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A screen showing the Hang Seng stock index is seen outside Exchange Square, in Hong Kong, China, August 18, 2023. The VIX index of S&P 500 implied volatility - the so-called Wall Street 'fear index' - closed at 12.46 on Friday, its lowest close since January 2020. Three central banks in the Asia & Pacific region hold policy meetings this week. Like Bank Indonesia last week, the central banks of New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand are all expected to leave key rates unchanged. But, broadly speaking, no further tightening from the Fed gives central banks in Asia a bit more breathing room.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Jamie McGeever, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, People's Bank of, MSCI's, Emerging, Bank Indonesia, U.S . Federal, Fed, PPI, U.S, Treasury, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, India, Japan, People's Bank of China, MSCI's Asia, Asia

☆ Morning Bid: Bonds haunted by uncertainties old and new
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom WestbrookIt's looking like the worst week of another bad year for bonds. Curiously, the dollar hasn't moved higher with the latest leap in yields, perhaps because currency traders see recession in the offing. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said little that markets didn't already know on Thursday, but in keeping his options open he kept the pressure on bonds. "A range of uncertainties, both old and new, complicate our task of balancing the risk of tightening monetary policy too much against the risk of tightening too little," he said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Tom Westbrook It's, Brent Donnelly, Jerome Powell, Joe Biden, Israel, Fed's Mester, Harker, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Spectra Markets, MSCI's, Bank of Japan, North America ., Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, MSCI's Asia, Japan, Gaza, China, London, North America

☆ Morning Bid: Bank of Japan also holds policy and stays dovish
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese national flag is hoisted atop the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. The yen fell in response, even as Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki spoke of the urgency to contain its fall. A majority of economists polled by Reuters expect the central bank will abolish the 10-year yield control scheme by the end of 2024. More than half reckon that the negative interest rate policy will end next year, too. Further complicating the picture for investors, however, were the surprisingly dovish decisions from the Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank.

Persons: Issei Kato, Vidya Ranganathan, Shunichi Suzuki, Kazuo Ueda, Bond, Fumio Kishida, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Reuters, MSCI's, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Vidya, MSCI's Asia, India, Australia, Germany, France, Britain

Japanese national flag is hoisted atop the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. The Bank of Japan on Friday rounds off one of the most intense weeks in recent memory for central bank policy decisions, with global markets still reverberating from the shockwaves that have followed the Federal Reserve's 'hawkish pause' on Wednesday. MSCI's Asia ex-Japan index also had its worst day since early August, and Wall Street slumped to a three-month low. Further complicating the picture for investors, however, were the surprisingly dovish decisions from the Bank of England and Swiss National Bank. Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Friday:- Bank of Japan policy meeting- Japan inflation (August)- Japan, Australia PMIs (September)By Jamie McGeever; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Issei Kato, Jamie McGeever, Steven Major, Bond, Fumio Kishida, Australia PMIs, Josie Kao Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, The Bank of Japan, MSCI's, Treasury, Bank of England, Swiss National Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, MSCI's Asia, Asia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France, Britain

Pumpjacks are seen during sunset at the Daqing oil field in Heilongjiang province, China August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Oil is back in the spotlight after Russia and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday extended output cuts. Oil prices have essentially been disinflationary all year, meaning the year-on-year price change has always been negative, sometimes dramatically so. With the dollar, bond yields and oil prices all marching higher, it is little wonder investors are drawing in their horns.

Persons: Stringer, Jamie McGeever, Brent, Japan's Hajime Takata, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Reserve Bank of Australia, U.S ., Asia, Bank, Japan's, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Heilongjiang province, China, Asia, Taiwan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia

July 26 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. China's blue chip equity index rose nearly 3% for its best day this year, and Chinese property stocks surged 8% for their biggest rise this year too. Hong Kong's main property stocks index jumped 14%, the biggest rise since March last year. The mainland property index is still down 13% this year and the Hong Kong-based index is down 25%. All this comes ahead of the first of three major central bank policy decisions this week - the Federal Reserve is expected to raise rates 25 basis points on Wednesday, followed by a similar move from the European Central Bank on Thursday and the Bank of Japan holding the line on Friday.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, It's Organizations: MSCI's, Big Tech, Microsoft, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Thomson, Reuters Locations: China, Hong, Hong Kong, MSCI's Asia, Japan, Asia, Australia, Singapore

July 3 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Purchasing managers index (PMI) reports on Monday from across the Asia-Pacific region, including China, India, South Korea and Australia, will give the first glimpse into private sector services and factory activity in June. Monday's Asian economic calendar is dominated by a raft of manufacturing PMIs including China's, Indonesian inflation, Japan's 'tankan' business sentiment survey for the second quarter, and Australian housing. China's Caixin manufacturing PMI is expected to fall to 50.2 from 50.9, signaling a slowdown in factory sector growth almost the point of stagnation. The official PMI, expected to show a third month of contraction, will be released on Friday.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, Josie Kao Organizations: Japan's Nikkei, U.S, PMI, Equity, Indonesia CPI, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Asia, Japan, Pacific, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia

☆ Morning Bid: Purchasing managers of the world, diverge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Softening second-tier data in the U.S. on Thursday put a bid under bonds for the first time in a few weeks, while bitcoin was clobbered. Purchasing manager's index data are the next set of economic figures due as market focus flings back on growth. British (GBPMMF=ECI) and euro zone (EUPMMF=ECI) manufacturing surveys are seen stuck in contraction territory. European and British services PMIs are seen steady and staying in expansion mode. British retail sales are expected to fall, adding up to a somewhat confounding picture.

☆ Stocks meander as US jobs dry up, kiwi jumps on RBNZ surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Futures indicated European markets were set for a broadly lower open, with Eurostoxx 50 futures down 0.26%, German DAX futures down 0.12%. Two-year treasury yields , which closely track short-term rate expectations, dived almost 15 basis points and the dollar tracked the move to hit two-month troughs. Elsewhere investors see a few more rate hikes in store in Europe, where German exports have turned surprisingly strong. The euro flat at $1.0952, just shy of a two-month high it hit overnight on the dollar at $1.0973. Commodity markets are settling after Monday's surge in oil prices on news of surprise OPEC+ production cuts.

☆ Stocks struggle as US jobs dry up, kiwi leaps on RBNZ surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Two-year treasury yields , which closely track short-term rate expectations, dived almost 15 basis points and the dollar tracked the move to hit two-month troughs. U.S. interest rate futures have rallied strongly over the last few weeks, as traders figure that under pressure banks will tighten up on lending anyway and save the need for monetary policymakers to do the job. DOLLAR SQUEEZEDOutside the United States, markets see other central banks staying the course on hikes to tame inflation. Elsewhere investors see a few more rate hikes in store in Europe, where German exports have turned surprisingly strong. Commodity markets are settling after Monday's surge in oil prices on news of surprise OPEC+ production cuts.

March 9 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. Unsurprisingly, Asian markets slumped on Wednesday following the surge in U.S. yields, implied rates and the dollar. MSCI's Asia ex-Japan index fell 1.5%, Hong Kong stocks fell more than 2% and the Hang Seng Tech index fell more than 3%. Bank Negara Malaysia surprised markets in January by keeping its benchmark rate unchanged. The potential for conflict between China and the U.S. appears to be inching up on a near daily basis too.

☆ Asian stocks make 7-month highs, Australian dollar gains on hot inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Asian equities scaled their highest levels in seven months on Wednesday after some regional markets reopened after holidays, and the Australian dollar hit multi-month highs as surging inflation made higher interest rates more likely. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) rose 0.2% to a seven-month high but traded below the day's peak. Globally, stocks have posted strong gains this year after a torrid 2022, based on expectations that inflation is close to peaking and the rise in U.S. interest rates will taper off. Stronger-than-expected economic data in Europe eased market worries of a sharp recession there, but interest rates are still seen creeping higher despite declining energy prices reducing inflationary pressure. The New Zealand dollar slid after New Zealand reported annual inflation of 7.2% in the fourth quarter, below a central bank forecast of 7.5%.

☆ Morning Bid: Ugly duckling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Anshuman DagaWhile Chinese economic data didn't come in worse than markets had feared, investors still couldn't come to terms with the scale of the economic pain being felt in the world's second-largest economy. Asian stock markets dipped and the broad-based MSCI's Asia Pacific share index outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) retreated away from seven-month highs, and Chinese equities stocks also retreated. European and UK stock futures, however, pointed to a steady start. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) is just a whisker away from its record high of 7,903.5 points. Tuesday's batch of economic data coming up include UK jobs numbers, German inflation and Germany's ZEW economic sentiment survey.

U.S. inflation data for December is in, and while market reaction was perhaps a little muted relative to recent releases and the hype surrounding it, the overriding message for investors was clear: keep calm and risk on. Given that some of the biggest intraday moves in financial markets last year were on U.S. inflation days, the reaction on Thursday wasn't explosive. A stunning 30-year U.S. Treasury auction helped push bond yields down further, fueling investors' appetite to go out across the risk curve. A Reuters poll on Thursday showed that investors are already adding to their long positions in Asian currencies. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Morning Bid: Goodbye to all that
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook:After three years, travellers are streaming into China by air, land and sea. the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, the People's Daily, wrote on Sunday. The yuan punched through its 200-day moving average to its highest since August, and the dollar was in retreat wherever Chinese tourists are expected. The twin hopes, then, of a gentler Fed and reviving China are holding recession fears at bay. In emerging markets, focus is on the open of trade in the Brazilian real after hundreds of supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro were arrested during an invasion of the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court.

☆ Asian stocks in 2022 suffer biggest foreign outflows since 2008 global crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Gaurav Dogra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Foreign investors withdrew more money from emerging Asian equities in 2022 than they had done in any year since the global financial crisis in 2008, as rising U.S. interest rates pulled funds towards dollar assets. Data from stock exchanges in Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea showed foreigners sold equities worth $57 billion last year, the biggest outflow since 2008. Taiwanese equities faced outflows worth $41.6 billion last year, leading the regional sales, while India and South Korea witnessed an outgo of $15.4 billion and $9.6 billion, respectively. Yearly foreign investment flows: Asian equitiesHit by falling foreign demand and a worsening economic outlook, the MSCI's Asia Pacific index (.MIWD00000PUS) plunged 19.4% last year - the biggest fall since dropping 43.3% in 2008. On the flip side, India, Vietnam and Thailand received net inflows of $1.36 billion, $559 million and $372 million, respectively, in December.

All the signs - hawkish rhetoric from the Fed and ECB, the selloff on Wall Street and dismal Chinese economic data - point to Asian markets ending a bruising week firmly on the ropes. MSCI's Asia ex-Japan index fell nearly 2% on Thursday - before the broad-based European policy tightening - its biggest fall since Nov. 3. The death toll could soar, and hopes of a quick and widespread economic reopening may have to be tempered. That said, traders may be reluctant to cave to the hawkish noises coming from the Fed - and now the ECB - quite just yet. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Asian shares dip, dollar firms ahead of central bank rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. consumer inflation report on Tuesday will set the tone for markets for the week. In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) eased 0.1% on Monday, after rising 1.3% last week. In addition to the Fed, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England are also set to announce interest rate hikes, as policymakers continue to put the brakes on growth to curb inflation. Treasury yields held largely steady on Monday after rallying from the lowest levels in three months during the previous session. (This story has been corrected to fix the weekly change for MSCI's Asia index in paragraph 5)Editing by Lincoln Feast.

chartAnd although Wall Street closed in the red on Tuesday, the VIX 'fear index' fell - a sign investors are sanguine about downside risks. Powell and colleagues will be frustrated that U.S. financial conditions have eased in recent weeks despite their increasingly tough stance on inflation. Since Wall Street bottomed in mid-October, Goldman's financial conditions index has fallen almost 100 basis points, mainly thanks to the rebound in stocks. If Powell wants to address that, he will have to find the words to get that message across. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs on Monday warned that the global equity bear market is not over as the markets are yet to see a trough in the momentum of global growth deterioration, a peak in interest rates and valuations lowered to reflect a likely recession. "We continue to think that the near-term path for equity markets is likely to be volatile and down before reaching a final trough in 2023," Goldman Sachs said in a note. The investment bank expects investors to start to price in expectations for a bull market next year. "We expect markets to transition into a 'Hope' phase of the next bull market at some point in 2023, but from a lower level." Reporting by Siddarth S in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Investors face another (likely) bumper U.S. rate hike from the Fed later this week, and profit-taking and re-positioning as the new month begins could also burst the revival bubble. And not all equity markets are smiling - MSCI's Asia ex-Japan index is almost certain to close in the red for an unprecedented 10th month in a row. The divergence between U.S. and Asian markets is also reflected in the historic levels of dollar/Asia exchange rates, the widening gap between the U.S. and Chinese economic outlooks, and general investor confidence in the Fed versus Asian central banks' policy path. The PBOC is also struggling to keep its exchange rate depreciation in check. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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