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Asia stocks nudge greater, dollar constant ahead of United States inflation report

Asian stocks inched higher and the dollar held stable on Tuesday ahead of an essential U.S. inflation report that might help shape the Federal Reserve's. rates outlook and identify the timing of rate of interest cuts.

Bitcoin remained strong after crossing $50,000 for. the first time in over two years, thanks to inflows into. exchange traded funds backed by the digital asset. It was last. at $50,0097 in Asian hours.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan. was 0.15% greater in early trading. The index is. down 3% up until now in the year.

Japan's Nikkei on the other hand has carried on from. in 2015 and is up 12% for the year. On Tuesday, the index rose. 1.7% to hit a fresh 34-year high on the back of a weak yen. which is nearing the closely-watched 150 per dollar. level.

China's monetary markets are closed for the Lunar New Year. vacation and will resume trade on Monday, Feb. 19, with Hong. Kong markets due to resume on Feb. 14, leaving trading in Asia. suppressed and taking cues from the Wall Street.

On Monday, the Nasdaq slipped in the afternoon. session after briefly surpassing its record closing high from. November 2021. The benchmark S&P 500 closed lower. remained simply above the 5,000-point level it crossed on Friday. E-mini futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.16%.

Investor attention today will be on essential reports on. January's U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), due later on in the day,. and Manufacturer Rate Index, scheduled to be released on Friday.

A slew of recent data, led by strength in the labour market,. has underlined the strength of the U.S. economy and pushed. traders to downsize expectations of deep and early interest. rate cuts from the Fed.

Markets have all however chalked off opportunities of a rate cut in. March, with traders pricing in a 13% chance of a relieving. compared with 77% a month previously, the CME FedWatch tool showed.

Financial experts polled anticipate CPI to rise 2.9% on a. year-on-year basis, below 3.4% in the previous month, with. annual core CPI inflation likewise anticipated to slow to 3.7% in. January from 3.9% a month previously.

However, there is danger of an advantage surprise, which could. nudge yields greater and further enhance the dollar, according. to Charu Chanana, head of currency method at Saxo.

May rate cut probability is around 70%, and there appears. room to push that more to June with markets remaining. sensitive to hawkish surprises in the meantime.

Traders are still pricing in 111 basis points of cuts this. year versus 75 bps of alleviating forecasted by the Fed.

The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was at. 4.172%. The dollar index, which determines the U.S. currency versus six rivals, was bit changed at 104.16.

The Japanese yen, which is delicate to U.S. rates, was last. at 149.38 per dollar, not far from the closely-watched 150 level. that experts stated would likely activate additional jawboning from. Japanese officials in an effort to support the currency.

In commodities, U.S. crude increased 0.03% to $76.94 per. barrel and Brent was at $81.99, down 0.01% on the day.

(source: Reuters)