Skip to content

Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Look ahead: NFP; US consumer sentiment; Japan Q3 GDP growth rate; Berkeley

Friday’s US jobs report could reinforce expectations that the Fed's furious pace of rate hikes is slowing the economy. US consumer sentiment data could also shift the timing of US rate cut. Japan releases GDP growth rate figures.

Video poster image

(Video Transcript)

Japan’s Q3 GDP growth rate print eagerly awaited

Hello, I'm Angeline Ong, and welcome to your look ahead to Friday, 8 December 2023. Now, the set piece is, of course, a jobs report. But ahead of that, we've got third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers from Japan. This is the growth rate print.

Just taking a look at the Japanese yen versus the US dollar, it has actually been coming off the highs since around 14 November. And if you can see here, we've had this really big red candle there showing a fall of 1.6%. There's still a lot of talk about perhaps some sort of intervention, but nothing's been confirmed yet.

Also, bear in mind that Japan's government has slashed its view on economy. This is back in November, and it first starts downgrade in 10 months. However, things are starting to turn back up again. So, we are now waiting to see what this Q3 GDP growth print tells us.

NFPs key to US investors

From the US, the main set piece is the non-farm payrolls (NFP). We've had some data out earlier than week, softer than expected. Painting a softer than expected picture for the US labour market, which then fuelled those expectations of an early rate cut from the Federal Reserve (Fed) in 2024.

The Labour Department's report expected to show NFPs increased by 180,000 jobs last month after rising by 150,000 in October. We've also got the Michigan consumer sentiment data. This is quite key after that Thanksgiving shopping period.

And also, look out for the Baker Hughes oil recount. In terms of earnings, we've got Berkeley Group out of the UK.

UK house prices continue upward trend

And we've had some fascinating data earlier on in the day this session, rather, from Halifax. Halifax said that the house prices in the UK rose a second consecutive month in November.

The reason why this is interesting is because it comes after similar new data from nationwide, which mirrored the rise or uptick in prices for UK houses, which comes after about a year of prices languishing due to high mortgage rates and also weak demand for homes due to the weak economy.

So, what Berkeley Group says about the outlook will be key, and also what it says about inflation cooling more than expected, because perhaps this might mean that consumers will have more money to push away in terms of savings and to put towards housing.

That's it for now. For more market-moving news, I'll be back on beat the street at 1.30pm London time to give you a heads-up to the US trading day. IG's Angela Barnes will be on at 7.30am to give you a heads-up to the European trading session. Otherwise, follow me on Twitter @AngelineOng. This is IGTV.

This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.

Start trading forex today

Find opportunity on the world’s most-traded – and most-volatile – financial market.

  • Trade spreads from just 0.6 points on EUR/USD
  • Analyse with clear, fast charts
  • Speculate wherever you are with our intuitive mobile apps

See an FX opportunity?

Try a risk-free trade in your demo account, and see whether you’re onto something.

  • Log in to your demo
  • Take your position
  • See whether your hunch pays off

See an FX opportunity?

Don’t miss your chance – upgrade to a live account to take advantage.

  • Get spreads from just 0.6 points on popular pairs
  • Analyse and deal seamlessly on fast, intuitive charts
  • See and react to breaking news in-platform

See an FX opportunity?

Don’t miss your chance. Log in to take your position.

Live prices on most popular markets

  • Equities
  • Indices
  • Forex
  • Commodities


Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All share prices are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.

Plan your trading week

Get the week’s market-moving news sent directly to your inbox every Sunday. The Week Ahead gives you a full calendar of upcoming economic events, as well as commentary from our expert analysts on the key markets to watch.


For more info on how we might use your data, see our privacy notice and access policy and privacy webpage.

You might be interested in…

Find out what charges your trades could incur with our transparent fee structure.

Discover why so many clients choose us, and what makes us a world-leading provider of spread betting and CFDs.

Stay on top of upcoming market-moving events with our customisable economic calendar.