MARKET WRAPS

Stocks:

European stocks advanced Friday but were on track to finish the week with sharp losses, as investors have tried to assess inflation, central banks' response to it and the outlook for the global economy.

Prospects for repeated rate rises throughout the rest of the year have caused investors to sell out of stocks and bonds and lent to fears that rapid tightening could dampen growth.

"The central banks, who have been our friends for a very long time, are telling us we should expect pain," said Hani Redha, a portfolio manager at PineBridge Investments. "That inflation number is the only thing that matters right now. Even if we see growth slowing a lot, that will not be enough to cause the Fed to change course."

Redha said it is possible that inflation could still climb further in the coming months as energy prices remain elevated.

Economic Insight:

Credit Suisse said interest rate increases by most global central banks are set to continue as inflation remains well above target in major economies.

A further rise in energy prices is likely to contribute to higher inflation in the coming quarters, while new supply constrains stemming from China could create additional price pressures in the goods sector.

"With high inflation set to persist, central banks look all but certain to remain hawkish for the foreseeable future."

Credit Suisse expects the Federal Reserve to increase rates by another 200 basis points this year to 3.50%-3.75%, and the European Central Bank to raise rates by 150 basis points to 1%.

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Inflation is expected to accelerate further in both the eurozone and the U.S. in June due to higher prices for fuel, said Commerzbank.

Inflation in the eurozone is likely to rise to 8.4% in June from 8.1% in May, while the trend in the U.S. looks similar as gasoline prices and rents accelerate. Underlying core inflation should also continue to rise over the medium term, at least in the eurozone, Commerzbank added.

"In this environment, the market is likely to revise its expectations for Fed and ECB key rates further upward. The rise in bond yields is unlikely to be over yet."

U.S. Markets

Stock futures advanced, with major indexes likely to extend the whipsaw moves that have injected fresh volatility into markets this week. Thursday's rout pushed the S&P 500 down to levels not seen since December 2020.

However, signs in the market remain that investors continue to seek safe-haven assets such as the dollar and U.S. government bonds.

Richard Saperstein, chief investment officer of Treasury Partners in New York, said his firm lately has been buying short-term Treasuries in an effort to temporarily park liquidity as rates rise. "At some point in the cycle, we expect to draw this liquidity to take advantage of fixed-income opportunities," he added.

Forex:

The BOE's decision to raise interest rates by another 25 basis points was low compared with other central banks but this doesn't necessarily put sterling at a disadvantage, said Commerzbank.

A central bank that raises rates slowly need not be perceived as weak if it is certain that it will continue to lift rates, said Commerzbank.

"And because [the BOE] formulated its will to hike further [Thursday] in a marginally more convincing manner, the pound was able to rise correctly."

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The dollar rebounded, as even recent "upsetting" U.S. data couldn't cheer up the Fed doves in favor of looser monetary policy as they know the central bank won't do much to support the economy before inflation eases, said Swissquote Bank.

"And unfortunately, inflation won't soften until energy prices ease significantly."

Bonds:

Credit Suisse has turned neutral on government bonds, closing its long-standing underweight position, saying inflation dynamics are expected to change, with inflation likely to trend lower for the rest of the year.

Credit Suisse said another reason for the change is that most of the monetary tightening by the Fed should be reflected in market pricing by now, reducing the risk of further hawkish surprises.

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The 10-year Italian BTP-German Bund yield spread, which has narrowed on news of the European Central Bank's planned anti-fragmentation measures, "will struggle to sustain any tightening below 200 basis points, as that's the level at which the ECB expressed little urgency," said Citi.

While the ECB is yet to provide details about its plans to prevent bond market fragmentation, the backstop measures should make any renewed spread widening more orderly, Citi said, sticking to the year-end target of 275bps for the yield spread.

Citi said the selloff in German Bunds over the last month has been the highest in at least 30 years and Thursday's staggering 30 basis point intra-day range for Bunds also broke the 30-year record. It added that the market stress is even more evident in duration than in fragmentation.

"This selloff far exceeds our expectations. We still believe it is an overshoot, but a significant bullish reversal is perhaps only likely later in the year." Citi's year-end target for the 10-year Bund yield is 1.3%.

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Pictet Wealth Management said whether the ECB will ultimately disclose the criteria defining "fragmentation" and the yield spread levels that justify interventions, remains to be seen.

"In other words, how it distinguishes 'orderly' spread movements from 'disorderly' ones," Pictet said, suspecting the ECB will remain vague.

It expects the ECB to announce its new anti-fragmentation tool at the Governing Council's July 21 meeting.

Energy:

Oil futures inched higher, as supply issues from OPEC+ continue to keep prices hovering around $120 a barrel.

"For oil traders specifically, outside of the supply and demand issues that are well entrenched in the price, numerous questions about OPEC production commitment need to be resolved," said SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes.

With central banks now actively targeting energy-driven inflation in their playbook, the market will need to track how consumers react to the prospect of more rate hikes, Innes said.

Metals:

Gold futures edged up despite the strengthening dollar. Tina Teng of CMC Markets said while risk-off sentiment prevails across markets, safe-haven assets such as bullion will benefit.

Read Barrons.com: Gold Is Holding Up as Stocks, Bonds, and Crypto Plunge

Base metals were mixed in early London trade as macroeconomic worries continued to compound sentiment for industrial goods.

Three-month copper was down 0.2%, approaching its second lowest level this year but aluminum edged up although it was down 4.2% for the week.

"The Western focus looks to be more on the overall weak macro," said Marex's Asian Metals team. It added that "with prices falling, smelters are starting to look to go into maintenance."

DOW JONES NEWSPLUS

   
 
 

EMEA HEADLINES

Glencore Raises Coal Guidance Amid Unprecedented Market Conditions

Glencore PLC on Friday raised price and cost guidance for its coal operations and said that the trading business is outperforming expectations.

The commodity mining and trading giant said that unprecedented dislocation in energy markets has resulted in record pricing differentials between coal benchmarks and quality categories. As a result of these larger differentials, Glencore has increased coal portfolio mix guidance for the first half to $82-$86 a metric ton relative to the Newcastle thermal coal pricing benchmark of $318 a ton. This compares with previous 2022 guidance of $32.8 a ton, based on a previous Newcastle price of $175 a ton.

   
 
 

Tesco 1Q Comparable Revenue Rose, But UK Sales Fell

Tesco PLC said Friday that like-for-like sales rose in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, although U.K. revenue had a hit on an on-year basis, and noted that its full-year guidance for its profit and cash performance remains unchanged.

The British grocer said like-for-like sales excluding value-added tax and fuel for the three months ended May 28 increased by 2% to 13.57 billion pounds ($16.76 billion). Sales in the U.K. fell by 1.5% to GBP9.88 billion in the period, it said.

   
 
 

Santander CEO to Step Down; Hector Grisi Named Successor

Banco Santander SA said Friday that its Chief Executive Officer Jose Antonio Alvarez would be leaving his role as of Jan. 1, ending a seven-year tenure.

The Spanish lender said the board has decided to appoint Hector Blas Grisi Checa as his successor.

   
 
 

AB InBev Is Trying to Catch Up With Inflation in Some Countries, CFO Says

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV says some of its beverages are going to get pricier and come in variable sizes as the maker of Corona and Bud Light looks to catch up with inflation in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Leuven, Belgium-based AB InBev found that despite regular updates to its pricing, the company is lagging on cost increases in certain markets, including the U.S. and Brazil, as inflation accelerated since the beginning of the year.

   
 
 

Fintech Giant Klarna Slashes Fundraising Ambition

Klarna Bank AB is considering raising fresh funds at a significantly lower valuation than it achieved a year ago, according to people familiar with the situation, a sign of the punishing environment for tech companies.

The Swedish payments firm is in talks with investors about a deal that could value the company at around $15 billion, the people said, less than it was seeking just last month. The Wall Street Journal reported Klarna was in talks to raise up to $1 billion at a low $30-billion-range valuation. One of the people said the current talks could yield at least $500 million. There is no guarantee a deal will take place.

   
 
 

Russia Slashes Gas Flows, Aiming Economic Weapon at Europe

Moscow's move to slash natural-gas exports to Europe has pitched the continent's energy crisis into a dangerous new phase that threatens to drain vital fuel supplies and kneecap the continent's economy.

Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom PJSC throttled deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany this week, blaming missing turbine parts that were stuck in Canada due to sanctions.

   
 
 
   
 
 

GLOBAL NEWS

Bank of Japan Maintains Ultra-Low Interest Rates, Bucking Global Trend

TOKYO-The Bank of Japan maintained ultra-low interest rates on Friday, confirming that it won't join the Federal Reserve and other major global central banks in tightening monetary policy.

The Japanese central bank kept its target for short-term interest rates at minus 0.1% and its target for the 10-year Japanese government bond yield at around zero.

   
 
 

Mortgage Rates Hit 5.78%, Highest Level Since 2008

U.S. mortgage rates reached their highest level in more than 13 years, the latest sign of market tumult tied to the Federal Reserve's campaign to cool inflation.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.78%, mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac said Thursday, the highest level since November 2008 and well above the 3.11% recorded near the end of last year. Last week, Freddie Mac reported an average mortgage rate of 5.23%.

   
 
 

U.S. Economic Growth Shows Signs of Slipping

The U.S. economy is starting to slow under the combined weight of soaring inflation and climbing interest rates-including the highest mortgage rates since 2008.

Recent reports show sharp declines in key sectors, raising the prospects of a stalled economic recovery and possibly a recession. Home construction across the U.S. fell sharply in May, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Factories in the mid-Atlantic region reduced activity for the first time in two years this month, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said. And Americans broadly cut spending at retailers for the first time this year in May, the Commerce Department said earlier this week.

   
 
 

China Launches Third Aircraft Carrier, Advancing Naval Ambitions

HONG KONG-China has launched its third aircraft carrier, its largest and most sophisticated to date, advancing its ambitions to build a modern oceangoing navy that can project power around the globe.

Christened the Fujian, after the coastal province that sits closest to the island democracy of Taiwan, the new carrier entered the waters at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard during a launch ceremony on Friday attended by Gen. Xu Qiliang, a member of China's 25-member Politburo and vice chairman of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, which commands the armed forces, according to state media reports.

   
 
 

WTO Nations Agree to Ease Patent Rights to Boost Covid-19 Vaccine Supplies in Poorer Nations

GENEVA-The member countries of the World Trade Organization agreed Friday on a narrow measure aimed at boosting the supplies of Covid-19 vaccines in developing countries, wrapping up a bitter fight over corporate patent rights governing critical medical products during a pandemic.

The compromise measure on intellectual property rights will make it easier for companies in developing nations such as South Africa to manufacture and export a patented Covid-19 vaccine-under limited circumstances-without a consent from the patent holder if they have the approval of their own governments.

   
 
 

Write to paul.larkins@dowjones.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 17, 2022 05:21 ET (09:21 GMT)

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