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Dollar dips, stocks consistent as traders brace for Fed easing

The dollar slipped on Wednesday while Treasury yields edged greater and global stocks steadied as traders weighed the odds of a supersized Federal Reserve rate of interest cut later in the day.

The U.S. currency dropped 0.5% versus the yen to 141.68, handing back about half of its gains from Tuesday, when unexpectedly robust U.S. retail sales data was taken as weakening the case for aggressive Fed alleviating.

U.S. bond yields however ticked higher. The 2-year Treasury yield, the most sensitive to short-term rate expectations, edged up 2.5 basis indicate 3.617%.

The possibilities of the Fed kicking off its easing cycle with a. super-sized cut of 50 basis points (bps) were revived earlier. today, after media reports raised the prospect of more. aggressive action.

Financial markets are totally pricing in a 25 bps rate cut,. while the odds of a 50 bps cut stood at 61% by Wednesday,. according to LSEG information, up from as low as 14% a week earlier.

We like this argument - everybody's extremely focussed on 50 or 25. but what is very important is that they interact to the marketplace. that they mean to go neutral by next summer season, stated Samy Chaar,. chief economic expert at Lombard Odier.

The worst that you can get is they go 25 and pretend that. everything is regular and that monetary policy still requires to be. restrictive.

European stocks slipped 0.3%, with innovation and. healthcare shares among the greatest laggards.

The MSCI's index of world stocks was flat. after having actually touched a two-week high a day previously and simply. below an all-time high.

Japan's Nikkei stock index climbed as much as 1.3%. early on in response to over night weak point in the yen, however pared. those gains to 0.5% as the currency rebounded.

BULL GO TO GO ON?

Wall Street finished nearly unchanged on Tuesday, failing to. sustain early momentum that pushed the S&P 500 and Dow Jones to. record intraday highs. S&P 500 futures pointed a flat. open later on Wednesday.

The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1132. Sterling. edged up 0.35% to $1.3208 after information revealed British inflation. held consistent in August, however got in the services sector,. adding to bets in financial markets that the Bank of England. will keep interest rates on hold on Thursday.

Traders are pricing in simply a 26% likelihood of a 25-bp cut. from the BoE on Thursday.

Today's inflation information does not require any validation. for a surprise cut tomorrow, stated Derek Halpenny, head of. research worldwide markets EMEA at MUFG. A bigger 50bp rate cut. from the Fed tonight would likely cause increased speculation. of a rate cut from the BoE.

Meanwhile, gold had a hard time to find its feet on. Wednesday, trading flat at $2,569 per ounce after pulling back. from record highs earlier today.

Petroleum also drew back after getting about $1 a barrel. on Wednesday as tensions intensified in the Middle East.

U.S. crude futures declined 1.4% to $70.22, and Brent. unrefined futures lost 1.2% to trade at $73.83.

(source: Reuters)