Latest News

US stocks, dollar defensive, bonds rally as Harris harries Trump

U.S. stock futures failed and the dollar was on the defensive on Wednesday, while bond costs rallied, as markets reacted to a U.S. presidential debate in which Vice President Kamala Harris put Republican Donald Trump on the defensive.

The governmental hopefuls battled over abortion, the economy, migration and Trump's legal problems at their combative first argument, leaving financiers skittish ahead of U.S. inflation data that might affect the Federal Reserve's policy moves next week.

U.S. Treasury and Euro zone government bond yields dipped, as Democrat prospect Harris's robust revealing sustained expectations of a decline in rates of interest, whereas investors anticipate greater costs that would enhance rates if Trump wins.

Bond yields move inversely to prices.

Ten-year Treasury yields decreased to a. session trough of 3.609%, the lowest because June 2023, while. Germany's 10-year yield, the standard for the euro. zone bloc, fell 2.5 basis points (bps) to 2.12%, a fresh. one-month low.

Harris' late entry in the presidential race after President. Joe Biden's withdrawal in July has actually tightened the race, and her. strong debate performance continued a turnaround of trades that. were put in place on expectations of a 2nd Trump presidency.

S&P 500 futures reduced 0.36% and MSCI's broadest. index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan. dropped 0.3%.

European shares were the brilliant spot, with the pan-European. STOXX 600 index was edging up 0.07%, improved by the oil. and gas sectors on concerns that Typhoon Francine would. disrupt output in the U.S.

Financiers were concentrating on fiscal policies and prepare for. the economy from the candidates however the governmental dispute was. light on information, although betting markets swung in Harris'. favour after the event. In an increase to the Harris campaign, pop. megastar Taylor Swift stated she would back Harris in the Nov. 5. election.

With the dust picking the Trump vs Harris presidential. dispute, it's clear that the market saw this dispute going to. Kamala Harris, said Chris Weston, head of research at. Pepperstone.

This debate was never going to be an exercise in digging. deep into the weeds and into the granularity of the respective. policies, and we're certainly not considerably better on that. front.

The dollar index, which determines the U.S. currency versus 6 peers, was down 0.3% at 101.39.

You 'd expect if he (Trump) was doing better, that you 'd see. a strong dollar coming out of this. So I expect that's the method. the market is looking at it. It's a small lean towards Harris,. stated Rob Carnell, ING's regional head of research study for. Asia-Pacific.

The yen reinforced more than 1% to 140.71 per. dollar, the highest because late December, enhanced likewise by. comments from Bank of Japan board member Junko Nakagawa.

Nakagawa repeated in a speech that the reserve bank would. continue to raise rates of interest if the economy and inflation. relocation in line with its projections.

Shares of U.S. cryptocurrency and blockchain-related. business declined in premarket trading, tracking losses in. bitcoin which fell 2%. Speaking at the Bitcoin 2024. convention in Nashville in July, Trump had placed himself as. the pro-cryptocurrency candidate.

INFLATION SEE

Investors are now focusing on the U.S. Labor Department's. consumer cost index report later on Wednesday for policy ideas,. although the Federal Reserve has made it clear work has. taken on a greater focus than inflation.

The headline CPI is anticipated to have actually risen 0.2% on a. month-on-month basis in August, according to a Reuters survey,. the same from the previous month.

While the Fed is commonly expected to cut interest rates next. week, the size of the rate cut is still up for argument,. specifically after a blended labour report on Friday failed to. supply clarity on which way the central bank could go.

What we needed to see to stimulate the Fed into higher action. would be far more apparent evidence of slowdown/recession, and. in particular in the labour market. And I don't think we saw. that in the last payrolls report, said ING's Carnell.

Markets are currently pricing in a 65% possibility of the U.S. central bank cutting rates by 25 basis points, while a 35%. opportunity is ascribed for a 50 bps cut when the Fed delivers its. decision on Sept. 18, CME FedWatch tool revealed.

In products, oil costs got after dropping over 3% in. the previous session, as a drop in U.S. unrefined inventories and. concern about Cyclone Francine interrupting U.S. output. countered issues about weak worldwide demand.

Brent crude futures rose 1.47% to $70.21 a barrel,. and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 1.73%. to $66.88.

(source: Reuters)