Global Stocks Pressured by North Korea, China
January 06 2016 - 5:30AM
Dow Jones News
News of a possible nuclear test in North Korea and lingering
concerns over China kept investors cautious Wednesday, sending
global stocks lower again in a shaky start to the year.
The Stoxx Europe 600 was down 0.9% in early trade, led lower by
the basic resources and energy sectors after Brent crude fell to an
11-year low.
Investors shed risky assets after North Korea said it
successfully staged its first test of a more powerful form of
nuclear weapon Wednesday. Meanwhile, a weaker Chinese currency and
lackluster services data from China added to mounting concerns over
its economy and financial markets.
For European equities "China is the only story," said Tristan
Abet, investment strategist at Louis Capital Markets. "If you're a
bear on China and the yuan, you can't be bullish on Europe," he
said.
China's central bank fixed the yuan at a five-year low against
the U.S. dollar on Wednesday.
The Shanghai Composite Index recovered 2.3% Wednesday, but its
near 7% plunge at the start of the week has left investors on
edge.
Australia's S&P ASX 200 fell 1.2%, while Hong Kong's Hang
Seng Index fell 1%, deepening a week of losses for both
indexes.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average was down 1%, with the yen nearing a
three-month high against the dollar as investors sought out havens.
The dollar was last down 0.5% against the yen at ¥ 118.5430.
The euro was down 0.1% against the dollar at $1.0732.
In commodities, Brent crude oil was down around 2% at $35.72 a
barrel, hovering near an 11-year low reached in December ahead of
weekly U.S. crude inventory and production data later in the day.
Investors continued to weigh recent tensions between Saudi Arabia
and Iran as well as the latest manufacturing releases from China
and the U.S.
European energy stocks were last down 1.9%, while the basic
materials sector was down 2.7%. Shares in BHP Billiton were down
4.1% and Rio Tinto PLC lost 3.5%.
Copper was down 0.4% at $4625 a metric ton in London trade. Gold
was up 0.3% at $1,081.20 a troy ounce.
Wall Street closed a touch higher on Tuesday, as markets
steadied after a sharp selloff earlier in the week.
Just three days in, 2016 is turning out to be a shaky trading
year. Investors are grappling with a rising dollar, mounting
geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, pressure on commodities
prices and turmoil in Chinese markets.
"The slowdown in China and its effect more broadly on emerging
markets will still be a major theme in the global equity market
this year," said David Lafferty, chief market strategist at Natixis
Global Asset Management
Later Wednesday, investors will parse the ADP employment report
and U.S. trade gap data for clues on the health of the U.S.
economy.
Investors will also examine minutes from the U.S. Federal
Reserve's December policy meeting, where officials voted to raise
benchmark interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade.
If there is any more detail around what Janet Yellen means by a
"gradual" path for future interest rate increases, that will
definitely have implications for equity markets over the course of
the year, said Mr. Lafferty.
"Any indication that they're in a hurry to raise rates [will be]
bad for stocks," he said.
Write to Riva Gold at riva.gold@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 06, 2016 05:15 ET (10:15 GMT)
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