scorecardresearchGlobal Markets Wrap: US Futures Slump, Asia Struggles as Tech Weighs

Global Markets Wrap: US Futures Slump, Asia Struggles as Tech Weighs

Updated: 03 Feb 2023, 07:53 AM IST
TL;DR.

US and European equity futures declined Friday as disappointing earnings from Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc. weighed on market sentiment.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 01: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) during morning trading on February 01, 2023 in New York City. Stocks opened low this morning amid news of another interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve in its continued effort to slow inflation.   Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 01: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) during morning trading on February 01, 2023 in New York City. Stocks opened low this morning amid news of another interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve in its continued effort to slow inflation. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

(Bloomberg) -- US and European equity futures declined Friday as disappointing earnings from Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc. weighed on market sentiment.

Asian shares were mixed, with Chinese benchmarks down while Japanese and Australian stocks eked out gains. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1.5%, pacing declines in the wider Hong Kong market.

Positive sentiment from surges in the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 Thursday evaporated as investors parsed late results from the tech trio that showed an economic slowdown is throttling demand for electronics, e-commerce, cloud computing and digital advertising. 

Australian and New Zealand bonds extended the global debt rally in early Asia trading, with yields in the 2-10 maturity zone dropping more than 10 basis points. Treasuries steadied after strong gains following the Federal Reserve’s meeting Wednesday.  

Japan’s 10-year yield slipped by half a basis point to 0.49%, just below the ceiling of the central bank’s target range.

A dollar index rose after earlier this week hitting the lowest since April last year.

Adani companies will remain in focus for investors in Asia on Friday. Billionaire Gautam Adani is in talks with creditors to prepay some loans backed by pledged shares, while India’s biggest stock exchanges placed six Adani companies on a watchlist for additional trading scrutiny. 

Emerging-markets investor Mark Mobius said his firm didn’t participate in Adani Enterprises Ltd.’s stock sale before it was pulled as concerns about its debt “scared us away.” Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have told some clients that bonds related to Adani’s business empire can offer value.

Gold rose slightly after slumping almost 2% on Thursday as traders sold off haven assets amid renewed optimism developed nations including the US are reining in inflation and may be able to avoid recessions. I

Investors across the globe have been cheering what they perceive as varying degrees of dovish tilts from central banks across the globe.

The Labor Department releases its hiring report for January on Friday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the central bank had made progress in its inflation battle even as labor-market data continues to show tightness that could add to wage pressures.  

Bonds rallied in Europe, helping underpin gains in the US, after the Bank of England raised rates by half a point but indicated that its tightening cycle is drawing to a close. And while the European Central Bank remained somewhat hawkish, traders were heartened when President Christine Lagarde acknowledged disinflation.

Key events this week:

  • Eurozone S&P Global Eurozone Services PMI, PPI, Friday
  • US unemployment, nonfarm payrolls, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

  • S&P 500 futures fell 0.5% as of 10:02 a.m. Tokyo time. The S&P 500 rose 1.5%
  • Nasdaq 100 futures fell 1.4%. The Nasdaq 100 rose 3.6%
  • Japan’s Topix rose 0.3%
  • Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3%
  • Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.6%
  • The Shanghai Composite fell 1.1%
  • Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.1%

Currencies

  • The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%
  • The euro fell 0.2% to $1.0893
  • The Japanese yen was little changed at 128.72 per dollar
  • The offshore yuan fell 0.1% to 6.7455 per dollar
  • The Australian dollar fell 0.2% to $0.7066

Cryptocurrencies

  • Bitcoin rose 0.5% to $23,574.23
  • Ether rose 0.6% to $1,647.52

Bonds

  • The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined two basis points to 3.38%
  • Japan’s 10-year yield fell 0.5 basis point to 0.49%
  • Australia’s 10-year yield declined 15 basis points to 3.39%

Commodities

  • West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.2% to $76.01 a barrel
  • Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,917.51 an ounce

 

First Published: 03 Feb 2023, 07:53 AM IST