US markets powered ahead, led by the Nasdaq, as tech stocks rallied. 

Equities rallied as government bond markets were reassured by the US Federal Reserve, with the tech heavy Nasdaq index at the forefront of gains. This week the focus will be on US inflation and retail sales data, as well as the expected rebound in China’s GDP after the pandemic-struck first quarter of 2020.

President Biden’s infrastructure stimulus package, worth $2.25 trillion, stole the headlines and will be much debated in Congress over the coming week. Elsewhere, as strong survey data came through, China’s currency fell to the lowest point since the trade war with the US, on expectations that monetary stimulus measures will soon be withdrawn.