Asian equities tread water

Asian markets edge higher

Given the scale of the rise in headline inflation from the US overnight, US equities were remarkably resilient, perhaps helped by core inflation easing slightly. Wall Street finished lower, but on another week, if we had seen data like that from the US, Wall Street would have been rushing for the exit door. The resilience of Wall Street implies that US equities markets could be set for a bear market rally, especially if the US yield curve continues to move lower and the inversion deepens. Longer-term, none of what I have outlined above will be a constructive environment for equity markets. US earnings season gets underway properly today as well, with JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley announcing. Investment banking revenue will have fallen, but more interesting will be their economic outlook for the rest of the year.

Overnight, and post-CPI, Wall Street fell, with the S&P 500 closing 0.45% lower. The Nasdaq was impressively solid, falling just 0.15%, while the value-centric Dow Jones underperformed, falling by 0.67%. In Asia, US futures are holding steady. S&P 500 and Dow futures are unchanged, while Nasdaq futures have gained 0.25%.

A lack of panic from Wall Street sees Asia stock markets treading water today, erring from unchanged to modestly higher. The Nikkei 225 has risen by 0.75% today, boosted by a weaker yen overnight and falling oil prices this week. South Korea’s Kospi has edged 0.10% higher. Impressive trade data yesterday continues to lift China markets. The Shanghai Composite is 0.30% higher, with the CSI 300 rising by 0.50% and the Hang Seng gaining 0.30%.

In regional markets, Singapore is 0.70% lower after the MAS unexpectedly tightened monetary policy today. Taipei has jumped 0.80% higher, with Kuala Lumpur adding 0.15%, and Jakarta rising by 0.30%. Bangkok is unchanged, but Manila has tumbled by 1.30% after the BSP weighed in with their own rate hike this morning. Australian markets are higher today on impressive employment data, the ASX 200 gaining 0.40%, and the All Ordinaries rallying by 0.60%.

Europe had another torrid day as energy concerns persisted as the Eurozone wilts under a heat wave. Progress in the Ukraine/Russia agricultural export negotiations may give Europe more hopes that Russia won’t switch off the gas from the 21st of July. As such and given the performance of Asia and US markets overnight, I expect Europe to post a positive opening this afternoon.

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.

Jeffrey Halley

Jeffrey Halley

Senior Market Analyst, Asia Pacific, from 2016 to August 2022
With more than 30 years of FX experience – from spot/margin trading and NDFs through to currency options and futures – Jeffrey Halley was OANDA’s Senior Market Analyst for Asia Pacific, responsible for providing timely and relevant macro analysis covering a wide range of asset classes. He has previously worked with leading institutions such as Saxo Capital Markets, DynexCorp Currency Portfolio Management, IG, IFX, Fimat Internationale Banque, HSBC and Barclays. A highly sought-after analyst, Jeffrey has appeared on a wide range of global news channels including Bloomberg, BBC, Reuters, CNBC, MSN, Sky TV and Channel News Asia as well as in leading print publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He was born in New Zealand and holds an MBA from the Cass Business School.
Jeffrey Halley
Jeffrey Halley

Latest posts by Jeffrey Halley (see all)