Hong Kong: Financial markets in Asia retreated on Thursday over disappointment that the US central bank did not expand its asset purchase programme, although it did reiterate its ‘lower for longer’ message.
The Bank of Japan’s decision to keep rates unchanged was expected by the market but investors sold off stocks as a dovish Fed weakened the dollar against the yen, whose strength in turn hammered exporters’ prospects.
The Japanese yen strengthened 0.2% to 104.7 to the dollar.
“The yen currently sits at around ¥105 against the dollar – that’s a little stronger than in the summer but far weaker than what the current spread between JGBs and US Treasuries would usually point to,” Capital Economics analysts Tom Learmouth and Marcel Thieliant said, referring to the narrowing of the spread. “While we expect the yen to remain close to ¥105 the risks are tilted slightly towards a stronger yen.”
The drag from exporters pulled down Japan’s Nikkei 225 index which fell 0.67%, while Australia’s S&P ASX 200 slipped 1.22% as investors worried about a rollback of stimulus after data released showed a drop in the unemployment rate.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also retreated 1.56% as investors prepared for a slew of IPOs including the world’s biggest – the Ant Financial $30-billion bonanza expected next month. At least three share offerings are expected next week as well, as issuers avoid a clash with Ant Financial’s mammoth offering. Delivery company ZTO Express, biotech company Zai Lab and online retailer Baozun are in a race for cash.
China’s CSI300 eased 0.53% as the region remained under pressure following disappointment over the US central bank’s unchanged asset purchase programme.
‘Congress must step up’
“And while risk assets might love the intravenous drip of monetary stimulus, it is time to focus on policies that the real economy needs, and for that, Powell is dead right, it’s time for Congress to step up to the plate,” Robert Carnell, ING Bank’s Regional Head of Research in the Asia-Pacific, said.
“Perhaps the market reaction here is more a realisation of this and the fact that any resolution to the current impasse is unlikely until the Presidential election outcome is determined.”
US Treasuries picked on the Fed’s ‘dot plot’, extending its gains with the 10-year yield declining 2 basis points to 0.68%.
The Federal Reserve’s dot plot, which the US central bank uses to signal its outlook for the path of interest rates, projects no change in policy this year and borrowing costs near zero through till 2023, based on median estimates. It said they must achieve maximum employment and inflation at a rate of 2% over the longer run.
“The Committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4% and expects it will be appropriate to maintain this target range until labor market conditions have reached levels consistent with the Committee’s assessments of maximum employment and inflation has risen to 2% and is on track to moderately exceed 2% for some time.”
Asia Stocks
· Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 0.67%
· Australia’s S&P ASX 200 slipped 1.22%
· Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index retreated 1.56%
· China’s CSI300 eased 0.53%
· The MSCI Asia Pacific index fell 0.70%.
Stock of the day
Times China bonds rose and shares fell after it announced a plan to buy back its bonds due in 2021.
This report appeared initially on Asia Times Financial.
