Central banks could upstage trade as key sentiment driver

THE whipsawing trade relationship between the United States and China was the main driver of market sentiment in the past fortnight. But it could be upstaged by central banks.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington have eased now that face-to-face talks will take place in the US capital early next month, though in all fairness, all it takes is a single tweet from US President Donald Trump to destabilise fragile markets.

On Friday, US job creation in August missed expectations, clocking in at 130,000 new jobs. It was weighed down by lacklustre hiring in industrial sectors, a sign that the US economy could be facing weakness.