By David Randall
NEW YORK, May 11 (Reuters) - A jump in coronavirus cases in South Korea and Germany rattled investors and sent global equities lower on Monday, while safe- haven assets including the dollar and U.S. Treasuries edged higher.
The accelerating infection rates come as countries ranging from Japan to France are set to emerge from lockdowns that have frozen the global economy in place. second wave of infections would likely snuff out the rally in equity markets as investors position for a severe and prolonged global recession.
"If we do have a second wave and lockdowns, that's almost the worst outcome from an economic perspective," said Guy Miller, chief market strategist at Zurich Insurance Company.
Miller said that would "postpone business investment indefinitely" and see consumers retrench as hopes for a quick economic recovery were dashed.
He said the next two or three weeks would be "pivotal" in demonstrating how businesses and consumers were responding to the loosening of lockdown measures.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shed 0.65% following broad declines in Europe and slight gains in Asia.
In early trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 211.47 points, or 0.87%, to 24,119.85, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 23.15 points, or 0.79%, to 2,906.65 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 60.00 points, or 0.66%, to 9,061.32.
Increasing trade tensions between the United States and China will also likely weigh on investor sentiment given the outsized rally that has pushed the benchmark S&P 500 up nearly 30% since its March lows, said Frédérique Carrier, head of investment strategy, RBC Wealth Management.
"We think it is unlikely the Trump administration would willingly unleash a new trade war that would crimp an economic recovery, but the possibility of missteps remains," she said.
Bond markets signaled that a global economic recovery will be slow. Two-year U.S. government bond yields US2YT=RR have hit record lows at 0.105% and Fed fund futures 0#FF: last week turned negative for the first time ever. US/
Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last fell 1/32 in price to yield 0.6844%, from 0.681% late on Friday.
"Markets focus on reopening economies and policy activism, while bears struggle to understand how they can ignore reinfection and economic destruction," said Kit Juckes, a markets strategist at Societe Generale (PA:SOGN).
In commodity markets, oil prices were mixed as the pandemic eroded global demand. O/R
U.S. crude CLc1 recently rose 1.9% to $25.21 per barrel and Brent LCOc1 was at $30.88, down 0.29% on the day.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Global assets
http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl Global currencies vs. dollar
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh Emerging markets
http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV MSCI All Country Wolrd Index Market Cap
http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>