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☆ Dollar stands tall as U.S. rate-cut bets recede
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high U.S. interest rates gave support. The dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high U.S. interest rates gave support. There was little initial reaction to a weekend attack on Israel by Iran. Canadian and New Zealand inflation figures are due on Tuesday, along with Chinese growth numbers. British inflation data is out on Wednesday and Aussie jobs data on Thursday.

Persons: Jason Wong, Sterling Organizations: New Locations: Asia, Israel, Iran, New Zealand, Israeli, Damascus, Wellington, Zealand

☆ Stocks climb in calm before potential US payrolls storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Tokyo's Nikkei (.N225) was flat and currency markets were similarly steady with the dollar just off recent highs as traders looked to the labour data for guidance. Ten-year Treasury yields held at 4.72%. "This may be just a brief pause while we wait for labour market data and next week's U.S. Treasury supply and CPI data," said SocGen strategist Kit Juckes. "If the labour market data are strong, pressure will return sooner than it did last year. I still think the Treasury market will take yields higher until something breaks in the system."

Persons: Jason Wong, Kit Juckes, Tom Westbrook, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Brent, Tokyo's Nikkei, Treasury, Reuters, London, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Wellington, U.S

The forecasts seem at odds as higher rates raise the credit costs that can crimp the economy. MSCI's U.S.-centric gauge of global equity performance and stocks on Wall Street bounced back while Treasury yields, which move inversely to price, retreated. Yields on two- and 10-year notes remained inverted at -68.3 basis points as the shorter-dated note yields more than the longer one. MSCI's all-world country index for stocks (.MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.14%, but the pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) closed down 0.31%. Oil prices rose as renewed global supply concerns from Russia's fuel export ban countered demand fears driven by macroeconomic headwinds and higher interest rates.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Marvin Loh, Joe LaVorgna, SMBC, Brent, Craig Ebert, Huw Jones, Tom Westbrook, Marguerita Choy, Rashmi Aich, Aurora Ellis Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Bank, Japan, Treasury, Federal, Fed, U.S, SMBC Nikko Securities America, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Bank of, Japan's Nikkei, Investors, Bank of England, Swiss, Swiss National Bank, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Boston, New York, Asia, Japan, China, Sweden, Norway, BNZ, Wellington

Yet higher rates typically crimp bank loans and raise the cost of credit. MSCI's U.S.-centric gauge of global equity performance and stocks on Wall Street bounced back while the dollar and Treasury yields, which move inversely to price, retreated. The initial reassessment of the Fed's higher-for-longer policy drove the rise in Treasury yields and created headwinds for risk assets, including equities, credit and emerging markets, but supported the dollar. MSCI's all-world country index for stocks (.MIWD00000PUS) gained 0.37%, but the pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) fell 0.39%. In emerging markets, Indian bonds and the rupee rallied after JPMorgan said it would add Indian debt to its widely tracked emerging markets index, setting the stage for billions of dollars in foreign inflows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Marvin Loh, Brent, Craig Ebert, Huw Jones, Tom Westbrook, Marguerita Choy, Rashmi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Bank, Japan, U.S, Treasury, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Bank of, Japan's Nikkei, Investors, Bank of England, Swiss, Swiss National Bank, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, U.S . Federal, Boston, Asia, Japan, China, Sweden, Norway, BNZ, Wellington

☆ Stocks stall, yields climb on "higher for longer" rate worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. stock futures , , were slightly firmer ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street, signalling a pause after sharp losses on Thursday amid uncertainty over interest rates going into 2024. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields hit a 16-year high of 4.508%, later trading at 4.48%, while 30-year yields hit their highest in a dozen years. The Fed revised downwards its unemployment rate forecast for next year, and if the U.S. economic data continued to improve, it would put "upside risk" on interest rates, making the need for a soft landing all the greater, Osman added. Ten-year Japanese government bond futures rallied though cash yields were little changed and near decade highs at 0.745%. Gold firmed 0.3% to $1,925 an ounce despite pressure from the stronger dollar and bond yields.

Persons: what's, Eren Osman, Arbuthnot Latham, Osman, Mary Daly, Neel Kashkari, Susan Collins, Lisa Cook, Craig Ebert, Huw Jones, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill, Rashmi Organizations: Bank of Japan, Global, Nasdaq, Treasury, ING, Bank of, Japan's Nikkei, Investors, Bank of England, Swiss, Swiss National Bank, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S, Asia, Japan, China, Sweden, Norway, BNZ, Wellington

☆ Asia stocks find footing, yen slides as BOJ holds the line
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man is reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. The BOJ, as expected, maintained super-low interest rates, left its yield control policy unchanged, signalling it was in no rush to phase out its massive monetary stimulus. A surge in oil prices has also been unnerving investors, since it is likely to prolong the inflation pulse. Brent crude futures steadied at $93.51 a barrel on Friday and are up nearly 8% for September so far. Elsewhere in foreign exchange markets the expectation of sticky U.S. interest rates has supported the dollar, which reached a six-month peak on the euro overnight at $1.0671 .

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Ray Attrill, Andrew Bailey, Craig Ebert, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Japan, FX, National Australia Bank, Japan's Nikkei, Seng, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Swiss National Bank, Brent, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights SINGAPORE, Singapore, Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China, Bank of England, Central, Sweden, Norway, BNZ, Wellington

☆ Stocks shrug off rates risk as U.S. consumers spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Equities - with the Nasdaq (.IXIC) up 15% so far this year - are clinging to the positives, while in interest rate markets investors are quickly ditching hopes for cuts later in 2023. Two-year Treasury yields , which also track short-term interest rate expectations, hit their highest since November at 4.703% overnight. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%. Elsewhere the repricing of the interest rates outlook is putting an end to a couple months of selling of the dollar in currency markets. The U.S. dollar index is eying a third weekly gain in a row - the longest streak since September, when the index was galloping towards a 20-year high.

☆ Dollar on track for weekly gain as Fed pushes back on pivot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar rose modestly on the yen following Bullard's comments and is up about 1.2% for the week to 140.36 yen . It also rose 0.9% on the Australian dollar overnight to $0.6690 per Aussie, and is on course for its first weekly gain on the Aussie since mid-October. Fed funds futures pricing currently implies a peak rate just below 5% and for rates to start falling by late 2023. Earlier this week, stronger-than-expected retail sales data had also shaken hopes for a pause in hikes, since it seemed to suggest consumers remained in spending mode. Later on Friday, British retail sales data is due, and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is among a smattering of policymakers due to speak.

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