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RPT-Wall Street extends overnight record setting after SNB cut, stable Fed

Global share benchmarks rallied further into uncharted area on Thursday and yields on government debt generally fell after the Swiss National Bank became the very first significant reserve bank to relieve policy in this cycle, a day after the Federal Reserve maintained its outlook for 2024 rate cuts.

The dollar rose as the Swiss franc relieved and the yen stayed on the back foot, near its lowest level in about four months.

Wall Street opened with all three major indexes extending their streak of record highs, on the heels of comparable turning points previously in Japan and Europe and in gold.

When the Federal, a risk-on state of mind was fanned on Wednesday Reserve ended its regular meeting with no modification in U.S. rates, or its dot plot projections to cut rates by 75 basis points this year.

Its announcement was analyzed dovishly by investors who If the Fed would scale back its, had recently been wondering projections for cuts this year due to stubbornly high inflation.

Normally when you see the dollar rally, you'll see stocks fall off, but most likely with that Swiss National Bank news it sort of altered things around, said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of Themis Trading, Chatham NJ.

Yesterday when (Fed chair Jerome Powell)

discussed the balance sheet

and how they desire the balance sheet to run a bit slower - I don't wish to call it 'QE light', but by them not diminishing it as quickly, I believe it's a bullish thing for the market, Saluzzi said.

The Bank of England on Thursday finished up a busy week for worldwide reserve banks by leaving rates the same however stating the British economy is moving in the right instructions for it to start cutting interest rates.

The choice helped Britain's resource-heavy FTSE 100 index to increase further, last up 1.8%, and deteriorated the pound by 0.66%. to $1.27.

The bigger drama remained in Switzerland, where the Swiss. National Bank cut its main interest rate by 25 basis indicate. 1.50%, a surprise that caused the currency to weaken.

The euro rose by as much as 1.2% to 0.978. francs, its greatest considering that July 2023, and the dollar. strengthened 1.26% to 0.898 franc, hitting a four-month high.

Europe's STOXX 600 index extended its record run to. another high and was up 0.74%. Swiss bond yields fell.

We've seen with great interest Powell's speech and the. SNB today, and it broadly verifies the narrative that, although. we had a bit of heat in some inflation prints and services. inflation, in general, central banks remain in a reasonably. comfy area, said Samy Chaar, primary financial expert at Lombard. Odier.

The location where it was most comfy is Switzerland. since inflation is constrained, and let's remember they. [the SNB] had to revise their inflation forecast considerably. down.

After the Fed left U.S. rates on hold in between 5.25% and. 5.5%, as expected, Powell said that recent high inflation. readings had not altered the underlying story of gradually relieving. rate pressures, and he affirmed that strong financial growth will. continue.

Market rates presently reflects expectations that the. Fed and the European Reserve bank will start cutting rates at. their June meetings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 340.15. points, or 0.86%, the S&P 500 gained 30.25 points, or. 0.58% and the Nasdaq Composite got 100.90 points, or. 0.62%.

Previously, Japan's Nikkei and Taiwan weighted index. each climbed 2% to record levels.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe rose. 6.67 points, or 0.85%.

U.S. Treasury yields dipped in early trade then ticked. higher, assisted by a fall in weekly jobless claims and a solid. producing Purchasing Supervisors' Index report.

The U.S. 10-year yield increased 0.2 basis points. to 4.273%. The 2-year note yield, which typically. relocations in action with interest rate expectations, was up 2.2 basis. indicate 4.6256%.

Germany's 10-year yield was down 3 basis. points around 2.40%.

The dollar index acquired 0.59% to stand at 103.84,. with the euro down 0.39% at $1.0875.

The Japanese yen damaged 0.11% to 151.44 per. dollar.

Lower yields also assisted non-yielding gold increase to a fresh. record high of $2,222.39 an ounce, though bullion was last off. 0.35% near $2,178 an ounce.

U.S. crude lost 0.73% to $80.7 a barrel and Brent. fell to $85.38 per barrel, down 0.66% to on the. day.

(source: Reuters)