financetom
World
financetom
/
World
/
Morning bid: The waiting game ahead of Fed, BOJ
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Morning bid: The waiting game ahead of Fed, BOJ
Jul 29, 2024 3:14 PM

(Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets.

Stocks around the world on Monday continued from where they left off on Friday, stemming the tide of last week's selling as investors squared positions ahead of a wave of market-moving economic data, policy decisions and earnings reports later in the week.

There doesn't appear to be much on the immediate horizon to give Asian assets a strong steer on Tuesday - Wall Street was mixed, the dollar climbed and Treasury yields dipped - suggesting regional markets will be relatively well-supported but range-bound.

Japanese labor market data, housing and retail trade figures from Australia, and a sprinkling of earnings reports, including Standard Chartered, Nomura Holdings and Samsung are the main regional events that investors will be looking out for.

Asian equities appear to have stopped the recent rot, with some benchmark indices on Monday chalking up their best day in two weeks - the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index rose 0.7%, the Hang Seng rose 1.3%, and Japan's Nikkei jumped 2.1%.

That was the Nikkei's best day since April - an impressive bounce from a three-month low, but it did follow eight straight down days, its worst run in almost three years.

Can Asia take heart from U.S. and world stocks' performance on Monday?

The recent rotation out of U.S. Big Tech into small caps stalled, with the Russell 2000 heavily underperforming tech and the Nasdaq more broadly. The S&P 500 barely rose 0.1% - a tiny gain, but the first time in two weeks that the index has risen two days in a row.

The Bank of Japan's policy decision on Wednesday looms larger over Japanese assets. Sources have told Reuters that a rate hike will be discussed and policymakers may also unveil a plan to roughly halve its bond purchases in the coming years.

Money market pricing on the BOJ's move on rates still leans toward a 10-basis point hike but tightening will be slow - barely 20 bps of rate hikes are priced in by year end.

If policy 'normalization' in Japan is that gradual, the yen will struggle to get much upward traction from Tokyo. It might get more of a boost from the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks cutting rates more aggressively than markets currently expect.

U.S. rates futures traders are betting that the Fed will stand pat on Wednesday, begin easing in September, and cut rates by around 65 bps before the year is out. The Bank of England meets on Thursday, and could cut rates.

The dollar rose to a two-week high against a basket of major currencies on Monday, nudging through 154.00 yen as Wednesday's Fed and BOJ meetings draw closer. Asian FX markets are mostly subdued, while China's yuan is also taking a breather.

Here are key developments that could provide more direction to markets on Tuesday:

- Japan unemployment rate (June)

- Australia building approvals (June)

- Samsung earnings (Q2)

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 >
European Equities Close Higher in Wednesday Trading; EC Forecasts Economic Growth to Accelerate in 2025
European Equities Close Higher in Wednesday Trading; EC Forecasts Economic Growth to Accelerate in 2025
May 15, 2024
12:09 PM EDT, 05/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The European stock markets closed higher in Wednesday trading as The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.60%, the Swiss Market Index climbed 0.98%, France's CAC gained 0.17%, the FTSE in London was up 0.21%, and Germany's DAX closed 0.82% higher. The European Commission said Wednesday that it believes the European economy has turned a...
Nasdaq Surges 150 Points; Retail Sales Flat For April
Nasdaq Surges 150 Points; Retail Sales Flat For April
May 15, 2024
U.S. stocks traded higher midway through trading, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining around 150 points on Wednesday. The Dow traded up 0.59% to 39,790.88 while the NASDAQ rose 0.93% to 16,665.13. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.80% to 5,288.72. Check This Out: Wall Street’s Most Accurate Analysts’ Views On 3 Materials Stocks Delivering High-Dividend Yields Leading and Lagging Sectors...
Brazil meatpacker Marfrig back in black, sees North America cattle prices up
Brazil meatpacker Marfrig back in black, sees North America cattle prices up
May 15, 2024
SAO PAULO, May 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian beef producer Marfrig on Wednesday posted a 62.6 million reais ($12.19 million) net profit in the first quarter, reversing a 634 million reais loss from a year earlier, with revenues rising in all divisions and financial expenses falling. Marfrig reported net revenue, excluding assets in South America it has agreed to sell, of...
US Treasury Reports Net Securities Inflows Advance in March Based on TICS Data
US Treasury Reports Net Securities Inflows Advance in March Based on TICS Data
May 15, 2024
04:07 PM EDT, 05/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The US Treasury reported Wednesday that there was a net combined $102.1 billion inflow of long-term, short-term and banking flows in March, compared with a $42 billion inflow in February. Long-term securities transactions represented a $100.5 billion inflow while short-term transactions were a net $23.7 billion outflow and bank liabilities were a net...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved