Top 5 things to know in the market on Monday

1. China growth data tops expectations

China's second quarter gross domestic product handily topped forecasts, while retail sales and industrial output were both strong.

The economy grew 6.9% in the three months to June 30, the same rate as the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said. Analysts had expected the economy to expand 6.8% in the April-June quarter.

China's factory output grew 7.6% in June from a year earlier, the fastest pace in three months.

Retail sales rose 11.0% in June from a year earlier, the fastest pace since December 2015 and beating analysts' expectations for a 10.6%.

The upbeat data puts the Asian nation on course to comfortably meet its 2017 growth target, while giving policymakers room to tackle big economic challenges ahead of key leadership changes later this year.

2. Global stocks hold near record highs

Global stock markets held near record highs, as investors cheered upbeat Chinese data by piling into leveraged positions.

Asia shares hit a 2-year high overnight, but shares in mainland China ended lower amid concerns over the implications of a weekend meeting where President Xi Jinping said the central bank would play a greater role in defending against risks.

In Europe, markets nudged higher, with shares nearing a three-week high, as miners led gains.

On Wall Street, U.S. futures pointed to a flat open as a busy few weeks of earnings reports gets underway. BlackRock is slated to report results ahead of the opening bell, while Netflix is due after the close.

3. Dollar sinks to lowest since September

The U.S. dollar and yields on U.S. government debt struggled near recent lows as investors wagered that lackluster U.S. data will keep the Federal Reserve cautious about the future pace of policy tightening.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, fell to a 10-month low of 94.86 in overnight trade. It was last at 95.00 in early U.S. trade.

Futures traders are pricing in less than a 40% chance of a rate hike by the end of the year.

4. Cryptocurrencies recover from weekend slide

Prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum halted their recent decline, bouncing back after suffering heavy losses over the weekend on the back of worries over a cryptocurrency bubble.

Bitcoin was at $2,061.90 on the U.S.-based GDAX exchange operated by Coinbase, up about 7.5%, or $143.40.

The cryptocurrency plunged about 13% on Sunday from above $2,000 to as low as $1,758.20, a level not seen since May 16, as investors remained wary of initiating large positions amid growing concern over the future of the digital coin.

Ethereum, Bitcoin's closest rival in terms of market cap, was up 15.2%, or $23.70, to $179.64. It dropped by more than 20% on Sunday to $130.26, its lowest level in more than a month.

5. Second round of Brexit talks kick off

U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis meets the European Union's Michel Barnier for four days of talks between their teams in Brussels, as a second round of negotiations on Britain's withdrawal from the EU gets underway.

Working groups will focus on three areas: citizens' rights; the EU demand that Britain pays some 60 billion euros ($69 billion) to cover ongoing EU budget commitments; and other loose ends, such as what happens to British goods in EU shops on Brexit Day.

Source: Bloomberg

Junior Trader Stefan Panteleev

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