US and European stock futures slipped while Asian equities were mixed as investors weighed trade data which reinforced the slowing momentum in the world’s second-largest economy. The dollar advanced.
(Bloomberg) — US and European stock futures slipped while Asian equities were mixed as investors weighed trade data which reinforced the slowing momentum in the world’s second-largest economy. The dollar advanced.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell over 2%, the worst-performing stock gauge in the region. The greenback gained on concern that China may be relaxing its grip on the yuan, which helps anchor other foreign-exchange rates in Asia. Treasuries rose.
A report by Moody’s Investors Service lowering credit ratings for 10 small and midsize US banks also impacted sentiment, with the rating agency saying it may downgrade major lenders.
China’s exports fell for a third straight month in July amid a slump in global demand, while imports plunged as domestic pressures also undermined the economy’s recovery. The data added to concerns as signs of deflationary pressures continue to hit Chinese businesses amid weakening growth.
The People’s Bank of China set Tuesday’s yuan reference rate at 7.1565 per dollar, revising an earlier fixing in the morning when it had indicated a stronger fixing of 7.1365. The Chinese central bank has been supporting the currency.
“The fix above 7.15 certainly allows more room for USD/CNY to rise,” said Fiona Lim, senior FX strategist at Malayan Banking Bhd. It’s a “sign that the cap of 7.30 for USD/CNY spot could be lifted,” she added.
Euro Stoxx 50 futures and contracts for US equities fell after the S&P 500 on Monday halted a four-day drop and the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw its biggest advance in more than seven weeks.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. hit a record as its results beat estimates. Amazon.com Inc. rose after a news report it will meet with the Federal Trade Commission to avoid an antitrust lawsuit. Tesla Inc. slid as its chief financial officer stepped down in a surprise shakeup at Elon Musk’s company. Apple Inc. notched its longest losing streak this year.
Testing Demand
Optimism in Wall Street, however, was offset by the latest comments from a Federal Reserve official that pointed to more rate hikes to tame inflation. Fed Governor Michelle Bowman said Monday that additional hikes “will likely be needed” and that sent yields on the two-year to climb before paring some of its advance.
The release of the consumer price index from the US due later this week will also provide investors with clues on the Fed’s policy outlook. Fed Bank of New York President John Williams cited the necessity to keep policy restrictive “for some time” — while noting rate cuts may be warranted next year if inflation slows.
Meanwhile, the bulging sales of Treasuries are about to deliver a major test of investor demand and determine whether a selloff has room to run as the market braces for the biggest round of refunding auctions since last year. The bond market has to absorb a combined $103 billion of 3-, 10- and 30-year auctions before the week is out — up $7 billion from the May slate.
The yen led declines against the dollar among Group-of-10 currencies. Data earlier showed that growth in Japanese workers’ wages unexpectedly slowed in June, clouding prospects for the Bank of Japan’s sustainable inflation goal.
Ripple Effects
Morgan Stanley’s Michael Wilson said that Fitch Ratings’ downgrade of US government debt last week and the ensuing selloff in the bond market suggests that “investors should be ready for potential disappointment” on economic and earnings growth.
A clear majority of investors expects a US recession before 2024 is out, leading them to view the current bull market in stocks as ephemeral and to favor long-term US Treasuries. That’s the takeaway from the latest Markets Live Pulse survey, which showed that roughly two-thirds of the 410 respondents anticipate a downturn in the world’s biggest economy by the end of next year.
Survey respondents appear to be looking past the economy’s current resilience and anticipating further damaging ripple effects from the Fed’s cumulative tightening.
Elsewhere, oil was little changed ahead of US figures on the outlook and stockpiles as the global market tightened amid OPEC+ supply cuts. Gold was slightly lower.
Key events this week:
- US wholesale inventories, trade, Tuesday
- Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker speaks, Tuesday
- China CPI, PPI, money supply, new yuan loans and aggregate financing, Wednesday
- India rate decision, Thursday
- US initial jobless claims, CPI, Thursday
- Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic pre-recorded remarks for employment webinar, Thursday
- UK industrial production, GDP, Friday
- US University of Michigan consumer sentiment, PPI, Friday
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
- S&P 500 futures fell 0.3% as of 6:55 a.m. London time. The S&P 500 rose 0.9%
- Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.5%. The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.9%
- Japan’s Topix rose 0.3%
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was little changed
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.7%
- The Shanghai Composite fell 0.3%
- Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.1%
Currencies
- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.3%
- The euro was little changed at $1.0994
- The Japanese yen fell 0.5% to 143.28 per dollar
- The offshore yuan fell 0.3% to 7.2236 per dollar
- The Australian dollar fell 0.6% to $0.6535
- The British pound fell 0.2% to $1.2759
Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin rose 0.2% to $29,219.39
- Ether rose 0.4% to $1,833.54
Bonds
- The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined six basis points to 4.03%
- Japan’s 10-year yield declined 1.5 basis points to 0.605%
- Australia’s 10-year yield declined 16 basis points to 4.03%
Commodities
- West Texas Intermediate crude was little changed
- Spot gold fell 0.1% to $1,934.54 an ounce
This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Zhu Lin and Wenjin Lv.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.