(Bloomberg) -- Stocks fell in Europe while U.S. equity-index futures fluctuated in the countdown to major central bank meetings and a deadline on fresh China tariffs. Treasuries and the dollar were steady.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index opened lower for a second day as almost every industry sector traded in the red. Contracts for the main American gauges struggled for direction as investors await news on whether Washington will go ahead with a planned Dec. 15 tariff hike on imports from China. The picture was mixed in Asia, where a regional gauge declined overall in below average volumes while shares in South Korea and China bucked the retreat. Japan’s 10-year bond yield briefly touched zero for the first time since March.
Investors appear to be holding back on aggressive trading before a slew of significant events in the next few days, from Federal Reserve and European Central Bank policy meetings to a general election in Britain. The biggest focus arguably remains on whether the U.S. and China can avert a new round of protectionist duties.
“The idea that we have a relatively calmer period of time in the U.S.-China trade tensions is obviously very important,” Ben Powell, BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Investment Institute’s chief Asia-Pacific strategist, said. However, “this is just a temporary period of relative calm,” he said. “The tensions between the U.S. and China are structural and persistent.”
Elsewhere, the Mexican peso strengthened on growing optimism that approval is close for USMCA, the trilateral trade accord to replace Nafta. Oil was little changed.
Here are some key events to watch this week:
- The Federal Reserve decides on interest rates on Wednesday, followed by a press briefing from Chairman Jerome Powell.
- The next European Central Bank policy decision is on Thursday.
- The U.K. holds a general election Thursday.
Stocks
- The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell 0.3% as of 8:19 a.m. London time.
- Futures on the S&P 500 Index where little changed.
- Germany’s DAX Index sank 0.6%.
- South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.4%.
- The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dipped 0.2%.
Currencies
- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed.
- The British pound was steady at $1.3141.
- The euro gained 0.1% to $1.1073.
- The Japanese yen weakened 0.1% to 108.65 per dollar.
- The Indian rupee jumped 0.2% to 70.896 per dollar.
Bonds
- The yield on 10-year Treasuries was unchanged at 1.82%.
- The yield on two-year Treasuries increased less than one basis point to 1.61%.
- Germany’s 10-year yield gained one basis point to -0.30%.
- Japan’s 10-year yield fell one basis point to -0.013%.
Commodities