Latest News

Chinese stocks leave Asian peers behind in catch-up rally

Mainland Chinese stocks returned from an extended break with a roaring start on Tuesday, though the optimism did not spill into local share markets as Beijing fell short on delivering more details of its enormous stimulus.

Hong Kong stocks, in specific, tumbled on Tuesday, reversing a few of the rally they enjoyed while China's markets were closed for the week-long National Day vacation.

China's CSI300 blue-chip index surged 10% in early trade to its greatest since July 2022, while the Shanghai Composite Index leapt approximately the same amount to its greatest mark considering that December 2021.

But Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index moved 7.6%, with the Hang Seng Mainland Characteristic Index falling more than 10%.

That left MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan down 2.2%.

I believe the motion today essentially just explains that in the Chinese onshore market, it's just rising to a level that investors are comfortable with. And in Hong Kong, there might be a. little a profit-taking or breaking even move, said Gary Ng, a. senior financial expert at Natixis.

Mainland shares also removed a few of their early gains over. the course of the trading day, after the chairman of China's. economic organizer Zheng Shanjie provided little detail of how the. country strategies to roll out its assistance steps at a carefully. watched interview on Tuesday.

That dissatisfied financiers, particularly those who were. wishing for more specifics on financial measures to promote the. ailing Chinese economy.

The CSI300 index was last up 4.3%, while the. Shanghai Composite Index retreated somewhat to last. trade 3.34% higher.

Markets were wanting to acquire some guidance on the size of. financial stimulus at this presser-- however with MoF (Ministry of. Financing) not in participation, it was not likely this information was. going to be provided, said Rong Ren Goh, a portfolio supervisor at. Eastspring Investments.

What's next? No major press briefing lined up until now. Hence,. it is likely we see markets consolidating and absorbing what has. already been revealed, which arguably is significant, but not. quite enough to satiate lofty expectations.

Fears of a broadening dispute in the Middle East also sapped. bullish belief after Hezbollah on Monday fired rockets at. Israel's third-largest city, Haifa, and Israel looked poised to. expand its offensive into Lebanon, one year after the. devastating Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.

Stock futures fell broadly, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures. moving 1%, while FTSE futures ticked 0.6%. lower.

S&P 500 futures lost 0.03% and Nasdaq futures. fell 0.07%.

Somewhere else, Tokyo's Nikkei fell more than 1%.

In commodities, oil prices pared some of their gains after. getting on Monday due to fret about supply interruptions, with. Brent unrefined futures last down 1.5% at $79.74 a barrel.

It had actually risen above $80 a barrel for the first time in more. than a month in the previous session.

U.S. unrefined futures shed 1.54% to $75.95 a barrel.

FED BETS

In the wider market, financiers were reassessing the. outlook for the course of the Federal Reserve's relieving cycle after. Friday's blockbuster U.S. jobs report.

Any possibility of another 50-basis-point rate cut next month has. been erased and traders are pricing in a 12% possibility the Fed. might keep rates on hold. Simply 50 bps worth of cuts are priced. in by December.

Expectations of a less-aggressive Fed trajectory kept the. benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield above 4% in. Asia trade.

The two-year U.S. Treasury yield hovered near its. highest level in over a month and last stood at 3.9499%.

While confidence about another 50-bp cut is justifiably. dampened ... the Fed rate cut cycle is far from thwarted, said. Vishnu Varathan, head of macro research for Asia ex-Japan at. Mizuho Bank.

Undoubtedly, the all-around hit jobs report is. sensible cause to reassess overzealous 'pivot bets' on. front-loaded, outsized cuts.

Still, the U.S. dollar failed to get a further lift on the. modified Fed expectations, having currently had a strong run last. week, in part because of safe-haven gains connected to intensifying. stress in the Middle East.

The dollar was on the back foot, falling 0.17% versus the. Japanese yen to 147.95, while sterling rose. 0.06% to $1.30925.

Versus a basket of currencies, the greenback alleviated 0.08% to. 102.40, though it hovered near a seven-week high hit on Friday.

Meanwhile, the onshore yuan played catch-up and. slid versus the dollar which had actually picked up speed following. Friday's jobs report. The yuan was last 0.76% lower at 7.0650. per dollar.

Somewhere else, area gold was little altered at $2,644.70. an ounce.

(source: Reuters)