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Possibility of steeper Fed cuts increases stocks, drives record gold prices

U.S. stocks advanced on Friday and gold continued to strike record highs as financiers wanted to whether the Federal Reserve might move more strongly to cut rates at its policy meeting next week.

Futures tied to the Fed's policy rate now reflect about a. 43% opportunity the Fed will cut its policy rate by half a percentage. point, climbing up from 28% odds on Tuesday following media reports. recommending it could be a close call in between a half-point and a. quarter-point rate cut.

The growing anticipation of steeper cuts assisted boost. stocks, gold and Treasury rates, and drive down the dollar.

In midday trading, all three significant U.S. indexes were greater. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.72%, the S&P. 500 leapt 0.56%, and the Nasdaq Composite surged. 0.64%.

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe. rose 5.28 points, or 0.64%, to 826.87.

Wishes for a larger cut were even more improved when influential. former New York Fed President Bill Dudley said at an online forum in. Singapore, There's a strong case for 50.

But tepid inflation and other financial information previously in the. week suggest the Fed might want to start sluggish as it cuts. rates for the first time because 2020.

It's true that lots of rate-cutting cycles have actually indeed started. with a heftier slice, but usually versus the backdrop of. monetary market tension-- with the S&P 500 just 1% off its peak,. and U.S. home internet worth at a record high, it's tough to. point to monetary tension, wrote Douglas Porter, chief. economist for BMO Capital Markets.

In Asia, stocks in mainland China and Japan both closed. lower, with the Shanghai Composite index down 0.48% and. the Nikkei down 0.68%, although it was still positive on. the week.

DOLLAR, YIELDS DIP

Investors preparing for Fed rate cuts continued to drive. down the dollar, which dropped as much as 1.0% to 140.36 yen. , its weakest given that Dec. 28. It was last down 0.68% at. 140.83.

The dollar index, which measures the currency versus. the yen and five other major competitors, dropped to a one-week. trough at 101.00. It last stood down 0.1% at 101.06.

Benchmark 10-year Treasuries rallied, pressing. yields down 3.1 basis indicate 3.65%. Yields on two-year bonds. , which closely track interest rate expectations,. dropped 6.8 bps to 3.5803%.

Gold headed for its greatest weekly gain because. mid-August, up 0.97% to a record high of $2,583.50 an ounce,. driven by dollar weak point and the looming rate cuts.

Petroleum backtracked as U.S. production rebooted following. the passage of Hurricane Francine. U.S. crude lost 0.38%. to $68.71 a barrel and Brent fell to $71.75 per barrel,. down 0.29% on the day.

(source: Reuters)