Euro, shares slip on Italy’s vote

The euro fell to a 20-month low on Monday and investors fled riskier assets after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign following a stinging defeat on constitutional reform that could destabilise the country’s shaky banking system.

SINGAPORE/SYDNEY — The euro fell to a 20-month low on Monday and investors fled riskier assets after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign following a stinging defeat on constitutional reform that could destabilize the country’s shaky banking system.

European stock markets are also set for a weak start, with Italy underperforming as investors brace for turbulence and political crisis in the euro zone’s heavily indebted third-largest economy.

Financial spreadbetter IG Markets expects the Euro-STOXX 50 to open down 0.60%, and Germany’s DAX and Britain’s FTSE to start the day 0.40% lower.

Mr. Renzi’s failure deals a body blow to a European Union (EU) already reeling under antiestablishment anger that led to the shock exit of the UK from the club in June.

“It’s not very hard to see a new election on the horizon, and it’s not very hard to see the (opposition) 5- Star Movement taking power with stated aims to either leave the EU, drop the euro, or both,” said Mark Wills, head of State Street Global Advisors’ investment solutions group for the Asia Pacific.

“For Italy, establishing stable governance and a plan to guide the nation is of critical importance given the fragility of the economy, challenging policies and the liquidity problems in the banking system.”

The single currency slumped as much as 1.40% to $1.0505, before recovering a bit to $1.0563.

The drop to its session low was the sharpest since June and opened the way to a retest of the March 2015 trough around $1.0457.

Analysts at RBCCM argued that, based on what happened in 2012 at the height of the Greek crisis, the risk of a euro zone crisis could see the euro trade as low as $0.8000.

“It may sound extreme, but if a second euro zone crisis were to hit, with the US dollar at a much stronger starting point, EUR/ USD could arguably trade lower still,” they wrote.

The euro slid as much as 2.05% to ¥118.71, but pared some of the losses to trade down 1.10% at ¥119.85.

The dollar was supported by expectations of a US rate increase this month and more to come next year. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six global peers, jumped 0.60% to 101.37.

Against the yen, the US currency, which rose earlier to as high as 113.85, pulled back 0.10% to ¥113.41.

The New Zealand dollar, which weakened almost 1% to $ 0.707 after Prime Minister John Key unexpectedly announced his resignation on Monday, recovered a little to trade at $0.7106. New Zealand stocks ended 0.70% lower.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia- Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.6%, while E-mini futures for the S&P 500 narrowed losses to 0.3%.

Japan’s Nikkei closed down 0.8%.

Even as the long-awaited opening of a scheme to connect the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets went live on Monday, China’s blue-chip index slumped the most in six months after the nation’s top securities regulator warned against “barbaric” share acquisitions, although small caps remained firm.

China’s CSI 300 index tumbled 1.70%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index retreated 0.70%.

The link between China’s booming Shenzhen stock market and neighboring Hong Kong allows foreign investors access for the first time to some of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world’s second-biggest economy. —