Stocks fall, dollar set for weekly loss as Trump rally cools
Political concerns around elections in Europe largely affects bond markets
Bond market jitters spilt over into stocks yesterday, pulling European indexes lower for a third straight session, and the dollar was poised for a weekly loss as “Trumpflation” trades lost momentum.
World stocks have hit record highs, emerging markets have regained favour and the dollar has climbed to a 14-year peak in recent weeks on expectations US President Donald Trump’s economic agenda will stoke growth and inflation.
New US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin took the edge off those expectations in his first televised interviews since he took office recently, when he said any policy steps by the Trump administration would probably have only a limited impact this year.
That knocked the dollar back, leaving it to trade down on the week and facing its first weekly loss in three. It was last down 0.2 per cent against a basket of other major currencies at 100.82.
“Mnuchin’s comments were less belligerently reflationary than they could have been, in a dollar strength context, and that probably did much of the damage [to the dollar],” said UBS Wealth Management currency strategist Geoffrey Yu, in London.
Subdued forecasts from European blue chips, including BASF and Vivendi, and a drop in mining shares following overnight declines in metals prices dragged the benchmark STOXX 600 index down 1 per cent.
Shares of Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland fell about 3 per cent after results, putting pressure on the regional banking index.
Futures on Wall 0.4 per cent.
Holding debt
Street fell
Political concerns around elections in Europe have so far largely affected bond markets. The extra return investors demand to hold French rather than German debt, for example, hit multi-year highs earlier this month on concern far-right Marine Le Pen was gaining ground in the country’s presidential campaign.
French stocks had remained largely unscathed, rising to levels last seen in December 2015. But the CAC 40 share index fell 1.5 per cent yesterday, on track for its worst day in nearly five months, a sign that stock investors are catching up to bond market weakness.
French equities are “too relaxed”, UBS warned yesterday.