financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
Asian bonds attract hefty inflows on US rate outlook, strong exports
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Asian bonds attract hefty inflows on US rate outlook, strong exports
Aug 14, 2024 12:57 AM

(Reuters) - Foreign investors were net buyers of Asian bonds for the third consecutive month in July, spurred by strong regional export growth and expectations of a September rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Overseas investors purchased a net $7.91 billion worth of bonds in Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand in July, data from regulatory authorities and bond market associations showed, following an about $3.03 billion worth of net accumulations in the previous month.

"The macroeconomic fundamentals in Asia remain positive. This should attract more inflows, especially with the U.S. Federal Reserve on track to cut rates soon," said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ.

Reports signalled that regional economies including China, South Korea and Taiwan witnessed higher volumes of exports in July.

Indonesian bonds attracted a significant $3 billion in July, marking their third consecutive month of net buying, largely driven by foreign investments in Bank Indonesia Rupiah Securities (SRBI).

Demand for Indian bonds soared with a net investment of $2.68 billion, the highest figure in five months, following the inclusion in JP Morgan's emerging market debt index on June 28.

Indian bonds are expected to gain monthly inflows of about $2 billion until they reach a weight of around 10% in the JPMorgan's index by March 2025.

Cross-border investors also poured $1.75 billion and $749 million, respectively, into Malaysia and Thai bonds, while they pulled a net $270 million out of South Korean bonds.

Financial markets experienced increased volatility in early August following a weaker-than-expected U.S. payrolls report and disappointing manufacturing data, heightening concerns about an economic slowdown.

A weekly employment report last week, however, showed a drop in unemployment claims.

"Last week's better-than-expected U.S. jobless claims data helped assuage market concerns. We believe that the U.S. recession fears are overblown," ANZ's Goh said.

"We expect the mix of steady labour market statistics along with cooling inflation to keep the hopes of a U.S. soft landing alive, which will help portfolio inflows into Asia."

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Trump likely to allow Fed Chair Powell to serve remainder of his term, CNN reports
Trump likely to allow Fed Chair Powell to serve remainder of his term, CNN reports
Nov 9, 2024
(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is likely to allow Jerome Powell to serve the remainder of his term as the Federal Reserve chair, CNN reported on Thursday, citing a senior adviser to Trump. While Trump could change his mind, he and his economic team's present view is that Powell should remain atop the central bank until Powell's term expires...
US 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rise to four-month high of 6.79%
US 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rise to four-month high of 6.79%
Nov 9, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage rates increased to a four-month high this week and could rise further amid fears that President-elect Donald Trump's proposed economic policies could stoke inflation. The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased to 6.79%, the highest level since July 2024, from 6.72% last week, mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac said on Thursday. It...
Fed Cuts Interest Rates To Lowest Since February 2023, Sticks To Data-Driven Path
Fed Cuts Interest Rates To Lowest Since February 2023, Sticks To Data-Driven Path
Nov 9, 2024
The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 0.25 percentage points on Thursday, as widely anticipated by the market, bringing the federal funds rate to a target range of 4.5% to 4.75%, the lowest since February 2023. With this decision, the Fed slowed the pace of rate cuts compared to September, when policymakers opted for a more substantial 0.5% cut to...
US weekly jobless claims up slightly; unit labor costs stir inflation fears
US weekly jobless claims up slightly; unit labor costs stir inflation fears
Nov 9, 2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, suggesting no material change in the labor market and reinforcing views that hurricanes and strikes had resulted in job growth almost stalling in October. Though the labor market is easing, wage pressures are not showing a significant cooling, casting a shadow over the inflation...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved