Reuters/Brian Snyder
Pedestrians walk through the snow on Boston Common during a spring snow storm in Boston, April 4 2016
It's PMI day in Europe. At 9:00 a.m GMT (4:00 a.m.) we'll get the latest figures from Markit's Purchasing Managers Index for the eurozone's manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as a composite figure. We'll also get data for Spain, Italy, France, and Germany individually, along with a
The global manufacturing sector just posted its weakest quarterly performance in years. Activity levels across the global manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in nearly three years in the first quarter of 2016. The latest JP Morgan-Markit global manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) rose 0.5 points to 50.5 last month, suggesting that activity levels expanded fractionally in March after stagnating in February.
Asian stocks are a mixed bag. Asian shares slipped in early trade on Tuesday, pressured by losses on Wall Street against a backdrop of slumping crude oil prices and mixed messages on the outlook for U.S. monetary policy. However in later trading, China's biggest share indexes were all in positive territory. The Nikkei in Japan, extended losses, and at 6:50 a.m. GMT (1:50 a.m. ET) was down 2.35%.
There's a conspiracy theory circulating about the US Federal Reserve. There have been rumors that Fed Chair Janet Yellen's recent dovish comments are somehow connected to a secret meeting to "take down" the dollar at the G-20 meeting. Ethan Harris, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch isn't convinced though, calling the theory "so wrong".
Australia's central bank held interest rates, but changed its stance on the dollar. The Reserve Bank of Australia kept interest rates unchanged at 2.0% at the conclusion of its April monetary policy meeting. Though that was all but expected by markets, the board did alter its language towards the Australian dollar, taking a slightly more aggressive stance towards its recent appreciation.
Credit Suisse wants to increase its presence in China. Reuters reports that Credit Suisse Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam said on Tuesday the Swiss bank has been "underweight" in China and would look to build its wealth management capabilities in the world's second-biggest economy, despite slowing growth.
Tesla missed its guidance on the number of vehicles it thought it would sell in Q1. Tesla reported on Monday that it was able to deliver 14,820 vehicles in the first quarter of 2016, a miss on the 16,000 that the company said it would sell. The pace is well below what the electric car maker will need to meet its full-year guidance of 80-90,000 vehicles.
Iran will not be allowed to use the USA's financial system. The Obama administration does not plan to give Iran access to the U.S. financial system, a State Department spokesman said on Monday.
Alaska Airlines is buying Virgin America in 2016's first major airline merger. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines announced Monday that it would acquire Virgin America for $2.6 billion after a short bidding war with JetBlue. The value of the deal, including Virgin's debt and aircraft-leasing obligations, could reach $4 billion.
The entire Turkish citizenship database has allegedly been hacked and leaked online. A website with purportedly leaked details of 49,611,709 Turkish citizens is online and allegedly gives the following details of each citizen - including the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.