Space Travel News
TRADE WARS
Stocks mostly rise as focus turns to US inflation data
Stocks mostly rise as focus turns to US inflation data
by AFP Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 12, 2024

Asian markets mostly rose Monday as investors tried to move on from last week's upheaval fuelled by US recession worries, with focus shifting to the release of key inflation and retail data.

After a painful collapse fuelled by a big miss on US jobs creation, equities managed to bounce back over the following days and ended Friday on a healthy note.

The gains were helped by a report showing fewer people than expected claimed unemployment benefits, soothing fears that the world's top economy was contracting.

However, analysts warned that while some calm has returned to trading floors, traders remained on edge and were nervously awaiting the release of the next round of indicators.

The consumer price index and retail sales reports this week could provide the Federal Reserve more room to cut interest rates.

Expectations are that the bank will lower borrowing costs 25 basis points next month, and at least once more before January, thanks to a string of data suggesting prices have been brought under control.

Still, Fed officials offered differing views on the outlook for rates.

Governor Michelle Bowman said she still thought inflation could bounce back and remained cautious about making any reductions too early.

But Boston Fed chief Susan Collins said officials could start cutting soon if data continued to show prices were being tamed.

"The real meltdown could come if we get a double whammy: higher CPI paired with lower retail sales," warned Stephen Innes.

"That combo would have folks running for the fire exits faster than you can yell 'stagflation'," he wrote in his Dark Side Of The Boom newsletter.

"And... after the latest (jobs) growth scare, a higher inflation print might do the damage all on its own."

All three main indexes in New York ended on a positive note Friday.

On Monday, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai, Taipei, Jakarta and Wellington rose, as did London, Paris and Frankfurt, while Shanghai, Singapore and Manila edged down.

Tokyo was closed for a holiday.

The yen weakened following last week's gyrations, which saw it surge to a six-month high against the dollar after the weak US jobs figures fanned Fed rate cut bets.

That came as the Bank of Japan hiked its own rates for the second time in 17 years and indicated more were in the pipeline.

Comments last week aimed at reassuring investors that it would not move while markets were volatile helped settle some nerves.

But Luca Santos at ACY Securities said: "This apparent stability might be temporary. The broader market sentiment, influenced by expectations of significant rate cuts, suggests underlying uncertainties.

"The anticipation of a cumulative 100 basis points in rate cuts this year, followed by another 100 basis points in 2025, reflects a growing belief that the Federal Reserve may need to ease monetary policy more aggressively to support economic growth."

- Key figures around 0810 GMT -

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 17,111.65 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 2,858.20 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,218.22

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0922 from $1.0921 on Friday

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2767 from $1.2760

Dollar/yen: UP at 147.25 yen from 146.63 yen

Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.53 pence from 85.57 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.8 percent at $77.42 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.5 percent at $80.08 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 39,497.54 (close)

dan/smw

NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK

Dow

S&P Global Ratings

INDEX CORP.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
Hong Kong court gives developer Kaisa more time to restructure debt
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 12, 2024
A Hong Kong court on Monday gave troubled Chinese developer Kaisa four more weeks to work with bondholders to come up with a viable restructuring plan. China's property sector has yet to bounce back from Beijing's 2020 crackdown on excessive borrowing and rampant speculation, with some developers now undergoing restructuring after defaults. Shenzhen-based Kaisa is the second-largest issuer of offshore bonds among Chinese developers, behind Evergrande, and first defaulted on its debt in 2021. ... read more

TRADE WARS
TRADE WARS
NASA Trains Machine Learning Algorithm for Mars Sample Analysis

A Yellow Jacket on Mars

One year on 'Mars': Inside NASA's ultra-realistic isolation study

Has NASA found evidence of ancient life on Mars

TRADE WARS
Engineering Students Invited to Enter NASA's 2025 Lunabotics Challenge

Astrobotic Wins NASA Contract for Large Lunar Solar Array Development

Scientists pin down the origins of the moon's tenuous atmosphere

Graphene Discovered in Lunar Soil Sample from Chang'e 5 Mission

TRADE WARS
Ariel's Carbon Dioxide Indicates Potential Subsurface Ocean on Uranus' Moon

Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter

A new insight into Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot

Queen's University Belfast Researchers Investigate Mysterious Brightening of Chiron

TRADE WARS
AI Competition Targets Exoplanet Atmospheres

Study Highlights Potential Dangers to Habitable Planets Around Red Dwarfs

Why advanced Technosignatures could evade detection

Astronomers use AI to Detect Stars Consuming Planets

TRADE WARS
One SpaceX launch scrubbed, another still a go

Northrop Grumman Completes Static Test of Digitally Engineered Rocket Motor

Rocket Lab Plans Next Electron Launch Eight Days After Recent Mission

Variable-Thrust Rocket Engine Passes Initial Hot-Fire Tests

TRADE WARS
Astronauts on Tiangong Space Station Complete Fire Safety Drill

Shenzhou XVIII Crew Conducts Emergency Drill on Tiangong Space Station

Beijing Unveils 'Rocket Street' to Boost Commercial Space Sector

Shenzhou XVII Crew Shares Post-Mission Insights with Media

TRADE WARS
NASA Concludes NEOWISE Mission After Over a Decade of Asteroid Monitoring

Good viewing conditions expected for peak of this week's Perseid meteor shower

Hera mission sparks new discoveries about target asteroids

DART reveals insights on binary asteroid system

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.