Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
Asian stocks were mixed on Wednesday after U.S. stocks retreated from record highs over the blurred outlook for greater government aid controls to individuals. The dollar increased a decline.
Shares declined in Japan and Australia and advanced to Hong Kong and South Korea before the end of the year, with volumes thin across major markets. S&P 500 futures contracts climbed after the benchmark closed with a moderate decline, while an index of U.S. small-cap stocks fell nearly 2%. U.S. stocks took off from the highs of the day when Republicans in the Senate blocked an attempt by Democrats to increase direct payments to individuals up to $ 2,000 from $ 600. Benchmark Treasures changed little and oil rose higher.
With a volatile year coming to an end, risk assets such as equities, corporate bonds and Bitcoin are just out of record. As investors try to evaluate the impact of the pandemic and the pace of vaccine distribution, the MSCI AC Global Global Equities Index will end up about 14% higher this year, after rising almost 68% since its March low.
‘This is an economy that is recovering, the policy is going to be accommodating for years to come. This indicates a good background for risk assets – it does not mean that there will be no challenges as we progress with the next few. of years, ”said Brian Levitt, Invesco’s world market strategist, on Bloomberg TV. “The reality is that the markets are going to focus on a recovery.”
On the coronavirus front, the Covid-19 variant discovered in the United Kingdom arrived in Colorado, to be heard the first time it has been identified in U.S. President Joe Biden, it has slowly criticized attempts to slow the spread of vaccines under President Trump, while U.S. top doctor on the infectious disease, Anthony Fauci, told CNN said officials hoped more people would be vaccinated now. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has approved, according to the Times, that further streets of the country be placed in stricter Tier 4 restrictions.
In Europe, the Stoxx 600 rose and the FTSE 100 index rose in the first session since the UK’s Trade Agreement with the European Union. The pound recovered part of the decline Monday. The euro strengthened.
John Hardy, head of Saxo Bank’s FX Strategy, discusses the outlook for the dollar and treasury returns in 2021.
Here are some key events:
- U.S. pending sales of trade and trade balance data for homes are available Wednesday.
- U.S. initial figures on jobless claims will be published Thursday.
- Most global stock markets closed on New Year’s Day on Friday.
These are the main movements in markets:
Stocks
- S&P 500 futures have risen 0.2% in Tokyo since 11:46. The S&P 500 index fell 0.2%.
- Topix index fell by 0.7%.
- Australia’s S & P / ASX 200 index fell 0.9%.
- South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.8%.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1.2%.
- The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.7%.
- Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.4%.
Currencies
- The yen was at 103.32 per dollar, up 0.3%.
- The foreign yuan traded at 6.5058 per dollar, up 0.2%.
- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.3%.
- The euro rose 0.3% to $ 1.2288.
- The British pound rose 0.3% to $ 1.3542.
Effects
- The return on 10-year treasury was 0.93%.
- Australia’s 10-year bond yield was 0.97%.
Commodities
- West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil rose 0.6% to $ 48.28 a barrel.
- Gold rose 0.3% to $ 1,883.47 an ounce.
– Assisted by Vildana Hajric