Business Headlines

Asian Stocks to Gain After Yen Slips as Risks Fade: Markets Wrap

published Apr 17th 2017, 5:53 pm, by Garfield Reynolds

(Bloomberg) —Asian equity futures indicated most regional bourses would gain after U.S. stocks rose the most in six weeks. The yen weakened against most peers as geopolitical threats eased and a fresh set of American economic data damped the odds for a Federal Reserve rate hike in June.

Contracts on the Nikkei 225 Average signaled Japanese stocks were poised for a second day of gains, while futures also climbed for South Korea and Taiwan. Bloomberg’s dollar index pared losses after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Financial Times the greenback’s strength is “a good thing.” The yield on 10-year Treasuries edged higher from a November low. Gold erased gains. Copper climbed after China’s economy expanded more than forecast.

Investors turned less cautious in the absence of any major international incidents that damped the prospects for global growth. The U.S. has gotten encouraging signs that China will act to pressure Kim Jong Un’s regime to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a State Department official said, but the Trump administration is holding on to military action — alone or with allies — as an option. Exchanges open after the Easter break in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Here’s what investors are watching this week:

The Reserve Bank of Australia releases on Tuesday the minutes from this month’s policy decision, when it left interest rates at a record low. Malaysia, New Zealand and Hong Kong are all due to report CPI figures this week, while Japan will release trade data and Australia gets updates on business and consumer confidence. The annual spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund take place in Washington. Companies reporting this week include Bank of America Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Heineken NV and Unilever.

Here are the main moves in markets:

The yen declined 0.1 percent to 109.02 per dollar as of 7:46 a.m. in Tokyo. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was steady after falling 0.2 percent Monday to the lowest closing level since March 27. Nikkei 225 futures rose 0.7 percent in Singapore, while contracts on South Korean and Taiwan gauges each climbed at least 0.3 percent. The S&P 500 rose 0.9 percent on Monday. The gauge lost 1.1 percent in the prior, holiday-shortened week. Trading in S&P 500 shares was 16 percent below the 30-day average. The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose one basis point to 2.25 percent, climbing from the lowest in about five months. China’s holdings of U.S. Treasuries rose in February, while Japan’s holdings reached the highest level since October. Gold was little changed at $1,284.71 an ounce after declining for two days. Copper futures climbed 0.9 percent on Monday in New York, boosted by data showing China’s gross domestic product rose 6.9 percent in the first quarter. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.1 percent to $52.69 a barrel, after dropping 1 percent on Monday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Garfield Reynolds in Sydney at greynolds1@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sarah McDonald at smcdonald23@bloomberg.net Jeff Sutherland

The Author

Walt Alexander

Walt Alexander

Walt Alexander is the editor-in-chief of Men of Value. Learn more about his vision for the online magazine for American men with the American values—faith, family & freedom—in his Welcome from the Editor.

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