Latest news with #EUROSTOXX50
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Asia shares hit over three-year high; dollar struggles on Fed concerns
SINGAPORE: Asia shares hit their highest level in more than three years on Friday as they tracked a Wall Street rally, but the U.S. dollar struggled on concerns about the Federal Reserve's independence and expectations for early rate cuts. Stock indexes worldwide look set to end the week on a positive note, with worries about tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over tariffs and trade deals on the backburner for now. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since November 2021 early in the session, while the gauge of stocks across the globe hit another record high for the fourth straight session. EUROSTOXX 50 futures and DAX futures were both up more than 0.5%, while FTSE futures were little changed. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures tacked on 0.1% each. Reasons for the upbeat mood included news that Washington has reached an agreement with Beijing on how to expedite rare earth shipments to the United States. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said on Thursday that he had asked Republicans in Congress to scrap the Section 899 retaliatory tax proposal from their tax and spending bill after Washington reached an agreement with Group of Seven industrial countries. "That was something that had been making some investors, especially foreign investors, nervous when that provision was passed by the House. So if that provision gets removed, then that allays one of the concerns from foreign investors," said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ. "The cumuluation of these various ... positive developments all helped to contribute to the buoyant market mood we're seeing." Japan's Nikkei jumped 1.4% and surpassed the 40,000 mark for the first time in five months. Stocks in Hong Kong and mainland China traded marginally lower, though the CSI 300 index was on track for a 2.6% gain for the week, which would be the largest since November 2024. FED CUTS COMING Much of the focus for markets over the past two sessions has been on the prospect of an early change of guard at the Fed, after the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had toyed with the idea of selecting and announcing Fed Chair Jerome Powell's replacement by September or October. That knocked an already battered dollar even lower as traders fretted about an erosion of Fed independence and as they moved to price in more U.S. rate cuts this year. The dollar languished near a 3-1/2-year low on Friday and was headed for a 1.4% weekly loss, its largest decline in over a month. For the year, the greenback is already down more than 10% and if it stays that way in the next few days, that will mark its biggest first half-of-a-year fall since the start of the era of free-floating currencies in the early 1970s. Against a weaker dollar, the euro was perched near its highest in over three years at $1.1688. Sterling last bought $1.3725. "Trump's desire to 'shadow' the Fed using a designated replacement for Chair Jay Powell isn't a good way to promote the perceptions of integrity and autonomy in U.S. policymaking and, by extension, that of the reserve currency status of the U.S. dollar," said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group. Adding to the Fed cut bets has been a raft of weaker-than-expected U.S. economic data, with attention now shifting to Friday's release of the core PCE price index, the U.S. central bank's preferred measure of inflation. U.S. Treasury yields were steady in Asia after falling the previous session, with the two-year yield at 3.7418% and the benchmark 10-year yield last at 4.2573%. In commodities, oil prices were set for a weekly decline with the Iran-Israel ceasefire holding and easing concerns over Middle East supply risks. Brent crude futures were up 0.58% at $68.12 a barrel while U.S. crude rose 0.6% to $65.63 per barrel on Friday, but both were headed for a fall of more than 10% for the week. Spot gold fell 1% to $3,294.50 an ounce. - Reuters
International Business Times
a day ago
- Business
- International Business Times
Nikkei Surpasses 40,000 as Global Stocks Rise, Dollar Sinks to 3.5-Year Low
Global stock markets finished the week on an upbeat note, lifted by optimism over interest rate cuts and receding geopolitical risks. MSCI's Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan was up 0.2%, a new high since November 2021, putting it on track for a 3% weekly gain. Japan's Nikkei surged 1.5%, punching above the 40,000 mark for the first time in five months. In Europe, EUROSTOXX 50 and DAX futures each rose 0.6%, while FTSE futures fell 0.16%. U.S. stock-index futures were steady after a strong performance by Wall Street on Thursday, where the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq each rose just under 1%, nearing record highs. The optimistic mood was supported by reports of better U.S.-China relations. Washington and Beijing agreed on faster rare earth shipments to the United States. While U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lobbied Congress to drop the controversial Section 899 tax proposal. These developments relieved investor angst, most notably among foreign investors. Fed Leadership Speculation Weighs on Dollar The dollar remained on the defensive, with concerns mounting about the future leadership and independence of the Federal Reserve. There were reports that President Trump could replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell as soon as September or October. This led traders to speculate even more on the idea of early rate cuts. The dollar fell to almost a three-and-a-half-year low and was headed for a weekly decline of 1.4%, which is the biggest in over a month. Year-to-date, the dollar is down over 10%, heading for its steepest first-half loss since the 1970s. The euro rose 0.6%, near a three-year high with a value of $1.1688, while the British pound was up by 0.2% to $1.3730. Analysts cautioned that Trump's idea to "shadow" the Fed could damage the central bank's autonomy and the dollar's role as the world's reserve currency. Economic Data and Commodities Weaker economic data from the U.S strengthened the expectation of a rate cut. Markets are looking ahead to the release of the core PCE inflation index on Friday, which is the Fed's preferred inflation measure. Asian treasury yields were flat, with the 2-year at 3.7418% and the 10-year at 4.2554%. Oil prices were on track for major weekly losses, although they edged up slightly on Friday. Brent crude climbed 0.41% to $68.01 per barrel, while U.S. crude added 0.46% to $65.53, although both were still down more than 10% for the week, as the Iran-Israel ceasefire relieved concerns of additional supply. Spot gold fell 0.23% to $3,320.25 per ounce.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Asia shares hit over three year high; dollar struggles on Fed concerns
SINGAPORE: Asia shares hit their highest level in more than three years on Friday as they tracked a Wall Street rally, but the U.S. dollar struggled on concerns about the Federal Reserve's independence and expectations for early rate cuts. Stock indexes worldwide look set to end the week on a positive note, with worries about tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over tariffs and trade deals on the backburner for now. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since November 2021 early in the session, while the gauge of stocks across the globe hit another record high for the fourth straight session. EUROSTOXX 50 futures and DAX futures were both up more than 0.5%, while FTSE futures were little changed. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures tacked on 0.1% each. Reasons for the upbeat mood included news that Washington has reached an agreement with Beijing on how to expedite rare earth shipments to the United States. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said on Thursday that he had asked Republicans in Congress to scrap the Section 899 retaliatory tax proposal from their tax and spending bill after Washington reached an agreement with Group of Seven industrial countries. 'That was something that had been making some investors, especially foreign investors, nervous when that provision was passed by the House. So if that provision gets removed, then that allays one of the concerns from foreign investors,' said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ. 'The cumuluation of these various … positive developments all helped to contribute to the buoyant market mood we're seeing.' Japan's Nikkei jumped 1.4% and surpassed the 40,000 mark for the first time in five months. Stocks in Hong Kong and mainland China traded marginally lower, though the CSI 300 index was on track for a 2.6% gain for the week, which would be the largest since November 2024. Asian stocks hesitant, dollar slides on Trump's attack on Powell Fed cuts coming Much of the focus for markets over the past two sessions has been on the prospect of an early change of guard at the Fed, after the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had toyed with the idea of selecting and announcing Fed Chair Jerome Powell's replacement by September or October. That knocked an already battered dollar even lower as traders fretted about an erosion of Fed independence and as they moved to price in more U.S. rate cuts this year. The dollar languished near a 3-1/2-year low on Friday and was headed for a 1.4% weekly loss, its largest decline in over a month. For the year, the greenback is already down more than 10% and if it stays that way in the next few days, that will mark its biggest first half-of-a-year fall since the start of the era of free-floating currencies in the early 1970s. Against a weaker dollar, the euro was perched near its highest in over three years at $1.1688. Sterling last bought $1.3725. 'Trump's desire to 'shadow' the Fed using a designated replacement for Chair Jay Powell isn't a good way to promote the perceptions of integrity and autonomy in U.S. policymaking and, by extension, that of the reserve currency status of the U.S. dollar,' said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group. Adding to the Fed cut bets has been a raft of weaker-than-expected U.S. economic data, with attention now shifting to Friday's release of the core PCE price index, the U.S. central bank's preferred measure of inflation. U.S. Treasury yields were steady in Asia after falling the previous session, with the two-year yield at 3.7418% and the benchmark 10-year yield last at 4.2573%. In commodities, oil prices were set for a weekly decline with the Iran-Israel ceasefire holding and easing concerns over Middle East supply risks. Brent crude futures were up 0.58% at $68.12 a barrel while U.S. crude rose 0.6% to $65.63 per barrel on Friday, but both were headed for a fall of more than 10% for the week. Spot gold fell 1% to $3,294.50 an ounce.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Asia shares hit over three year high; dollar struggles on Fed concerns
Stock indexes worldwide look set to end the week on a positive note, with worries about tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over tariffs and trade deals on the backburner for now Reuters SINGAPORE Asia shares hit their highest level in more than three years on Friday as they tracked a Wall Street rally, but the US dollar struggled on concerns about the Federal Reserve's independence and expectations for early rate cuts. Stock indexes worldwide look set to end the week on a positive note, with worries about tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over tariffs and trade deals on the backburner for now. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan hit its highest level since November 2021 early in the session, while the gauge of stocks across the globe hit another record high for the fourth straight session. EUROSTOXX 50 futures and DAX futures were both up more than 0.5 per cent, while FTSE futures were little changed. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures tacked on 0.1 per cent each. Reasons for the upbeat mood included news that Washington has reached an agreement with Beijing on how to expedite rare earth shipments to the United States. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said on Thursday that he had asked Republicans in Congress to scrap the Section 899 retaliatory tax proposal from their tax and spending bill after Washington reached an agreement with Group of Seven industrial countries. "That was something that had been making some investors, especially foreign investors, nervous when that provision was passed by the House. So if that provision gets removed, then that allays one of the concerns from foreign investors," said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ. "The cumuluation of these various ... positive developments all helped to contribute to the buoyant market mood we're seeing." Japan's Nikkei jumped 1.4 per cent and surpassed the 40,000 mark for the first time in five months. Stocks in Hong Kong and mainland China traded marginally lower, though the CSI 300 index was on track for a 2.6 per cent gain for the week, which would be the largest since November 2024. Fed cuts coming Much of the focus for markets over the past two sessions has been on the prospect of an early change of guard at the Fed, after the Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump had toyed with the idea of selecting and announcing Fed Chair Jerome Powell's replacement by September or October. That knocked an already battered dollar even lower as traders fretted about an erosion of Fed independence and as they moved to price in more US rate cuts this year. The dollar languished near a 3-1/2-year low on Friday and was headed for a 1.4 per cent weekly loss, its largest decline in over a month. For the year, the greenback is already down more than 10 per cent and if it stays that way in the next few days, that will mark its biggest first half-of-a-year fall since the start of the era of free-floating currencies in the early 1970s. Against a weaker dollar, the euro was perched near its highest in over three years at $1.1688. Sterling last bought $1.3725. "Trump's desire to 'shadow' the Fed using a designated replacement for Chair Jay Powell isn't a good way to promote the perceptions of integrity and autonomy in US policymaking and, by extension, that of the reserve currency status of the US dollar," said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group. Adding to the Fed cut bets has been a raft of weaker-than-expected US economic data, with attention now shifting to Friday's release of the core PCE price index, the US central bank's preferred measure of inflation. US Treasury yields were steady in Asia after falling the previous session, with the two-year yield at 3.7418 per cent and the benchmark 10-year yield last at 4.2573 per cent. In commodities, oil prices were set for a weekly decline with the Iran-Israel ceasefire holding and easing concerns over Middle East supply risks. [O/R] Brent crude futures were up 0.58 per cent at $68.12 a barrel while US crude rose 0.6 per cent to $65.63 per barrel on Friday, but both were headed for a fall of more than 10 per cent for the week. Spot gold fell 1 per cent to $3,294.50 an ounce. [GOL/] (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dubai Eye
4 days ago
- Business
- Dubai Eye
Shares rally, oil slumps as Trump announces Iran-Israel ceasefire
Global shares rallied and the dollar extended declines on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire, sending oil prices into a deep dive as concerns over supply disruptions ebbed. Writing on his Truth Social site, Trump implied a ceasefire would go into effect in 12 hours, after which the war would be considered "ended". There was no immediate comment yet from Israel. While an Iranian official earlier confirmed that Tehran had agreed to a ceasefire, the country's foreign minister said there would be no cessation of hostilities unless Israel stopped its attacks. Oil prices fell over 3 per cent, having already slid 9 per cent on Monday when Iran made a token retaliation against a US base, which came to nothing and signalled it was done for now. With the immediate threat to the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane seemingly over, US crude futures fell another 3.4 per cent to $66.15 per barrel, the lowest since June 11. "With markets now viewing the escalation risk as over, market attention is likely to shift towards the looming tariff deadline in two weeks time," said Prashant Newnaha, senior Asia-Pacific rates strategist at TD Securities. "Our sense is that the quicker than expected resolution to the Middle East conflict leads to expectations for a swifter resolution on tariffs and trade deals." Risk assets rallied, with S&P 500 futures up 0.6 per cent and Nasdaq futures 0.9 per cent higher. EUROSTOXX 50 futures jumped 1.3 per cent and FTSE futures rose 0.4 per cent. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan jumped 1.8 per cent while Japan's Nikkei rallied at 1.4 per cent. Two sources told Reuters that Japan's tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is arranging his seventh visit to the US for as early as June 26, aiming to end tariffs that are hurting Japan's economy. China's blue chips rose 1 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 1.7 per cent. News of the ceasefire saw the dollar extend an overnight retreat and slip 0.3 per cent to 145.70 yen, having come off a six-week high of 148 yen overnight. The euro rose 0.2 per cent to $1.1594 on Tuesday, having gained 0.5 per cent overnight. The yen and euro benefited from the slide in oil prices as both the EU and Japan rely heavily on imports of oil and liquefied natural gas, while the US is a net exporter. "The market was so well hedged against a major tail-risk event to play out…the actions and the dialogue we've seen highlight that the tail risks have not and will highly unlikely materialise," said Chris Weston, head of Research at Pepperstone. Ten-year Treasury yields were 2 basis points higher at 4.35 per cent, having declined 5 bps overnight after Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said the time to cut interest rates was getting nearer as risks to the job market may be on the rise. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will have his own chance to comment when appearing before Congress later on Tuesday and, so far, has been more cautious about a near-term easing. Markets still only imply around a 22 per cent chance the Fed will cut at its next meeting on July 30.
