U.S. Opening Bell: Europe Shares Follow U.S. Futures Higher, Yields Up; Oil Slides

 | Mar 14, 2022 07:38

  • Peace talks boost market optimism
  • China, Hong Kong benchmarks slip
  • Dollar dips
  • h2 Key Events/h2

    On Monday, US futures on the Dow Jones, S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Russell 2000 advanced with European shares ahead of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine later today. Still, markets are expected to remain subdued ahead of Wednesday's, closely watched Federal Reserve Policy Meeting, even though Fed Chair Jerome Powell has already signaled that he plans to hike rates by 0.25%.

    The global bond selloff persisted, with US 5-year Treasury yields surpassing 2% for the first time since mid-2019.

    h2 Global Financial Affairs/h2

    All four US futures were trading in positive territory which some market watchers are characterizing as a sign of a rally, following last week's steep selloff. However, we think investors are still worried, despite today's uptick.

    Insurers and banks were the drivers of the STOXX 600's advance on Monday.

    Earlier, in Asia, stocks were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged about 5% after neighboring China's 'Silicon Valley' began a lockdown amid the worst spike in COVID-19 cases there in two years.

    With a 2.6% drop, China's Shanghai Composite was the second-worst performer in the region, as five US-listed Chinese companies, worth $1.1 trillion, face the Securities and Exchange Commission has shortlisted BeiGene (NASDAQ:BGNE), Yum China (NYSE:YUMC), Zai Lab (NASDAQ:ZLAB), ACM Research (NASDAQ:ACMR), and HUTCHMED (NASDAQ:HCM), saying they must meet US accounting standards.

    This news has also dented marquee Sino stocks like Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), JD.com (NASDAQ:JD), and Tencent (OTC:TCEHY).

    Additionally, China continued its tech crackdown , as the country's top internet official signaled more stringent regulations for streaming entertainment services aimed at children, social networks, and online messaging services.

    Australia's ASX 200 rose 1.21%. Among the equity winners, there were financials and healthcare stocks, as investors seemed willing to increase risk on hopes of a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

    Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.58% after falling oil prices eased the pressure on the economy which is heavily reliant on oil imports. Travel shares also advanced due to a drop in the number of COVID-19 cases as well as increased optimism that the government would support the sector.

    Financial stocks also climbed during Japanese trade amid rising yields for long-dated bonds, boosting the profit outlook. Finally, carmakers benefited from a weaker yen—which fell to its lowest since Dec. 20, 2016—as it will make Japanese cars more competitively priced internationally.

    Technically, we could be looking at a significant move for the currency.

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