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Wall Street eyes return to record highs as stocks cheer trade reprieve

Published 2019-07-01, 07:40 a/m
Wall Street eyes return to record highs as stocks cheer trade reprieve

* Europe, Nikkei, Shanghai reach two-month highs

* Wall Street eyeing return to record highs

* Treasury bonds off as market scales back bets on Fed easing

* PMI factory surveys disappoint, from China to Japan to euro zone

* Oil prices jump 2.8% as OPEC looks set to extend supply cuts

* Chipmakers rally jump as Trump cools heat on Huawei

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

By Marc Jones

LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Stocks rallied and bonds retreated on Monday as the United States and China agreed to restart trade talks, leading investors to cut back wagers on aggressive policy easing by the major central banks.

The dollar gained against the safe-haven yen as Treasury yields rose and futures reined in bets for a half-point rate cut from the U.S. Federal Reserve this month.

"It (Trump-Xi G20 meeting) played out as well as possible," said Hans Peterson, SEB Investment Management's global head of asset allocation. "So it gives us time to digest and get a bit better activity in the global economy."

The United States and China agreed on Saturday to resume trade negotiations after President Donald Trump offered concessions to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping when the two met at the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan.

Those included no new tariffs and an easing of restrictions on tech company Huawei HWT.UL . China agreed to make unspecified new purchases of U.S. farm products and return to the negotiating table. initial reaction was one of relief that at least new tariffs were avoided.

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Europe's STOXX 600 climbed 1% and Japan's Nikkei .N225 2.1% to hit two-month highs. MSCI's broadest global index .MIWD00000PUS added 0.3%, having just missed its best first half to a year. blue chips .CSI300 jumped 2.6% to their highest since late April and Germany's export-heavy DAX .GDAXI gained 1.5% to its highest since August. The Huawei hiatus and M&A activity pushed Europe's tech sector .SX8P to a one-year peak. .EU

Wall Street was looking on course to return to record highs with S&P 500 ESc1 and Nasdaq NQc1 futures up 1.1% and 1.7%. .N In the bond market, though, Treasury futures TYc1 dipped as yields on 10-year notes US10YT=RR edged up to 2.02%. [GVD/EUR

Fed funds 0#FF: dropped over five ticks as the market scaled back the probability of a half-point rate cut this month to around 15%, from nearer 50% a week ago. FEDWATCH

Central bank umbrella group, the Bank for International Settlements, had urged top central banks at the weekend to preserve their ammunition rather than deplete it chasing higher growth. think the Fed expectations in the market are very aggressive. Possibly a bit too aggressive," SEB's Peterson said.

DAMAGE DONE

No deadline was set for a trade deal at the weekend G20 summit, however, and much damage has already been done. Two surveys of Chinese manufacturing showed activity contracting. official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) held at 49.4 in June, just missing forecasts, while the Caixin/Markit PMI dropped to 49.4, the worst reading since January.

Surveys from Japan and South Korea showed similar slowdowns. So did the reading for the euro zone, which contracted for a fifth month running and at a faster pace than previously expected. zone manufacturing remained stuck firmly in a steep downturn in June, continuing to contract at one of the steepest rates seen for over six years," said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit.

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There were some unusual issues, too. South Korea .KS11 lagged, in part as Japan tightened restrictions on exports of high-tech materials in response to a South Korean ruling on war-time forced labour. Union leaders were struggling to agree on who will take over the EU's top jobs Swiss stocks seemed unfazed that they had been barred from EU exchanges amid a row between Brussels and Bern. post-G20 cheer dominated, though. In currency markets, safe havens like the yen and Swiss franc gave up some recent gains. The dollar rose 0.4% on the yen to 108.26 JPY= and 0.7% on the franc to 0.9830 CHF= . /FRX

The dollar added 0.4% on a basket of currencies to 96.531 .DXY . The euro eased to $1.1350 EUR= . The dollar went the other way on the Chinese yuan, dipping 0.4% to 6.8403 CNY= .

The dollar's gains hurt gold, which fell 1.5% to $1,388 per ounce XAU=

Industrial metals did better. Copper scored a six-week high and oil prices rose as OPEC and its allies looked set to extend supply cuts at least until the end of 2019. Iraq joined top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia in endorsing the policy. O/R

Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose $1.55, or 2.4%, to $66.31 a barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 gained $1.35, or 2.3%, to $59.82.

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https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 Asia-Pacific valuations

https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dr2BQA Global markets in H1

https://tmsnrt.rs/2FEK8yw

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