* China pushes yuan down overnight after devaluation
* Growth, deflationary concerns dominate
* Stocks, dollar, commodities slammed again
* Fed rate hike expectations pushed back
By Jamie McGeever
LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Markets around the world fell for
a second day on Wednesday, with stocks, the dollar and emerging
market currencies all under pressure after China pushed the yuan
lower again overnight, boosting the appeal of top-rated
government bonds.
Germany's 2-year yield fell to a fresh record low of -0.29
percent as investors feared the deflationary pressures of a
slowdown in China - which devalued its currency on Tuesday -
would sap growth around the rest of the world.
The price of industrial commodities such as oil and copper
fell further - copper hit a 6-year low - after the yuan's slump
and reported sub-forecast industrial production and retail sales
figures for July.
The prospect of a U.S. interest rate hike next month dimmed
too, which dragged the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields lower.
The flip side of that was the fifth consecutive rise in gold
prices to a three-week high.
"This is impacting risk assets due to the unpredictability
of the Chinese central bank's action and will have a knock on
deflationary impact for China's big trading partners," FXpro
senior strategist Angus Campbell said.
"Companies that are reliant on revenues from China will be
shunned by investors for the second day in a row," he said.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 and the
euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index .STOXX50E both fell
2.2 percent, extending Tuesday's 1.7 percent decline.
Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC 40 .FCHI
underperformed, both losing 2.5 percent, as the yuan's slump hit
German carmakers and European luxury goods stocks.
Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE was down 1.8 percent while U.S.
futures indicated Wall Street will open 1 percent in the red
SPc1 . On Tuesday, the S&P 500 .SPX shed 1 percent and the
Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.2 percent .DJI .
YIELDS FALL
On Wednesday, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the
yuan's midpoint rate weaker than Tuesday's closing
market rate, which had already fallen sharply after China
devalued its currency by nearly 2 percent in a surprise move.
The yuan's spot value fell further after Beijing
released July output and investment data, losing 1.8 percent to
trade at 6.4390 to the dollar. It has fallen nearly 4 percent in
two days.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS fell 2.1 percent to a two-year low. Stock
markets from Australia to Singapore were a sea of red.
Emerging market currencies from Indonesia to Brazil reeled
as investors feared central banks could rush to weaken their own
currencies in response to China's move.
The U.S. dollar, however, failed to extend its gains against
emerging market currencies across the board, as falling U.S.
yields and Fed rate hike expectations drove it lower.
The euro rose 1 percent above $1.11 for the first time in
three weeks EUR= and the dollar fell 0.5 percent against the
yen - its biggest fall in over a month - to 124.40 yen JPY= .
The probability of the Federal Reserve raising U.S. interest
rates next month faded to less than 50 percent from nearly 60
percent immediately after last week's solid employment data.
December now looks more likely.
"While domestic data will still carry more importance, on
balance the PBOC action reinforces our view of December
liftoff," Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) said in a note to clients.
The ten-year U.S. Treasury yield fell to 2.05 percent, the lowest in over three months, and the strong
demand for safe-haven bonds around the world pushed the 2-year
German yield to a new low of minus 0.29 percent.
Commodities investors worried that prolonged yuan weakness
could revive deflationary pressures, with a 19-commodity Thomson
Reuters/Core Commodity CRB Index .TRJCRB holding near lows not
seen since 2003.
In European trading, however, the weak dollar helped oil and
copper bounce off their lows to claw back some ground, and
lifted gold to a three-week high of $1,119.890 an ounce XAU= .