Stocks rose Wednesday, while Treasury yields stabilized after a sharp retreat as markets assessed the outlook for Federal Reserve monetary tightening. The dollar pushed higher.

Miners and utilities led gains in Europe’s Stoxx 600. US futures advanced after stocks fell overnight, with the Nasdaq 100 down more than 2% as Snap Inc.’s profit warning pummeled companies that rely on digital advertising.

Treasuries steadied after a flight to havens sent yields lower, while traders dialed back the expected pace of Fed hikes. The Fed minutes from its last meeting, due Wednesday, may provide some clarity.

New Zealand’s central bank raised interest rates by half a percentage point for a second straight meeting and forecast more aggressive hikes to come to tame inflation. The European Central Bank is in the midst of a debate over how aggressive it should act to rein in inflation.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Russia will hold an unscheduled rate meeting on Thursday. The government will get pushed closer to a potential default after the US Treasury Department said it will let a key sanctions waiver benefiting American investors expire.

Investors are fretting growth will slow dramatically amid tighter monetary conditions to tamp down surging inflation, with the war in Ukraine and China’s lockdowns adding pressure by choking supply chains. There are already signs of softer US growth. Fed Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic, who’s one of the central bank’s dovish policy makers, urged his colleagues to proceed with care.

“If we are really at that point now where the Fed is delivering on what’s priced in, which is determinant on inflation not surprising further, we think that might start to cool some concerns about this continued repricing higher of Fed rates and of course the impact on growth,” Manpreet Gill, Standard Chartered Private Bank head of FICC investment strategy, said on Bloomberg Television. “That gives up a bit of room for optimism.”

In China, the country’s strict Covid policy is outweighing broad measures to support growth and keeping investors wary. The nation’s central bank and banking regulator urged lenders to boost loans in the latest effort to shore up the battered economy.

Has enough bad news been priced into China equities, which could set up an outperformance against global peers for the rest of 2022? China is the theme of this week’s MLIV Pulse survey. Click here to participate anonymously.

Source:
courtesy of BLOOMBERG

by Andreea Papuc

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