The ending of bond buying matters and its effects on markets will play out over the next year – just as the original QE took time to move risk appetites higher and volatility lower, so too the reverse will require months to notice, writes Bob Savage Thursday.

Markets are bruised and waiting for the ECB Draghi news conference. There is no expectation of anything substantial from today’s news conference other than confirmation of their end of QE and lower forecasts for growth and inflation. The Guardian: ECB halts QE bond-buying program, and cuts growth forecasts Thursday.

The overnight news wasn’t enough to help risk-takers in Europe ahead of the ECB – even with China’s new policy to open to foreign companies and talk of ending the 2025 Made in China plan, even with UK PM May winning her leadership challenge.

But there are other negative stories like the SNB remaining steadfastly in the QE camp and cutting both growth and inflation forecasts – foreshadowing some other central bank forecast shifts; like the Chinese holding another Canadian in its diplomatic push to get the Huawei CFO release; like the rising risk of a UK Labour government,

No matter, markets are on hold and waiting with the data overnight too light to matter and the price action over the last week too volatile to jump ahead of event risks.

The measure of the bruising in forex remains the USD which isn’t going down despite all calls for it. There is clearly a risk around Draghi and his conference call today for a move – with 97.60 rather than 96 the issue.

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