Comments
Asian shares were subdued on Wednesday as initial enthusiasm over the latest U.S.-China trade truce was overtaken by fresh concerns over Washington's threat of tariffs on additional European goods.
Global growth concerns also weighed on investor confidence, with South Korea the latest trade-reliant economy to cut its economic growth and export targets, a day after weaker factory readings worldwide.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was almost flat, while Japan's Nikkei was down 0.4% in early trade.
U.S. stocks managed modest gains on Tuesday after holding near the unchanged mark for much of the session, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.29% to a record close of 2,972.98, with dividend-oriented utilities and real estate stocks leading the gains.
Still, a rally in global stocks following the U.S.-China summit at weekend is rapidly losing steam. While the threat of new U.S. tariffs has been postponed for now, existing tariffs that have disrupted global supply chains are unlikely to be lifted any time soon.
The United States and China agreed on Saturday to restart trade talks after President Donald Trump offered concessions including no new tariffs and an easing of restrictions on tech company Huawei in order to reduce tensions with Beijing.
“The easing of Huawei ban was a bit of surprise so there was a bit of short-covering. But there remain question over how effective the agreement will be,” said Norihiro Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.
Data published so far this week has showed factory activity in the euro zone shrank at a faster pace than expected last month and U.S. manufacturing activity slowed in June. Most Asian factory gauges also contracted.
In addition, the U.S. Trade Representative's office released a list of additional European products that could be subject to tariffs, on top of products worth $21 billion that were announced in April. These included olives, Italian cheese and Scotch whisky.
Bond market
Global bond yields are also hitting new lows as investors bet on further monetary easing around the world amid faltering global growth.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Tuesday flagged uncertainties stemming from trade disputes and Britain's departure from the European Union even as he stuck to his line that the central bank could raise rates in event of a smooth Brexit.
The UK gilts yield tumbled 9 basis points to 0.722 , the first time in a decade the 10-year yield is below the BOE's main policy rate.
European bond yields are expected to fall further after European Union leaders agreed late on Tuesday to name France's Christine Lagarde as the new head of the European Central Bank. .
“Lagarde has been consistently saying that the global economy is slowing down due to Sino-U.S. trade spats and that countries need to deal with that by both fiscal and monetary stimulus,” said Mitsubishi's Fujito.
“This means she will continue (current ECB President Mario) Draghi's dovish stance,” he added.
In the United States, Trump said on Tuesday he intends to nominate Judy Shelton, an economic adviser to his 2016 presidential campaign, and Christopher Waller, an executive vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, to the Federal Reserve board of governors.
The 10-year yield fell below two percent to fall as low as 1.969%, a low last seen in November 2016.
Currency market
In the currency market the pound flirted with two-week lows after Carney's comments and last stood at $1.2599.
The euro was steadier at $1.1291 while the dollar traded at 107.87 yen, off Monday's high of 108.535 hit after China and the United States agreed to resume trade talks.
Crude prices
Oil prices rose a tad after data showed U.S. crude inventories fell more than expected last week but remained wobbly after four-percent dives on Tuesday even after OPEC and allies including Russia agreed to extend supply cuts until next March.
Brent crude futures traded at $62.85 per barrel, up 0.7% after having fallen 4.1% on Tuesday.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 0.6% to %56.56 a barrel, following 4.8% drop the previous day.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.