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MORNING BID AMERICAS-Markets feed off unfased Fed and SNB jumps weapon

( Modifications Wednesday to Thursday in essential journal items at the end). A take a look at the day ahead in U.S. and international markets from Mike. Dolan. With markets currently cheering the Federal Reserve's restated. consensus on three rate of interest cuts later this year, the Swiss. National Bank added spice on Thursday with a surprise rate cut. that sets reserve bank reducing speculation alight again.

With bets on the first rate cuts from significant central banks. mostly settling on June or July, the SNB beat the gun with its. Rate decrease in nine years - cutting its main policy. rate by a quarter indicate 1.5% as it slashed inflation. projections.

The Swiss franc swooned more than 1% to a four-month. low versus the dollar, lifting Swiss stock criteria more than. 1% to boot.

And with UK inflation also damaging projections this week,. the Bank of England's choice later on Thursday will now be. enjoyed closely for more dovish signals from policymakers.

Just Norway's central bank dampened the party rather by. showing it was in no mind to alleviate till the fall.

Led by the Fed's benign take late on Wednesday, the. developing central bank story lit a fire under stock and bond. markets again.

MSCI's all-country stock index - up 7.5% for. the year to date - raced to new record highs on Thursday after. both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq set brand-new closing. records late on Wednesday.

Asian bourses surged through the night, with Japan's Nikkei. , South Korea's Kospi and Taiwan's benchmark. all getting more than 2%, and Europe's leading indexes. leapt more than 1% on Thursday too.

U.S. stock futures were greater once again ahead of Thursday's. bell.

Bonds were buoyed too - with 2-year U.S. Treasury yields now. down nearly 20 basis points from Monday's peaks to 4.57%.

Much of the rush of blood is based on relief that Fed. policymakers, who set out their quarterly forecasts for rates. and the economy again on Wednesday, had actually not called back. December's forecasts for 75bps of rate cuts this year.

The median of authorities' dots on anticipated policy rates for. this year was available in the same at 4.6% - compared to the current. setting of 5.25-5.50% - and they also have their favored PCE. inflation gauge back to its 2% target next year.

However in a somewhat more careful signal - maybe showing. higher confidence in the economy's growth potential - the. mean dot for next year climbed to 3.9% from 3.6% and for the. Time considering that before the pandemic policymakers pushed up. their long-run stability rate to 2.6% from 2.5%.

Speaking of stickier U.S. inflation reports this year that. had tense markets somewhat, Fed chair Jerome Powell said they. have not truly altered the total story, which is that of. inflation moving down slowly on an in some cases rough road to. 2%.

All of which has futures markets upping the chances for a. first Fed cut as quickly as June to some 80% and they increased the. quantity of relieving seen for the entire year by 10bps to 85bps.

The moving reserve bank sands made for a slightly. complicated image in currency markets.

The dollar's index initially skidded lower on the Fed. decision overnight but the Swiss relocation and the possibility of. other reserve banks beating the Fed to the punch saw it rebound. dramatically on Thursday.

Sterling held the line ahead of the BOE choice, but. the euro fell back.

Regardless of much better than forecast March service readings from. the euro zone, the total image there is still among. contracting activity this month.

The PMI survey index came within a whisker of going back to. growth in March, outshining expectations.

And the yen continued to stay weak above 151 per. dollar after its early week drop on the contrary Bank of Japan. choice to lift its policy rates out of negative territory for. the first time in 8 years.

In company news, shares in memory chip maker Micron. Innovation soared 16% over night after it tapped a rise. in expert system adoption to forecast third-quarter. income above quotes and publish a surprise quarterly revenue.

Elsewhere, there was one eye on the background budget. standoff in Washington. A fractured U.S. Congress struggled. behind the scenes on Wednesday to produce a massive costs. costs to fund defense, homeland security and other programs that. legislators must pass before the weekend to avoid a partial. federal government shutdown. Key journal items that may supply direction to U.S. markets later on. on Thursday:. * Policy choices from Bank of England, Norges Bank, Banco de. Mexico and Central Bank of Turkey. * Flash March service studies from United States, Europe and. all over the world. * United States weekly unemployed claims, Philadelphia Fed's March organization. study. * Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr speaks. * US Treasury auctions 10-year inflation-protected Treasuries,. four-week costs. * U.S. corporate earnings: Nike, FedEx, Lululemon, Accenture,. Factset, Darden Restaurants

(source: Reuters)