scorecardresearchMarkets Wrap: Global Stocks Resume Rally as Treasury Yields Fall

Markets Wrap: Global Stocks Resume Rally as Treasury Yields Fall

Updated: 27 Oct 2022, 07:46 AM IST
TL;DR.

Global equities advanced Thursday as Chinese shares extended a rebound and US stock futures overcame earnings worries from tech giants. The yield on 10-year Treasuries was back near the key 4% threshold.

A currency trader walks near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Wednesday as hopes rose that the Federal Reserve might ease off plans for interest rate hikes and Britain installed its third prime minister this year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader walks near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Wednesday as hopes rose that the Federal Reserve might ease off plans for interest rate hikes and Britain installed its third prime minister this year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

(Bloomberg) -- Global equities advanced Thursday as Chinese shares extended a rebound and US stock futures overcame earnings worries from tech giants. The yield on 10-year Treasuries was back near the key 4% threshold.

An index of global shares headed for a fifth day of gains, its longest stretch in more than two months. Chinese and Hong Kong shares opened higher to further erode sharp losses earlier this week after President Xi Jinping tightened his grip on the country over the weekend. Australian equities rose and Japanese stocks fell.

US futures climbed, overcoming a 24% decline for Meta Platforms Inc. in after-hours trading following underwhelming third-quarter earnings. Wednesday declines for the Facebook parent and Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft Inc. dragged the S&P 500 to a loss as investors grew uneasy over tech profits. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. was little changed after reporting weak earnings.

A gauge of the dollar steadied after falling on Wednesday. The rate on the 10-year Treasury yield sat around 4% after inching below the threshold on Thursday. The benchmark US yield has dropped more than 20 basis points over the past two days. 

Amid the challenges for equities investors, central banks are providing some optimistic signals that less aggressive monetary tightening may be on the horizon. The Bank of Canada raised interest rates by a smaller amount than expected on Wednesday, adding to suggestions that the Federal Reserve is also getting closer to shifting down in gears.

A contraction in services and manufacturing and fewer new home sales showed the Fed’s efforts to cool the economy seem to bearing some fruit. Still, economists expect the Fed to hike by 75 basis points for the fourth time in a row when it meets next week. 

“The only reprieve that will cause them to pause will be signs that inflation is subsiding and we’re not quite there,” said Nancy Daoud, a private wealth adviser at Ameriprise Financial, in an interview on Bloomberg TV. “They will stick to their guns and raise rates in November and again in December.”

The European Central Bank is also projected to hike by 75 basis points later Thursday.

Oil gained further ground after touching the highest level in about two weeks after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said a deal with Iran would be unlikely to advance in the short term. Traders placed bets on a soaring price for aluminum as the US considers adding the metal to sanctions against Russia, a major producer.

Key events this week:

  • ECB rate decision, Thursday
  • US GDP, durable goods orders, initial jobless claims, Thursday
  • Bank of Japan policy decision, Friday
  • US personal income, personal spending, pending home sales, University of Michigan consumer sentiment, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

  • Futures on the S&P 500 rose 0.5% as of 10:45 a.m. Tokyo time. The S&P 500 fell 0.7%
  • Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.5%. The Nasdaq 100 fell 2.3%
  • The Topix Index fell 0.4%
  • The S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.7%
  • The Hang Seng Index rose 2.8%
  • The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.3%
  • Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.4%

Currencies

  • The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
  • The euro was little changed at $1.0077
  • The Japanese yen rose 0.2% to 146.07 per dollar
  • The offshore yuan was little changed at 7.1932 per dollar

Cryptocurrencies

  • Bitcoin was little changed at $20,739.65
  • Ether rose 0.4% to $1,560.32

Bonds

  • The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 4.00%
  • Australia’s 10-year yield declined seven basis points to 3.85%

Commodities

  • West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.4% to $88.26 a barrel
  • Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,667.69 an ounce

 

First Published: 27 Oct 2022, 07:46 AM IST