European and US futures rose alongside Asian stocks, following a buoyant session on Wall Street amid bets the Federal Reserve will soon signal it’s ready to start cutting interest rates.

MSCI’s all-country stock index headed for a ninth day of increases — the longest run of gains since December. Shares advanced in Japan, South Korea and Australia while those in China slipped. Euro Stoxx 50 and US futures rose, while Treasury 10-year yields were steady.

The bullish momentum was fueled by an upbeat mood in the US, where the S&P 500 climbed for an eighth straight day. A gauge of Asian currencies touched the highest since January, while oil extended the biggest drop in two weeks as the US said Israel accepted a cease-fire proposal in Gaza.

Bets for imminent Fed easing are propping up equity markets, with investor allocations still robust despite a bout of recent volatility and heightened uncertainty around the economy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index has gained in all but two sessions since Aug. 6, underscoring expectations that US policymakers are likely to cut interest rates in September.

“What we’ve seen happen is a swath of recent data, which has eased fears about slowing US growth without stoking fears of re-accelerating inflation,” said Kyle Rodda, a senior market analyst at Capital.Com Inc. That’s benefiting Asia ex-Japan equities, “with a weaker dollar supporting financial conditions and risk appetite,” he added.

Over in Europe, increasing risks to the growth outlook have reinforced the case for a policy adjustment when the European Central Bank meets next month, according to Governing Council member Olli Rehn. Investors will also be focused on the euro-zone CPI out later today.

Copper trimmed its recent rebound and gold was in record-setting form, topping $2,500 an ounce on expectations that the Fed is poised to cut interest rates. The yen slipped to hover around 147 per dollar.

Back in Asia, Australia’s central bank signaled it will likely need to hold interest rates at their current 12-year high for an “extended period” to ensure that inflation returns to its target band next year. Meanwhile, Chinese banks kept their benchmark lending rates unchanged for August, as profit margins came under pressure and policymakers focused on the health of financial institutions.

Stock volume has been trending lower since the trading surge during the early-August selloff with traders reluctant to place big bets ahead of the Fed’s Jackson Hole economic symposium this week. Central bankers gathering for one of the world’s most prominent annual economic forums are set to find themselves more divided than perhaps any time since before the pandemic.

“Markets are noticing that more Fed speakers are increasingly dovish, they’re recalling economic data of late supports Fed cuts,” said Jessica Amir, a market strategist at Moomoo. “This runway sets markets up for a ‘hole in one’ at Jackson Hole, anticipating the Fed Reserve Chair to potentially flag incoming rate cuts.”

On the corporate front, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.’s preliminary proposal to buy 7-Eleven owner Seven & i Holdings Co. could be worth more than ¥5.63 trillion ($38.4 billion), based on the Japanese company’s market value after news of the potential deal was disclosed.

Key events this week:

• Eurozone CPI, Tuesday
• US Fed minutes, BLS preliminary annual payrolls revision, Wednesday
• Eurozone HCOB PMI, consumer confidence, Thursday
• ECB publishes account of July rate decision, Thursday
• US initial jobless claims, existing home sales, S&P Global PMI, Thursday
• Japan CPI, Friday
• Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda to attend special session at Japan’s parliament to discuss July 31 rate hike, Friday
• US new home sales, Friday
• Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaks at Jackson Hole symposium in Wyoming, Friday

Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• S&P 500 futures were little changed as of 6:52 a.m. London time
• Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.1%
• The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.3%
• The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 0.2%
• Japan’s Topix rose 1.3%
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2%
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.5%
• The Shanghai Composite fell 1.1%
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures rose 0.2%

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
• The euro was little changed at $1.1074
• The Japanese yen fell 0.4% to 147.21 per dollar
• The offshore yuan fell 0.1% to 7.1439 per dollar
• The British pound fell 0.1% to $1.2976

Cryptocurrencies

• Bitcoin rose 3.4% to $61,094.19
• Ether rose 2.5% to $2,681.23

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced one basis point to 3.88%
• Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at 2.25%
• Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 3.92%
• Australia’s 10-year yield advanced four basis points to 3.96%

Commodities

• Spot gold fell 0.1% to $2,501.10 an ounce
• West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.8% to $73.75 a barrel
• Spot gold fell 0.1% to $2,501.10 an ounce

Source : Yahoo Finance - Aug 20, 2024