🤑 It doesn’t get more affordable. Grab this 60% OFF Black Friday offer before it disappears…CLAIM SALE

GLOBAL MARKETS-Buoyant data bolsters euro rally, shares creep higher

Published 2017-05-23, 09:13 a/m
© Reuters.  GLOBAL MARKETS-Buoyant data bolsters euro rally, shares creep higher
EUR/USD
-
UK100
-
XAU/USD
-
FCHI
-
DE40
-
JP225
-
GC
-
LCO
-
CL
-
DE10YT=RR
-
SSEC
-
MIAPJ0000PUS
-
CSI300
-

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2017 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

* European stocks climb after upbeat data, Wall Street seen up

* Euro holds near 6-month high, dollar flat as Trump budget due

* Oil dips back below $54 on Trump budget proposals

* Sterling dips after Manchester suicide attack kills 22

By Marc Jones

LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) - Shares climbed and the euro hit a six-month month high before running out of steam on Tuesday, as the latest economic data made for encouraging reading, especially in Germany.

Investors continued to grapple with U.S. uncertainty as President Donald Trump's first full budget plan loomed, and a suicide bombing in Britain subdued the pound GBP= .

But the euro zone PMI surveys showing the bloc's firms on their strongest run since 2011 as well as best manufacturing sector jobs growth in the survey's 20-year-history bolstered signs the bloc is finally outperforming. FTSE .FTSE , Frankfurt's DAX .GDAXI and the CAC in Paris .FCHI were up 0.3 percent, 0.5 and 0.7 percent as what was expected to be a modestly higher start for U.S. markets neared. .N

The euro hit $1.12680 EUR=EBS to beat the previous day's high by a whisker, only to fade back to $1.12225 as traders locked in some of this month's 3.5 percent surge.

"We've got a good pace of growth here. The fact we have maintained this high level in May is great news for second quarter GDP," said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit which compiles the monthly PMI data.

It was not all smooth going though. Signs that euro zone governments and the International Monetary Fund remain some way apart on Greece's debt problems nagged at bond markets and hit Greek shares.

Greece's short-dated government bond yields GR5YT=TWEB rose sharply as the IMF's chief negotiator stuck to its stance that there needs to be more realism on what Athens can deliver after almost a decade in crisis. prospect of the ECB scaling down its multi trillion euro stimulus programme if data remains as strong as it is, nudged up yields on German Bunds DE10YT=TWEB and other higher-rated government debt. GVD/EUR

"The risk-off environment is already erased and we are back to the levels we saw yesterday on the back of the very bright economic outlook," said DZ Bank analyst Rene Abrecht.

TRUMP CAUTION

Britain's sterling was back below $1.30 GBP= and at a near two-month low of 86.6 pence per euro EURGBP= as more signs of drop in the UK economy followed a suicide attack in Manchester that killed at least 22 people and wounded 59. bombing came as Britain gears up for a snap election on June 8 that Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to win easily, although polls show the contest tightening. Friction with the EU ahead of Brexit negotiations has also added to sterling's woes. trading had seen a modest pull back in risk appetite with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares .MIAPJ0000PUS dropping back from near two-year highs.

Tokyo's Nikkei .N225 closed down 0.3 percent as Japanese manufacturing activity expanded at the slowest pace in six months, while trading in China was choppy .CSI300 .SSEC on concerns over a regulatory crackdown on lending practices.

Its president Xi Jinping said later that authorities will also regulate overseas operations of Chinese companies more closely.

The dollar remained in the doldrums too. It was stuck at a 6-1/2-month low against a basket of other major currencies as low 10-year U.S. Treasury yields also underscored the dwindling hopes for significant near-term U.S. fiscal stimulus. /US

The White House will present Trump's first full budget plan to lawmakers on Tuesday. Its proposals include a $3.6 trillion cut in government spending over 10 years, balancing the budget by the end of the decade. holds the federal purse strings and often ignores presidential budgets, which are proposals and may not take effect in its current form.

But the plan, which is to advocate selling half of strategic U.S. oil reserves, weighed on crude futures, offsetting optimism over expectations that other major oil producers would agree to extend supply curbs this week. O/R

Global benchmark Brent LCOc1 retreated 0.8 percent to$53.44 a barrel and U.S. crude futures CLc1 dipped to $50.71, having hit their highest level in more than a month overnight.

The weaker dollar lifted gold slightly, however. Spot gold XAU= climbed 0.1 percent to $1,261.56 an ounce in its third straight session of gains.

"This broad dollar weakness remains," Saxo Bank's head of FX strategy John Hardy said.

"But I think it is getting a bit stretched on the euro story and I think the market may feel that as well."

For Reuters Live Markets blog on European and UK stock markets see reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageId=livemarkets

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.