Latest News

Tech downturn knocks Asia shares, yen towers at 2-1/2- month peak

Asian shares were hammered on Thursday as a downturn in global tech stocks sent financiers fleeing into less risky properties, consisting of shortdated bonds, the yen and Swiss franc.

Chinese stocks, iron ore and oil prices dropped further after the country's reserve bank sprang a surprise cut in longer-term interest rates, just stoking further worries about the world's second-largest economy.

European markets are set for a lower open, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures down 0.6% while FTSE futures slipped 0.2%. Nasdaq futures, nevertheless, rebounded 0.3% and S&P 500 stock futures rose 0.2%.

The sell-off in stocks saw investors ramp up bets on rate cuts internationally, with futures suggesting a 100% opportunity of a Federal Reserve reducing in September. A spike in market volatility fuelled a vicious capture on bring trades which saw the U.S. dollar sink another 0.7% to 152.78 yen on Thursday.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 1%, while Japan's Nikkei tumbled 3.3%, intensified by a 11% plunge in Nissan Motor after its quarterly revenue dropped 99%.

Taiwan's markets were closed for a 2nd day due to a hurricane.

Chinese blue-chips moved 0.9% with the Shanghai Composite index falling 0.9% to a five-month low. Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged 1.7%, discovering little assistance from Beijing's most current alleviating step.

On Wall Street, the Nasdaq lost practically 4% - the worst one-day fall because 2022 - as drab Alphabet and Tesla profits weakened financier self-confidence in the currently lofty appraisals of the Spectacular Seven stocks.

That added to current market volatility, with Wall Street's. worry gauge jumping to a three-month high. Financiers. searched for the security of money and super-liquid short term financial obligation,. with U.S. two-year yields striking their most affordable in almost 6. months on Wednesday.

Traders have played outright defence, as the saturated and. well-owned tech position continues to be unwound, said Chris. Weston, head of research at Pepperstone.

We can also include a continuous anxiousness around China's growth. trajectory, really poor PMIs in Europe and a bearish viewpoint piece. from ex-New York Fed member Bill Dudley, and financiers and. traders derisked and de-grossed portfolios.

The other huge mover in Asia was the safe-haven yen, up 0.7%. to the strongest level in 2-1/2 months. It rose 1.1%. overnight, with the upward momentum intact ahead of the Bank of. Japan's conference next week where policymakers will debate whether. or not to raise interest rates.

The Swiss franc also rose 0.2% to 0.8826 per dollar,. having actually gotten 0.7% overnight.

Short-dated bonds rallied, supported by comments from former. New York Fed president Dudley that the central bank ought to cut. rates, preferably at its policy meeting next week.

The yield on two-year Treasuries fell another 3. basis points to 4.3894%, having dropped 4 bps overnight. Ten-year yields also relieved 2 bps to 4.2622% on. Thursday.

Markets are completely pricing in a quarter-point rate cut from. the Fed in September, with even some danger for a 50 bp cut. For. all of 2024, a total easing of 65 basis points has actually been priced. in.

The rate cut expectations are getting extremely elevated the. same method as they were last year, stated Andrew Lilley, chief. rates strategist at Barreyjoey in Sydney.

My concern is that the market is getting ahead of the. financial data since we have seen previously that these. short-term dips in inflation haven't been sustained.

Certainly, advance U.S. gross domestic product information is due. later Thursday and is anticipated to reveal growth getting to. an annualised 2% in the 2nd quarter. The carefully viewed. Atlanta Fed GDPNow indication points to development of 2.6%,. indicating some risk to the advantage.

In commodity markets, iron ore rates fell nearly 1% as. China issues weigh, while oil costs were pinned near six-week. lows.

Brent futures fell 0.9% to $80.91 a barrel, while. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also dropped 1%. to $76.84.

Gold fell 1% to $2,373.62 an ounce.

(source: Reuters)