round of quarterly earnings kicks off mid-January with Blackrock, Bank of NY Melon, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, US Bancorp, M&T Bank and PNC all reporting between January 13-16.
