Asian Stocks Climb; Treasury Yields Edge Higher: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg

unitedstatepolitics.blogspot.com

Asian equities pushed higher on Tuesday and bond yields ticked up as investors awaited comments from Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen on U.S. stimulus and the dollar.

Stocks rose in Japan, South Korea and Australia. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 contracts advanced and the greenback was steady. Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields climbed to about 1.1%. U.S. markets were shut for a holiday Monday and European equities closed with small gains.

Yellen’s Senate confirmation hearing is likely to feature topics from foreign-exchange policy to taxes, but will also serve as the first congressional forum where lawmakers will vet President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan. Traders will also monitor Donald Trump’s last full day in office.

Elsewhere, oil and gold dipped. Bitcoin fluctuated around the $36,000 level.

After a strong start to the year, the rally in global stock markets is losing steam as investors turn to the upcoming earnings season and the difficult negotiations ahead for Biden’s relief plan. His proposals could be watered down under congressional opposition, and there’s the possibility that some taxes could rise.

In her testimony, Yellen will affirm the U.S.’s commitment to market-determined exchange rates and make clear the country doesn’t seek a weaker dollar for competitive advantage, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cited Biden transition officials. Biden transition spokespeople were unable to confirm the report.

“The extensive advance discussion of Treasury nominee Yellen’s views on the dollar suggests that she does not want her nomination hearings to be market moving,” Steven Englander, head of North American macro strategy at Standard Chartered Plc, wrote in a note. He added that “reassuring is likely seen as the preferred stance.”

On the coronavirus front, cases topped 95 million, while the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 neared 400,000. The European Union’s executive arm will urge member states to set a target for vaccinating at least 70% of the bloc’s population by this summer.

These are some key events coming up in the week ahead:

• Earnings come from companies including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Procter & Gamble, Intel, and Netflix.
• Joe Biden takes office as U.S. president on Wednesday.
• Policy decisions are due Wednesday from central banks in Brazil, Malaysia and Canada. The Bank of Japan and the ECB deliver decisions Thursday.

Here are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• Futures on the S&P 500 Index rose 0.4% as of 9:24 a.m. Tokyo time.
• Japan’s Topix index added 0.4%.
• South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.5%.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index climbed 1%.
• Hang Seng futures were up 0.3% earlier.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell less than 0.1%.
• The euro was steady at $1.2082.
• The British pound was flat at $1.3590.
• The Japanese yen was little changed at 103.69 per dollar.
• The offshore yuan was at 6.4940 per dollar.

Bonds

• The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield climbed about two basis points to 1.1%.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 0.1% to $52.32 a barrel.
• Gold fell 0.2% to $1,837 an ounce.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"Market" - Google News
January 19, 2021 at 04:52AM
https://ift.tt/3qDKIlr

Asian Stocks Climb; Treasury Yields Edge Higher: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg
"Market" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Yge9gs
https://ift.tt/2Wls1p6