Asian stocks, US futures drop as Fed outlook takes toll; Crude, gold prices decline

Asian stocks, US futures drop as Fed outlook takes toll; Crude, gold prices decline

Stocks fell along with US equity futures Monday on escalating threats to global economic growth, in particular the Federal Reserve’s commitment to tighter monetary settings to quell inflation. Losses for bourses in Japan, Australia and South Korea were in the region of 1% following the worst week for global shares since late June. S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and European contracts suffered losses and a dollar gauge was at a more than one-month peak, further signs of investor wariness.

Sovereign-bonds in Australia and New Zealand dropped and the US 10-year Treasury yield climbed to about 2.99%, extending a selloff from Friday. A jump in global shares from June’s bear-market lows has begun to cool, weighed down by repeated Fed warnings that interest rates are going higher. Troubling global economic developments, lately including power shortages in a Chinese industrial heartland, are also hanging over investors.

Key for markets this week is the Fed’s symposium at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The recent stock bounce has loosened financial conditions, which makes it harder to tackle inflation. The symposium gives Fed Chair Jerome Powell a platform to reset the market’s expectations for a pivot to slower rate hikes. The latter bets have helped to drive the recent equity rebound but are vulnerable to the possibility of persistently elevated price pressures even as economic growth stumbles.

‘Remain Hawkish’

“It is likely central bankers, including Fed Chair Powell, will remain hawkish in dealing with inflation albeit with a bit of caution creeping in given the emerging economic downturn,” Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy at AMP Services Ltd., wrote in a note. In China, Bloomberg Economics expects loan prime rates to fall by 10 basis points later Monday, as banks follow the People’s Bank of China’s decision to cut a key policy rate.

The world’s second-largest economy faces mobility curbs amid rising Covid cases and continuing property-sector woes, aside from a power crunch in Sichuan province, a key manufacturing hub. The Chinese demand outlook is weighing in oil, which sank below $90 a barrel. Traders monitor Iran nuclear talks that could lead to more supplies.

What to watch this week:

China loan prime rates, MondayUS new home sales, S&P Global PMIs, TuesdayFed’s Neel Kashkari speaks at Q&A session, TuesdayUS durable goods, MBA mortgage applications, pending home sales, WednesdayUS GDP, initial jobless claims. ThursdayFed annual policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, ThursdayECB’s July minutes, ThursdayFed Chair Powell speaks at Jackson Hole, FridayUS consumer income, PCE deflator, FridaySome of the main moves in markets:

StocksS&P 500 futures lost 0.6% as of 9:26 a.m. in Tokyo. The S&P 500 fell 1.3%Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.7%. The Nasdaq 100 fell 2%Japan’s Topix index fell 0.7%Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index was 1.1% lowerSouth Korea’s Kospi index declined 1.2%Hang Seng index futures fell 0.9% earlier

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CurrenciesThe Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index added 0.2%The euro was at $1.0027, down 0.1%The Japanese yen was at 137.24 per dollar, down 0.2%The offshore yuan was at 6.8440 per dollar, down 0.1%

BondsThe yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced two basis points to 2.99%Australia’s 10-year yield rose 14 basis points to 3.54%

CommoditiesWest Texas Intermediate crude dropped 1.2% to $89.70 a barrelGold was at $1,745.26 an ounce, down 0.1%