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Fed's Powell says won't "guess" Trump policies
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US Treasury yields, dollar pulled back from multi-month
peaks
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S&P 500, Nasdaq pushed to all-time highs, Dow held steady
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World equities index at record peak, on track for 3.3%
weekly
advance
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Chinese equities buoyant as stimulus hopes counter Trump
tariff
threat
By Kevin Buckland
TOKYO, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose broadly on
Friday, tracking Wall Street's overnight rise to record highs,
as investors digested the Federal Reserve's message for careful
interest rate cuts even with expectations for big fiscal
spending under incoming President Donald Trump.
U.S. Treasury yields pushed to new lows in Asian hours,
keeping the dollar under pressure after its biggest decline
versus major peers in more than six weeks on Thursday.
Asia-Pacific stocks were on track for a 3.1%
rally this week, after quickly recovering from a knee-jerk dip
on U.S. election night, which spurred worries of debilitating
trade tariffs, not least in China.
However, optimism over stimulus from Beijing buoyed
sentiment as the week-long National People's Congress Standing
Committee meeting concludes on Friday with officials holding a
briefing. Sources previously told Reuters that Chinese fiscal
spending could be increased in the event of a second Trump
presidency.
Mainland Chinese blue chips were up 0.5% as of
0155 GMT, after a 3% surge on Thursday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng
gained 1%.
Japan's Nikkei added 0.25%, up 3.7% for the week.
Australia's stock benchmark climbed 1%, and Taiwan's
benchmark gained 0.7%.
Global stocks, led by Wall Street, are
headed for a 3.3% weekly advance, and stand at a record high.
Trump swept back to the White House on Tuesday with
Republicans taking back the Senate and potentially increasing
their House majority, although votes are still being counted.
The outcome defied polls that predicted a neck-and-neck race
with Democrat Kamala Harris.
Investor expectations that Trump would lower corporate taxes
and loosen regulations sent all three major Wall Street indexes
to record peaks on Wednesday, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq
extended those highs on Thursday, with Fed Chair Jerome
Powell signalling continued, patient policy easing. The Dow
ended flat.
"We think that the economy, and we think our policies, are
both in a very good place, a very good place," Powell said in
his post-meeting news conference.
"We don't know what the timing and substance of any policy
changes will be," Powell said, referring to the incoming Trump
administration, whose tariffs and immigration policies are
expected by analysts and investors to be inflationary.
U.S. two-year Treasury yields, which are highly
sensitive to monetary policy expectations, edged down to 4.2119%
on Friday, compared with a more than three-month high of 4.3120%
on Wednesday.
The dollar index, which measures the currency against
six major peers, ticked up slightly to 104.53, but that followed
a 0.7% drop on Thursday, its biggest since Aug. 23. On
Wednesday, it soared 1.53%, the most in over two years.
"Markets have already gone through the 'honeymoon period'
for the president-elect, and USD and U.S. rates now are in the
'window period', when they consider the policy outlook," said
Shoki Omori, chief Japan desk strategist at Mizuho Securities.
"The key is whether the president-elect and his team want
more fiscal issuance next year," and market participants will
again need to be alert for potentially market-moving posts from
Trump on social media, Omori said.
Bitcoin was flat at $76,000, following a nearly 10%
surge this week, hitting a record peak of $76,980 on Thursday.
Trump has vowed to make the United States "the crypto capital of
the planet".
Gold struggled to make any additional headway
following its rollercoaster week, easing 0.2% to $2,701.55 in
the latest session. It slumped more than 3% on Wednesday, but
bounced 1.8% overnight. Last week it surged to an all-time high
of $2,790.15.
Oil prices edged lower on Friday, following gains of about
1% overnight as the market weighed how President-elect Donald
Trump's policies would affect supplies and as drillers cut
output while bracing for Hurricane Rafael.
Brent crude oil futures were last down 0.22% at
$75.46 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude
eased 0.35% to $72.11.