Market Talks covering the impact of U.S. Politics and White House policies on companies and markets. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0349 ET - The U.S. intervention in Venezuela could benefit the U.S.'s economy in the longer term by securing oil supply, in turn boosting the U.S. dollar and stock indexes, XTB's Kathleen Brooks says in a note. "In the short term the fallout is likely to be small, but in the long term it could provide a major boost for U.S. assets," Brooks says. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
0345 ET - Copper prices climb in early trading amid a broader risk-on mood across markets and concerns over tightening supply. "Fears of potential U.S. import tariffs have prompted traders to accelerate shipments to the U.S., tightening availability elsewhere," MUFG's Soojin Kim writes. Meanwhile, a strike at Chile's Mantoverde mine underscores supply-side risks amid expanding global demand. "The rally was reinforced by strong Asian equities, driven by technology stocks, and by investor reassessment of geopolitical developments following the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro." Futures on the London Metal Exchange climb 2.9% to $12,818.50 a metric ton after having risen roughly 40% last year. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)
0327 ET - Yields on U.K. government bonds are steady as markets stay relatively calm after the U.S. arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Investors are monitoring developments in South America and their possible implications on global markets, though analysts say the impact is limited for now. Ten-year gilt yields are little changed at 4.530%, Tradeweb data show. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
0321 ET - The Swiss franc stays strong after hitting a near seven-week high overnight as investors seek safe-haven assets after the U.S. ousted Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. "The initial market reaction to Saturday's extraordinary events in Venezuela has been a modest flight to quality, where gold and the Swiss franc are bid, and the dollar has found some support, too," ING analyst Chris Turner says in a note. Investors will be wary of further U.S. military intervention in Venezuela if the new administration doesn't bend to policy directives from Washington, he says. The euro trades flat at 0.9283 francs after reaching a low of 0.9268 overnight. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
0309 ET - Investors could avoid buying risky assets such as stocks and corporate bonds amid rising political uncertainty in South America after U.S. captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, Activtrades' Tim Ritschar says in a note. "Since Venezuela possesses significant oil reserves, market participants are closely monitoring the reaction of energy prices and the resulting inflation expectations," he says. Should geopolitical uncertainty persist, appetite for risk assets could fall in the short term, Ritschar says. (miriam.mukuru@wsj.com)
0259 ET - The dollar rises against a basket of currencies as it benefits from its safe-haven status after the U.S. ousted Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro at the weekend. "The market reaction has so far been relatively muted and in a slight risk-off direction," RBC Capital Markets strategists say in a note. Investors are also looking ahead to U.S. data with the ISM manufacturing report due at 1500 GMT, while key nonfarm payrolls figures are due Friday. The DXY dollar index rises 0.3% to 98.682 after reaching a near four-week high of 98.796 overnight. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
0253 ET - The U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Maduro is dominating headlines, but the geopolitical unrest hasn't had a strong impact on markets, Handelsbanken's Marius Gonsholt Hov and Nils Kristian Knudsen write. The Asian stock market is characterized by continued optimism, again pulled up by the technology sector, while stock futures for both the U.S. and Europe are clearly positive, they say. The oil price has fluctuated somewhat on the news, but has barely changed overall. At the same time, there are only small movements in the fixed-income market, which doesn't signal a significant flight to safety, they add. Meanwhile, the gold price is up to a new high. (dominic.chopping@wsj.com)
0247 ET - Eurozone government bonds shrug off the weekend developments in Venezuela, trading little changed, similarly to U.S. Treasurys. U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. A bigger driver for eurozone goverment bonds will be issuance as the single currency area's sovereigns kick off their annual funding programs, pointing to a busy primary market in January, as usual. The 10-year German Bund yield edges up 0.2 basis points to 2.901%, according to Tradeweb. (emese.bartha@wsj.com)
0239 ET - Financial markets are looking past the immediate geopolitical uncertainty created by the U.S. military operation to remove Venezuelan President Maduro, Jyske Bank chief strategist Ib Fredslund Madsen writes. Investors have dealt with a number of seemingly violent geopolitical events in recent years, but none of them have had a lasting impact on markets, and it is unlikely that the events in Venezuela will be any different, he says. Venezuela has more oil reserves than any other country, but produces very little due to years of underinvestment, mismanagement and the departure of most Western oil companies, Madsen says. Interest rates are stable and the dollar has strengthened slightly, but it seems that investors are "taking a little insurance" with both rising gold and silver prices, he adds. (dominic.chopping@wsj.com)
0223 ET - The U.S. capture of Venezuelan president Maduro has ramifications for oil markets, U.S. domestic politics, and geopolitics, SEB chief emerging markets strategist Erik Meyersson says. "Interpreting the Trump administration's actions as shifting further from a rules-based international order to regional hegemonical spheres of influence poses significant geopolitical risks, and could encourage countries seeking greater hegemonic powers, including China and Russia." Oil-market implications depend on sanctions relief, but an investment boom could lead to significantly higher production levels. However, the dire state of the Venezuelan oil industry will limit production growth in the near term. Meyersson also notes that Marco Rubio's standing as a 2028 Republican presidential candidate have been boosted, as taking a hard line on Maduro plays well with U.S. voters of Cuban and Venezuelan descent in Florida. (dominic.chopping@wsj.com)
0149 ET - Oil supply shocks are typically less important for U.S. Treasurys than demand shocks, Capital Economics' Thomas Mathews and Jonas Goltermann say in a note. "So we wouldn't count on a big change to Venezuelan supply--in either direction--having a big bearing on Treasuries," the economists say. U.S. Treasurys take the weekend's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces in stride, trading marginally lower in Asian afternoon hours. The 10-year Treasury yield falls 1.2 basis points to 4.176%, according to Tradeweb. (emese.bartha@wsj.com)
0134 ET - Washington's forceful intervention in Venezuela might accelerate geopolitical shifts but the immediate macroeconomic implications are limited, Capital Economics' Neil Shearing tells investors in a note after President Trump oversaw an attack on the South American nation and the capture of its leader, Nicolas Maduro. But even if a more U.S.-friendly government in Caracas were to step up oil production, the impact on supply in global markets would be negligible, Shearing says."In short, we do not believe the weekend's events will materially alter global oil markets or, by extension, the global economic outlook," he says. (joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 05, 2026 03:50 ET (08:50 GMT)
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