Stock

Asian shares defy Wall Street’s rise, oil extends losses

By Stella Qiu

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Asian stocks edged lower on Tuesday, contrasting with a strong Wall Street close and investor optimism about corporate earnings, while the dollar held near a two-month top, aided by bets on a smaller U.S. rate cut next month.

Oil prices fell about 3% after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told the United States that Israel is willing to strike Iranian military targets and not nuclear or oil ones, easing immediate concerns about supply disruptions. [O/R]

The Nikkei rallied more than 1% to a three-month peak, having been closed on Monday for a holiday. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.26% as gains in Taiwan and Australia were overshadowed by a drop in Chinese markets.

China’s blue chips fell 1.08%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slid nearly 2% as a lack of new stimulus details from Beijing left investors wanting for more.

Chinese media reported Beijing may raise an additional 6 trillion yuan ($850 billion) from Treasury bonds over three years to help bolster a sagging economy.

“China’s signal on policy stimulus prompted us to go modestly overweight, especially given depressed valuations. Details have been scant, so we could change our view if future announcements disappoint,” said analysts at BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Investment Institute.

“We still like U.S. stocks and the broad AI theme as corporate earnings growth expands beyond tech. Yet fears over stretched valuations can drive brief selloffs. This calls for considering global exposure where we see cheap valuations and potential catalysts.”

Overnight, the S&P 500 and Dow roared to record high closes, led by chip stocks after a 2.4% jump in AI darling Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and a brisk start to the third-quarter earnings season with beats by JP Morgan and Wells Fargo.

Other big banks including Citi, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs will report quarterly results on Tuesday.

Stock futures edged higher on Tuesday, with S&P 500 futures ticking up 0.06% while Nasdaq futures rose 0.02%.

EUROSTOXX 50 futures added 0.28%. FTSE futures last traded 0.34% higher.

In the foreign exchange market, the dollar slipped 0.12% to 149.60 yen, pulling back from a 2-1/2-month high of 149.98 overnight. The euro eased 0.17% to $1.0890, languishing near the 10-week trough overnight, ahead of a rate decision from the European Central Bank on Thursday.

The dollar has been buoyed by conviction the Federal Reserve will choose a smaller 25 basis point rate cut next month, rather than a 50 bp move, given the economy continues to grow without overheating.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller on Monday called for “more caution” on interest-rate cuts ahead, while Fed Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari sees more modest rate cuts ahead.

Traders are pricing in about an 88% probability the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points next month and a 12% chance it would leave rates unchanged, according to CME’s FedWatch.

The U.S. bond market was shut for a holiday on Monday, but cash Treasuries fell slightly in early Asia trade. Two-year Treasury yields are up 2 basis points to 3.9665%, while 10-year yields steadied at 4.0944%.

Oil extended its declines for a third straight session on demand concerns and as the jitters about Israel’s attack on Iran calmed. Brent futures fell 3.7% to $74.58 a barrel, having dropped 2% overnight.

Gold was 0.41% lower at $2,640.12 an ounce.

This post appeared first on investing.com

You May Also Like

Editor's Pick

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) will face off Tuesday night at a CBS News vice-presidential debate in New York....

Latest News

A North Korean defector who escaped to the South more than a decade ago was detained after attempting to cross back into North Korea...

Economy

A U.N. human rights group confirmed Hamas’ leader in Lebanon, who was recently killed by Israeli strikes, was their employee.  Fateh Sherif was killed...

Investing

Astron (ASX:ATR) and Energy Fuels (TSX:EFR,NYSEAMERICAN:UUUU) have completed the establishment of a joint venture to advance the Australia-based Donald rare earths and mineral sands...

Disclaimer: balanceandcharge.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2024 balanceandcharge.com

Exit mobile version