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Stocks climb up, yields and dollar ease after US retail sales

Worldwide stock indexes advanced, Treasury yields declined and the dollar compromised versus the Japanese yen on Thursday after a. largerthanexpected drop in U.S. retail sales in January. triggered a small repositioning of expectations for interest. rate cuts.

The U.S. Commerce Department report showed retail sales. dropped 0.8% last month, the greatest fall because February 2023. Financial experts surveyed had forecast retail sales dipping. 0.1%.

Winter storms were seen as possible elements. impacting the information, with financial experts noting that a fairly healthy. labor market remains helpful for consumer spending.

A different report showed preliminary unemployed claims fell 8,000. to a seasonally adjusted 212,000 for the week ended Feb. 10,. somewhat below the 220,000 quote.

Financiers are closely enjoying economic information for hints on. when the Federal Reserve might begin cutting rates.

Bets for an at least 25-basis-point rate cut in May edged up. to 40.6%, while chances for June stood at 82%, according to the CME. Group's FedWatch Tool.

A warmer reading of U.S. customer prices previously today. prompted traders to cut the chances of a timely rate cut from. the Fed, which raised the dollar and triggered a sell-off in the. set earnings market.

When again enjoying the dollar/yen rate as, traders also are. it topped 150 in the last few days, a vital level that puts. the market on alert for possible Japanese intervention to weaken. its currency.

The yen reinforced in spite of unexpectedly weak Japanese. gdp figures for the 4th quarter of 2023,. which saw the nation surpassed by Germany as the world's. third-largest economy.

Versus the Japanese yen, the dollar was down 0.41%. at 149.94. The dollar index fell 0.38% at 104.28, with. the euro up 0.4% at 1.0768.

The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note. fell 3 basis points to 4.234% and was on track for a. second straight decline following a get on Tuesday after the. customer rates reading.

Clearly the retail sales can be found in somewhat listed below. expectations and fits with our story that this is going to. be a slower development environment as we pass through 2024, but one. where we still anticipate that there will be persistent economic. development, implying that our base case is preventing an economic downturn in. mid-2024, said Expense Northey, senior financial investment director at U.S. Bank Wealth Management in Billings, Montana.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 348.85 points,. or 0.91%, to 38,773.12, the S&P 500 got 29.11 points,. or 0.58%, to 5,029.73 and the Nasdaq Composite acquired. 47.03 points, or 0.30%, to 15,906.17.

MSCI's gauge of stocks around the world increased. 5.85 points, or 0.79%, to 750.80. The STOXX 600 index. gained 0.68%.

Earlier on Thursday, Japan's Nikkei rallied to its. greatest level in 34 years, and the stock index now sits just 800. points below its all-time high in 1989 that marked the peak of. Japan's so called bubble economy.

Oil costs increased as the U.S. retail data triggered a sell-off. in the dollar. U.S. crude gained $1.39 to settle at. $ 78.03 a barrel and Brent increased $1.26 to settle at. $ 82.86. Area gold was up 0.6% at $2,004.05 per ounce.

(source: Reuters)