Get 40% Off
👀 👁 🧿 All eyes on Biogen, up +4,56% after posting earnings. Our AI picked it in March 2024.
Which stocks will surge next?
Unlock AI-picked Stocks

GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks ride high as 'risk-on' reigns supreme

Published 2019-02-12, 08:36 a/m
Updated 2019-02-12, 08:40 a/m
© Reuters.  GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks ride high as 'risk-on' reigns supreme

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2019 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

* World stock index rises 0.3 pct, Nikkei up 2.6 pct

* European stocks open higher, Dax leads, FTSE near 4 month high

* U.S. futures up on tentative deal to avert govt shutdown

* Dollar holds at 2 month high, bond yields inch upwards

* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4

By Marc Jones

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - World shares and bond yields rode a renewed surge in risk appetite on Tuesday as investors turned optimistic about U.S.-China trade talks and cheered Washington's deal to avoid another government shutdown.

Tokyo's Nikkei set the tone with its best day of the year so far .T and, as Europe's traders hauled the STOXX 600 .STOXX back towards two-month highs set last week, it was little surprise to see Wall Street futures pointing higher. .EU .N

Germany's DAX .GDAXI jumped as much as 1.3 percent and Paris and Milan were both up 1 percent, though London's FTSE .FTSE lagged amid UK PLC's ongoing Brexit uncertainty. .EU .L

The other big focus was the dollar, which hovered at a two-month high having just scored its longest winning streak - eight days straight - in two years. /FRX

"We have had two bits of relatively good news overnight - optimism about the U.S. shutdown not resuming and optimism about a trade deal," said Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) strategist Kit Juckes.

"Equities are higher, bond yields are a little bit higher, yen and Swiss franc weakest of the major currencies, so it's sort of risk-on rules OK!"

3rd party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Investing.com. See disclosure here or remove ads .

Another risk-sensitive currency the Australian dollar also gained and as well as the Japanese yen and Swiss franc, U.S. Treasuries and German Bunds, which are also traditional safety-plays, also sold off. GVD/EUR

Juckes said he reckoned there was now a 75 percent chance that a ratcheting up of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods will now be avoided and a 95 percent chance that another U.S. government shutdown will be averted.

Those odds got a boost after U.S. lawmakers reached a tentative deal on border security funding, though aides did caution that it did not contain the $5.7 billion President Donald Trump wants to build a wall on the Mexican border. and Chinese officials had also expressed hopes that the new round of talks, which began in Beijing on Monday, would bring them closer to easing their near year-long trade war. and Washington are trying to hammer out a deal before a March 1 deadline, without which U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 percent from 10 percent.

"There will be no winner in a trade war. So at some point they will likely strike a deal," said Mutsumi Kagawa, chief global strategist at Rakuten Securities in Tokyo.

KNOT THE NORMAL VIEW

Underscoring the dramatic turn this year, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) said emerging markets - which in 2018 suffered one of their worst years on record - were now the most "crowded trade" among its clients with $625 billion of asset-buying firepower. 500 e-mini futures ESc1 , meanwhile, were up after a mixed Monday, with trade-sensitive industrial bellwethers, Boeing (NYSE:BA) BA.N and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) CAT.N and some major chipmakers all up in pre-market moves. .N

3rd party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Investing.com. See disclosure here or remove ads .

Most of Asia had nudged higher overnight but it was Japan's Nikkei .N225 that caught the eye as its scored its best day of the year so far with a 2.6 percent surge, having started the day at a one-month low.

With the yen backtracking, shares of exporters such as automakers and machinery makers had led the charge. Separately, Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) noted it was also 20 years since Japan cut interest rates to zero, something now standard in large parts of Europe. .T

The yen's weakness came as the dollar consolidated its longest unbroken rally in two years against a basket of six major currencies. .DXY

The dollar popped up to a six-week high of 110.65 yen JPY= . In contrast, the euro dropped to as low as $1.1267, its weakest in 2-1/2 months, and last traded at $1.12790 EUR= .

Even Klaas Knot, one of the ECB's arch hawks, was suddenly sounding cautious about the central bank ending almost a decade of heavy euro zone stimulus. "At this moment a wait-and-see attitude is probably the optimal attitude," Knot said in an interview with the Financial Times. the Federal Reserve's dovish turn dented the dollar earlier this month, analysts also note the U.S. currency still has the highest yield among major FX peers and that the Fed continues to shrink its balance sheet.

"It has been particular strong as of late again because of the decoupling between the U.S. and the rest of world if you look at (economic) surprise indicators," Andrey Kuznetsov, a bond portfolio manager at Hermes Investment Management, said.

3rd party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Investing.com. See disclosure here or remove ads .

In commodity markets, oil prices also jumped up as traders weighed support from OPEC-led supply restraint and a slowdown in the global economy.

U.S. crude futures CLc1 traded at $53.64 per barrel, up $1.42. Brent crude LCOc1 rose $1.20 percent to $62.89 per barrel. Gold was a touch stronger too at $1,314 an ounce. GOL/

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Citi Economic Surprise Index

https://tmsnrt.rs/2TQOckB

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

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.