Stocks on cautious footing ahead of US inflation report / Photo: © AFP
Stocks on cautious footing ahead of US inflation report
Wall Street edged lower on Monday while European stocks recovered from heavy selling last week as traders awaited key US inflation data, with many still concerned the Federal Reserve could lift interest rates again.
Several Fed decision-makers have warned that more tightening could be warranted to bring prices under control, tempering optimism that the hiking cycle had come to an end.
That sparked a sell-off on Friday, though a tech-led surge on Wall Street before the weekend provided traders in Asia some support on Monday and the positivity spilled over into Europe.
But with the focus firmly on Tuesday's release of the US consumer price index report for October, Europe's equity gains were limited while the dollar was mixed.
"Inflation in the US is expected to have fallen to 3.3 percent last month which is within touching distance of the Fed's 2 percent target," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA trading platform.
"While the final push is expected to be the hardest, it will give the central bank some comfort that, despite the economy and labour market displaying remarkable resilience, a soft landing (of the economy) may still be possible," he said.
But a higher reading will reinforce expectations that more rate hikes are in the cards, ramping up borrowing costs for businesses and consumers alike, and weighing on growth.
Fears that global rates could remain elevated for an extended period were fanned last week by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, who forecast a resurgence of inflation.
She added that officials would not start cutting rates for at least "the next couple of quarters".
Expectations that borrowing costs will not come down anytime soon boosted the dollar, with traders keeping an eye on its movement against the yen after Japanese authorities warned they could intervene to support their currency.
Investors will be watching also a planned meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in San Francisco later in the week amid signs tensions were easing between the economic heavyweights.
Chinese officials said the two will discuss "global peace and development".
Oil prices found support after the release of OPEC's monthly report for October predicted "healthy" demand through 2024 despite the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza and the fears of slowing growth worldwide.
- Key figures around 1445 GMT -
New York - Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 34,234.10 points
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 7,389.90
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 7,057.06
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 15,266.00
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.3 percent at 4,210.83
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 32,585.11 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.3 percent at 17,426.21 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,046.53 (close)
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0671 from $1.0686 on Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2232 from $1.2224
Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.21 pence from 87.39 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 151.87 yen from 151.47 yen
Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.4 percent at $81.75 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent at $77.47 per barrel
O.Nicholson--TNT
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