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☆ Oil steadies amid China demand hopes, caution ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary China reopening leads to optimism demand will riseLooming EU ban on Russian oil products imports in focusComing up: U.S. CPI data, 1330 GMTLONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Oil steadied on Thursday as optimism over China's demand outlook was tempered by caution over whether upcoming inflation data from the United States will point to a slower increase in interest rates. Top oil importer China is reopening its economy after the end of strict COVID-19 curbs, boosting optimism that demand for fuel will grow in 2023. The market is also bracing for an additional curb on Russian supply due to sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said the upcoming EU ban on seaborne imports of petroleum products from Russia on Feb. 5 could be more disruptive than the EU ban on seaborne imports of crude oil from Russia implemented in December 2022. Additional reporting by Laura Sanicola and Emily Chow; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Asian shares subdued, dollar steady, focus on U.S. CPI data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Asian equities edged higher on Wednesday, while the dollar steadied as investors braced for U.S. inflation data that will influence the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said heightened economic uncertainties might encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to 5%. In the foreign exchange market, the Australian dollar was 0.3% higher after data showed the annual pace of inflation had increased to 7.3% in November. The dollar index , which measures the dollar against six major currencies, rose 0.058% to 103.31, hovering close to seven-month low. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was down 1.7 basis points at 4.241%.

☆ Dollar stabilises near seven-month lows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Alun John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The euro was at $1.0736, little changed on the day, trading just below its seven-month high of 1.07605 hit Monday. The China-sensitive Australian dollar spiked at a more than four-month peak of $0.6950 in the previous session. The offshore yuan last traded at 6.7889 per dollar, after hitting its strongest in five months of 6.7590 earlier in the session. The dollar also steadied against the yen trading up 0.2% at 132.2 yen. The Japanese currency has been broadly strengthening after the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) surprise tweak to its yield curve policy late last year.

The euro was at $1.0731, little changed on the day, trading just below its seven-month high of 1.07605 hit Monday. The China-sensitive Australian dollar spiked at a more than four-month peak of $0.6950 in the previous session. The offshore yuan last traded at 6.7878 per dollar, after hitting its strongest in five months of 6.7590 earlier in the session. The dollar also steadied against the Japanese yen at 131.7 yen. The currency has been broadly strengthening firm after the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) surprise tweak to its yield curve policy late last year.

☆ Dollar languishes as Fed rate hike fears recede; China reopening boosts optimism
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar's decline pushed the euro to a seven-month peak of $1.07605 in the previous session. Sterling slipped 0.03% to $1.2177, after similarly hitting a three-week top of $1.2209 on Monday and ending the session 0.73% higher. Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index edged 0.04% higher to 103.21, after tumbling 0.7% and touching a seven-month low of 102.93 in the previous session. The offshore yuan last bought 6.7757 per dollar, and was edging towards the previous session's near five-month top of 6.7665 per dollar. "Hedge funds managers have turned slightly bearish USD following the full reopening in China," said Tareck Horchani, head of head of prime brokerage dealing at Maybank Securities.

☆ Morning bid: Look who's back
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A trader works on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., January 5, 2023. Payrolls data due later on Friday are the major factor that will underscore this week's move, or undermine it. A Reuters poll of economists expects an increase of 200,000 jobs last month, after rising 263,000 in November. German 10-year bond yields , which serve as a benchmark for the broader euro zone, have fallen by almost 30 bps this week thanks to lower inflation data in several European markets. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Asia stocks hit 4-month high on reopening of Chinese economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 1% to touch a four-month high in morning trade. China has abruptly dropped ultra-strict curbs on travel and activity, unleashing the virus on the nation's 1.4 billion people. The yuan rose about 0.2% to 6.8750 on Thursday. China has partially eased an unofficial ban on Australian coal imports and the Australian dollar made a three-week high overnight just below $0.69. In Europe, unseasonally warm weather has disappointed skiers but been a boon for a euro basking in falling gas prices.

☆ Asian equities rise, dollar sways as focus firmly on Fed minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 0.91%, set for a third straight day of gains for the year. The index fell 20% in 2022. Japan's Nikkei (.N225) lost 1.12% in early trade, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) rose 1.28%. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against six other currencies fell 0.162% after rising 1% overnight. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was down 3.7 basis points at 4.368%.

☆ Asia shares skid on China woes, yen hits 6-month high
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell another 1.3%, having lost a fifth of its value last year. The cautious mood spread to Wall Street, with S&P 500 futures off 0.4% and Nasdaq futures 0.6% lower. EUROSTOXX 50 futures fell 1.4% and FTSE futures 0.8%. The policy shift boosted the yen across the board, with the dollar losing 5% in December and the euro 2.3%. Brent lost 74 cents to $85.17 a barrel, while U.S. crude fell 62 cents to $79.64 per barrel.

☆ Asia shares weigh China risks, yen hits 6-month high
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged up 0.5%, having been down more than 1.0% in choppy early trading. Nikkei futures were trading at 25,750 compared with the last close for the cash index (.N225) of 26,094. Wall Street was in a guarded mood, with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures up 0.1%. Such a move at its next policy meeting on Jan. 17-18 would only add to speculation of an end to ultra-loose policy, which has essentially acted as a floor for bond yields globally. The policy shift boosted the yen across the board, with the dollar losing 5% in December and the euro 2.3%.

The 2023 budget includes 4.47 trillion lira ($239 billion) in spending and sees a deficit of about 3.5% of GDP for this year and next. "The annual salary burden is likely to reach approximately 150-180 billion lira, whereas the severance pay burden that will be shouldered by both the public and private sectors may exceed 300 billion lira," he said. A total of 142.9 billion lira has been earmarked for 2023 spending in the farm sector on support programmes and investment payments. SOCIAL AID, OTHER SPENDING:Spending on social aid in the 2023 budget was raised to 258.4 billion lira. Spending on education will be 650 billion lira, while 145.4 billion lira was set aside for support to the real sector.

☆ Dollar steadies as optimism over China reopening turns to caution
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Dec 29 (Reuters) - The dollar steadied on Thursday after riding long-end U.S. Treasury yields higher overnight, as initial optimism over China's reopening fizzled. Following China's removal of its quarantine rule for inbound travellers beginning Jan. 8, countries such as the United States, Japan and India said they would require COVID tests for travellers from China. Sterling rose 0.19% to $1.2040, but was similarly not far off its three-week trough of $1.1993 hit last week. The uncertainty over the global economic outlook, along with mounting worries about a recession in the U.S., saw the two-year Treasury yield , which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, slip overnight. Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury last stood at 3.8656%, after rising to a more than one-month high of 3.8920% overnight.

☆ Dollar retreats as risk appetite improves; Australia, NZ currencies rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China will stop requiring inbound travellers to go into quarantine on arrival starting Jan. 8, the National Health Commission said on Monday, even as COVID cases spike. At the same time, Beijing downgraded the regulations for managing COVID cases to the less strict Category B from the top-level Category A. "There seems to be no let-up in the pace of relaxing COVID restrictions despite the surge in COVID cases in the mainland," said Christopher Wong, a currency strategist at OCBC. "It's worth remembering that the dollar rose in each of the past four years in January. "While ... (the) policy tweak has added uncertainty to the BOJ outlook, we continue to lean toward BOJ policymakers making no further policy adjustments through the end of 2023," said analysts at Wells Fargo.

☆ Yen rises in cautious calm after BOJ policy tweak
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The greenback, which rose 0.6% against the yen in the previous session, had failed to meaningfully recoup its 3.8% slump following Tuesday's news. "The BOJ opened the door, obviously, for further unwinding of its super-loose policies," said Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac. Against the euro , the yen steadied at 140.27, while trading at 159.73 per pound . Sterling rose 0.14% against the dollar to $1.2102, after having slid 0.85% overnight. "In a world where risk sentiment is still very fragile, currencies whose countries have a twin deficit are at risk compared to others."

☆ Stocks steady, yields rise as rate risks cloud 2023 outlook
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Danilo Masoni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

By 1152 GMT, the index was broadly unchanged after a heavy week for rate increases on Friday sent it to its lowest point since Nov. 10. Long-term borrowing costs rose for a fourth straight session and short-dated yields remained not far off their highest levels in more than a decade. It wreaked havoc even on rate markets," said Carlo Franchini, head of institutional clients at Banca Ifigest in Milan. Ten-year Treasury yields rose 4 basis points (bps) to 3.522%. Gold inched 0.1% higher at $1,764 an ounce, as a softer dollar countered pressure from expectations of higher U.S. rates.

☆ TSX futures steady as oil prices recover, Fed worries cap gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's resources-heavy main stock index rose on Thursday as oil prices recouped early losses, while a sharp drop in gold kept gains in check after hawkish Federal Reserve commentary. Futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.1% at 6:34 a.m. ET (1134 GMT), while their U.S. peers fell after the Fed on Wednesday raised interest rates as expected but said it would keep hiking them further. Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday said interest rate hikes would persist next year even as the U.S. economy faces the threat of a recession, sparking a selloff on Wall Street and also knocking down Canada shares (.GSPTSE). In a bright spot, oil prices steadied after early declines as the dollar firmed, while likely increases in interest rates by central banks also heightened demand concerns.

☆ Fed hikes rates by 50 bp, as expected, keeps hawkish tone
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

STORY: STATEMENT TEXT:MARKET REACTION:STOCKS: The S&P 500 turned sharply lower then steadied down 0.11%BONDS: Benchmark 10-year note yields rose then backed off to 3.4847%. CHRIS ZACCARELLI, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, INDEPENDENT ADVISOR ALLIANCE, CHARLOTTE“The Fed is taking away the punchbowl just as the party was getting started. They’re reiterating their forecasts but the whisper number was that the Fed was going to stop at a 4.5%-4.75% terminal rate. You know, the biggest thing that is holding the Fed back right now are the jobs numbers. The most dovish participants is looking for an extra 50 bps of hikes.

☆ Instant view: Fed hikes rates by 50 bp, as expected, keeps hawkish tone
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

CHRIS ZACCARELLI, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, INDEPENDENT ADVISOR ALLIANCE, CHARLOTTE“The Fed is taking away the punchbowl just as the party was getting started. They're reiterating their forecasts but the whisper number was that the Fed was going to stop at a 4.5%-4.75% terminal rate. "But the Fed is out there saying that 5.1% is still on the cards … and that rate hikes will continue." BRIAN JACOBSEN, SENIOR INVESTMENT STRATEGIST, ALLSPRING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS, MENOMONEE FALLS, WISCONSIN“The most interesting part of the releases were in the Summary of Economic Projections. And they’re holding it there longer than markets expected.”“In addition, they’re downgrading GDP estimates for this year, and in particular, for next year.

☆ Oil steadies after falls as weak economy offsets supply risks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Dmitry Zhdannikov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, continued to loosen its strict zero-COVID policy, though streets in the capital Beijing remained quiet and many businesses stayed shut over the weekend. UBS said it believed Brent should recover to above $100 per barrel in the coming months amid supply constraints and rising demand while OPEC+ would keep supply tight. On Sunday, Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO) said it had not yet determined the cause of the Keystone oil pipeline leak last week in the United States. "The emergent EU embargo on Russian crude... may add moderate upside energy price risks in the next few months. But supply uncertainty should ease by spring 2023, after the embargo on oil products (on Feb.5) plays out," Deutsche Bank said in a note.

☆ Asia stocks edge up despite global growth worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Asian equities edged higher on Thursday, propped up by Hong Kong and China stocks even as growing fears of an economic slowdown and worries over the pace of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes weighed on sentiment. Elsewhere in Asia, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) lost 0.67%, while Japan's Nikkei (.N225) fell to near one-month low. Also weighing on the equities market was U.S. Treasury yields, with five-year notes to 30-year bonds hovering at three-month lows. Meanwhile, the yield on 10-year Treasury notes was up 4.3 basis points (bps) to 3.451%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was up 3.4 bps to 3.448%. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up 3.9 bps at 4.296%.

☆ Oil prices steady after hitting 2022 lows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brent had settled on Wednesday below the year's previous closing low touched on the first day of 2022, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude had fallen to a fresh yearly low. While U.S. crude stocks fell last week, gasoline and distillate inventories surged, adding to concerns about easing demand. Gasoline stocks grew by 5.3 million barrels in the week to 219.1 million barrels, and distillate stockpiles, including diesel and heating oil, swelled by 6.2 million barrels, the EIA said. Helping to lift oil prices was data showing that Japan's economy shrank less than initially estimated in the third quarter. read more Loosening COVID-19 restrictions in China, among the biggest crude oil consumers in the world, also aided in steadying oil prices.

"Now, concerns over economic growth seem to be overtaking those over inflation," he added. The darkening economic outlook drove fresh safe-haven demand for the U.S. dollar on Wednesday and longer-dated bonds extended their gains, while oil eased after a sharp fall on Tuesday. The Australian dollar was broadly steady at $0.669 despite Australian third-quarter growth coming in a bit below forecasts. The Canadian dollar was at 1.3675 per dollar ahead of an expected rate hike from the Bank of Canada later on Wednesday. The U.S. dollar index rose 0.1% to 105.6, further above the June 2022 low of 104.1 hit on Monday.

☆ TSX futures edge up as gold shines, BoC meet in focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies BoC rate decision due WednesdayTraders see a 71.5% chance of 25 bps hikeDec 06 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's resources-heavy main stock index edged up on Tuesday as gold prices rose, while investors await the Bank of Canada's interest rate decision. Gold prices steadied on Tuesday after shedding more than 1% in the last session, helped by a weaker dollar. Commodity prices have a major impact on Toronto stocks, as materials and energy companies combined have a near 31% weight on the main index. The TSX, like its U.S. counterparts has rallied from October lows on hopes that the Federal Reserve and major central banks would dial down their aggressive approach on interest rates. The BoC will be one of the first major central banks to announce the interest rate decision in December, with announcements from the Fed and the European Central Bank to follow next week.

Click “VOTE” to choose your favorite Metropolitan Diary entry of 2022. Click “VOTE” to choose your favorite Metropolitan Diary entry of 2022. At Attention Dear Diary: It was December 1967. – Stephen SalisburyExtra Ticket Dear Diary: It was April 1992, and I had two tickets for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall with Daniel Barenboim conducting. – Garrett AndrewsRock-Paper-Scissors Dear Diary: It is 2 a.m.

☆ Oil steadies as China COVID hopes offset by OPEC+ output concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Laila Kearney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary China to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations for elderlyOPEC+ to weigh rollover or oil output cut at Sunday meetingEU fails to agree on Russian oil price cap, say diplomatsNEW YORK, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Oil steadied on Tuesday as gains on hopes for a loosening of China's strict COVID-19 controls were later offset by concerns that OPEC+ would keep its output unchanged at its upcoming meeting. Brent crude futures were up 48 cents at $83.67 a barrel by 11:24 a.m. 1624 GMT. Five OPEC+ sources said OPEC+ is likely to keep oil output policy unchanged at its Sunday meeting, while two sources said an additional production cut was also likely to be considered. OPEC+ started to lower its output target by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in November, aiming to shore up oil prices. Markets are also assessing the impact of a looming Western price cap on Russian oil.

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