Chinese and American officials have announced that "phase one" of Trump's "biggest and greatest deal ever" will be signed next week, but it is possible the signing could be pushed back?
Our first hint of this comes from Trump himself who says the deal could be signed sometime after January 15th.
(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced last month that the Phase 1 trade deal with China would be signed on Jan. 15, said on Thursday the agreement could be signed “shortly thereafter.”
In an interview with the ABC TV affiliate in Toledo, Ohio, Trump said: “We’re going to be signing on January 15th - I think it will be January 15th, but shortly thereafter, but I think January 15th - a big deal with China.” [...]
Negotiating teams from both sides remain in close communication on the particular arrangements of the signing, Gao told reporters at a regular briefing.
I will take responsibility and blame myself for assuming that announcing a date to sign the deal meant they had finalized all of their plans.
In any event, and regardless of when the deal it signed, it's unlikely to move the market the same way previous news and happy talk from the White House has.
The deal has already been baked into a market that took it at face value and the only place to go from here is down after the meager details of the deal sink in after it's signed and nothing fundamentally changes.