(Updates prices)
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Traders pricing in 60% chance of 25bp Fed cut next month
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Stocks rebound, dollar steady
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Eyes on sliding yen as markets alert to intervention risk
By Rae Wee and Amanda Cooper
SINGAPORE/LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Global stocks rose
on Monday, as growing expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut
in December helped offset some of the recent investor angst over
excessive tech valuations that has stirred up volatility this
month.
Markets are gearing up for the release of U.S. retail sales
and producer prices data later in the week, as well as British
finance minister Rachel Reeves' highly anticipated budget on
Wednesday.
Geopolitical developments were also in focus. The U.S. and
Ukraine were continuing work on a plan to end the war with
Russia, after agreeing to modify an earlier proposal that was
seen by Kyiv and its European allies as too favourable to
Moscow. That weighed on oil prices, as a deal could
theoretically release more Russian supply through an easing of
sanctions.
EUROPEAN STOCKS CATCH UP
Stocks in Europe rallied in early trading, playing catch-up
with the late bounce on Wall Street on Friday, but were more or
less unchanged around midday, as losses in defence stocks
mounted, leaving the STOXX 600, which ended last week
with a loss of 2.2%, up 0.1%.
Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures rose 0.8%
and 0.5%, respectively.
The latest gains came after influential Fed policymaker John
Williams said on Friday that interest rates could fall "in the
near term", raising the possibility of another cut in December.
"We expect another Fed cut in December, followed by two more
moves in March and June 2026 that take the funds rate to
3-3.25%," said Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius in a
note.
"The risks for next year are tilted towards more cuts, as
the news on underlying inflation has been favourable and the
deterioration in the job market ... might be difficult to
contain via the modest cyclical growth acceleration we expect."
Fed funds futures now point to a roughly 65% chance that the
Fed will cut by 25 basis points next month.
DATA FOG PERSISTS
A record U.S. government shutdown that ended earlier this
month has muddied the outlook for U.S. rates, as policymakers
grapple with gaps in data that would normally guide their view
of the world's largest economy.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday it had
cancelled the release of October's consumer price report because
the shutdown had prevented the collection of data.
Generali Investments senior economist Paolo Zanghieri said
he and his team believed the market was pricing in more rate
cuts than the Fed might deliver.
"We see the chance of a cut next month as 50/50. Given
limited new data, it would be reasonable for the Fed to wait
until January, while signalling an easing bias," he said.
"More importantly, market expectations for nearly four cuts
next year, based on hopes for rapid disinflation, appear too
optimistic. We expect only 50 basis points of easing by summer,"
he added.
ON ALERT FOR YEN INTERVENTION
The main focus in the currency market was on the yen,
which was pinned near a 10-month low, as the dollar gained
another 0.3% to trade at 156.81 yen. In November so far, the
Japanese currency has lost around 1.8% in value, making it the
worst-performing major currency against the dollar this month.
Traders have been alert to the risk of intervention from
Japanese authorities to prop up the yen, which has come under
pressure from growing worries about the nation's fiscal health
and low domestic rates.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama ramped up her verbal
efforts to support the currency last week, which seems to have
put a floor under the currency for now.
"Dollar/yen will definitely be going upwards even if you try
to intervene. So I think they will have to live with this. The
only way for them to do it is intervention to stop the pace
maybe, but I don't think they can stop the direction," said
Saktiandi Supaat, regional head of FX research and strategy for
global markets at Maybank.
The dollar was weaker against most other currencies, given
the rising expectations for the Fed to cut rates next month,
with the euro up 0.3% to $1.1548, while sterling
rose 0.1% to $1.3114 ahead of Wednesday's budget announcement.
In commodities, Brent crude futures held steady
around $62.59 a barrel, having touched a session low below $62
earlier, while spot gold rose 0.35% to $4,079 an ounce.