(Bloomberg) — Asian stocks were set for a mixed open as US equity futures fluctuated after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump reinforced speculation that his chances of winning the November presidential election have increased.
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S&P 500 contracts were little changed in early Asian trading. The US dollar edged up against most currencies. Bitcoin topped $60,000 in the wake of the attack.
Cash trading of US bonds is closed in Asia due to a holiday in Japan. US Treasury futures fell, indicating yields will rise when cash trading begins in London. Australian bond yields edged lower.
“Not reacting may prove to be the smartest thing you can do,” said Oliver Pursche at Wealthspire Advisors. “Markets will find their equilibrium and get back to the things that matter from an investment perspective, which are economic growth, monetary and fiscal policy and corporate earnings.”
In the aftermath of Saturday’s attack — with images of a defiant Trump with his fist raised over his head and his bloody right ear — chances of him becoming president again increased, according to PredictIt data.
Trump’s support for looser fiscal policy and higher tariffs are generally viewed as likely to benefit the dollar and weaken Treasuries. Yields surged in the wake of Joe Biden’s poor debate performance last month, showing the sensitivity of Treasuries — particularly longer-dated securities.
Traders are now grappling with how much of the impact has already been priced into markets as Trump’s election odds steadily rose. Monday’s action also follows what many considered a watershed week in the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, with economic reports bolstering bets on two rate cuts in 2024.
“It’s surprising that markets have not reacted more to increased uncertainty resulting from the Trump assassination attempt in the early hours of trading,” Lloyd Chan, a strategist at MUFG in Singapore. “It could be that the US dollar is still being weighed down by more dovish market expectations for Fed rate cuts following a string of cooler price pressures and weaker economic data from the US.”
Other assets positively linked to the so-called Trump trade include the shares of energy firms, private prisons, credit-card companies and health insurers. Renewable-energy stocks could suffer. Bitcoin may rise further, given both its appeal to investors seeking a hedge for political turmoil away from conventional financial assets, and Trump’s pro-crypto stance.
“From a markets perspective, I would suggest that if Trump emerges as an even more obvious winner, then we should see the bear-steepener we saw after the debate,” said Michael Purves at Tallbacken Capital. “In terms of equities, I don’t think this changes the trajectory at the overall level, though some stocks which will benefit from lower corporate taxes and lower regulation.”
China
As the Trump shooting fallout abates, traders will be focused on the People’s Bank of China’s key rate decision and the start of a closed-door conclave that’s expected to set long-term policy on a wide range of economic and political issues.
It’s expected the one-year medium term lending facility is kept unchanged at 2.5% as the central bank focuses on currency stability despite weak inflation, sluggish consumption and a housing rout, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Shortly following the decision, economic activity readings including GDP, retail sales and industrial output are also due as President Xi Jinping convenes the first day of the Third Plenum.
“Expectations are low for the meeting to lead to groundbreaking policy initiatives and materially lift in confidence about the Chinese economy,” Commonwealth Bank of Australia strategists led by Joseph Capurso wrote. “That said, markets will closely watch if the government signals more demand side policies, for example to stimulate consumer spending or infrastructure spending which may give a boost to Chinese yuan, Australian dollar and New Zealand dollar.”
Key events this week:
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Eurozone industrial production, Monday
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US Empire State Manufacturing, Monday
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Goldman Sachs earnings, Monday
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Jerome Powell is interviewed by David Rubinstein, Monday
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Fed’s Mary Daly speaks, Monday
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Germany ZEW survey expectations, Tuesday
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US retail sales, business inventories, Tuesday
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Morgan Stanley, Bank of America earnings, Tuesday
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Fed’s Adriana Kugler speaks, Tuesday
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Eurozone CPI, Wednesday
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US housing starts, industrial production, Wednesday
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Fed Beige Book, Wednesday
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Fed’s Thomas Barkin speaks, Wednesday
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ECB rate decision, Thursday
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US initial jobless claims, Philadelphia Fed manufacturing, Conference Board LEI, Thursday
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Fed’s Mary Daly, Lorie Logan and Michelle Bowman speak, Thursday
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Fed’s John Williams, Raphael Bostic speak, Friday
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
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S&P 500 futures were little changed as of 8:24 a.m. Tokyo time
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Hang Seng futures fell 0.5%
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S&P/ASX 200 futures rose 0.6%
Currencies
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The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.2%
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The euro fell 0.2% to $1.0885
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The Japanese yen fell 0.3% to 158.37 per dollar
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The offshore yuan fell 0.1% to 7.2803 per dollar
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The Australian dollar fell 0.2% to $0.6769
Bonds
Cryptocurrencies
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Bitcoin rose 1.7% to $61,161.39
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Ether rose 2.1% to $3,266.77
Commodities
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West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.2% to $82.38 a barrel
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Spot gold fell 0.2% to $2,406.21 an ounce
This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Ruth Carson, Allegra Catelli, Jessica Menton and Esha Dey.
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Source: Asia Stocks Set for Mixed Open on Trump-Win Bets: Markets Wrap
