🐂 Not all bull runs are created equal. November’s AI picks include 5 stocks up +20% eachUnlock Stocks

GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, U.S. dollar drop amid political uncertainty

Published 12/05/2017, 01:57 am
Updated 12/05/2017, 02:00 am
© Reuters.  GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, U.S. dollar drop amid political uncertainty
USD/JPY
-
XAU/USD
-
US500
-
DJI
-
JP225
-
GC
-
HG
-
M
-
IXIC
-
STOXX
-
MSCIEF
-
MIAPJ0000PUS
-
MIWD00000PUS
-
SX7P
-
SPLRCD
-

* Wall Street sinks on poor earnings, Trump fears

* Yen, gold, Treasuries rise as stock market dips

* Emerging markets continue upward with oil rise (New throughout, adds data, quote, changes dateline, previous LONDON)

By Dion Rabouin

NEW YORK, May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. and European stocks fell on Thursday, along with the U.S. dollar, while U.S. Treasury yields reversed earlier declines, as political uncertainty in the United States sent investors in search of safer investments like gold and the Japanese yen.

The dollar fell to a session low against the yen and gold gained in U.S. morning training.

Investors were concerned about developments relating to the firing of FBI Director James Comey late on Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump.

White House officials told Reuters Trump's decision had been building for months, but a turning point came when Comey refused to preview for top Trump officials his planned testimony to a Senate panel, a decision considered an act of subordination by Trump and his aides. market has continued to get a little bit ahead of itself and it's just looking for any sort of a reason to have a pullback," said Catherine Avery, president of Catherine Avery Investment Management in New Canaan, Connecticut.

"Part of it is worry the distraction that we've had with Comey is going to take people's eyes off the tax reform and health care reform."

The U.S. benchmark S&P 500 stock index was on track for its largest one-day percentage fall in four weeks.

A disappointing profit report by Macy's (NYSE:M) and ensuing 13 percent slump in its shares took a toll on the U.S. consumer discretionary sector .SPLRCD .

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 86.16 points, or 0.41 percent, to 20,856.95, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 11.82 points, or 0.49 percent, to 2,387.81 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 32.95 points, or 0.54 percent, to 6,096.19.

A gauge of global stock markets .MIWD00000PUS fell 0.35 percent.

Wall Street's losses pushed U.S. Treasury yields lower after touching their highest levels since March ahead of a $15 billion auction of 30-year bonds.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX fell 0.5 percent, weighed by financials .SX7P . Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.4 percent and Japan's Nikkei .N225 rose 0.3 percent on Thursday.

MSCI's emerging markets index .MSCIEF continued to shine, boosted by a second day of strong oil price gains, and was headed towards its highest level in two years. The index has gained 15.4 percent year to date, more than doubling the 2017 gains of the S&P.

"We are seeing relief with commodity prices trading higher," said Piotr Matys, emerging markets FX strategist at Rabobank.

But he added these were likely to be short-term gains as commodity prices could weaken again. Iron ore futures in China dipped to a four-month low on Wednesday before recovering at the close. crude futures rose 1.65 percent, extending Wednesday's 3 percent gains on the back of the biggest one-week drop in U.S. inventories so far this year and the decision by Iraq and Algeria to join Saudi Arabia in supporting an extension to supply cuts by the Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Bank of England policymakers kept rates unchanged and indicated that interest rates were unlikely to rise until late 2019.

Sterling GBP= fell more than half a percent to a one-week low of $1.2847.

The dollar fell 0.5 percent JPY= against the yen, after four days of gains.

Earlier, the New Zealand dollar NZD=D3 sank as much as 1.5 percent after the country's central bank kept to a neutral bias, warning markets they were reading the outlook wrongly and expressing approval of the currency's declines this year.

Gold XAU= prices rose 0.5 percent to $1224 per ounce, while copper CMCU3 touched its highest in a week.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.