London August 10 2022: Stocks declined and bonds were steady on Wednesday amid caution ahead of US inflation data that will shape investor expectations for further Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes.
Europe’s Stoxx 600 index slipped as technology and consumer products led the declines. ASML Holding NV dropped after Micron Technology Inc. became the latest chipmaker to warn about slowing demand, fanning economic concerns. US futures edged lower following a drop in the S&P 500 for a fourth session.
A gauge of Asian equities headed for a three-week low, with technology stocks also the biggest drag. Chinese shares dropped as inflation accelerated in July to the highest level in two years.
A dollar gauge was little changed. Crude oil dipped below $90 a barrel, and both gold and Bitcoin fell.
The two-year Treasury rate exceeds the 10-year by almost 50 basis points. The inversion, around the deepest since 2000, is viewed as a sign of a looming recession under the Fed’s monetary-tightening campaign to curb inflation.
A report Wednesday is expected to show headline US consumer-price inflation cooled but stayed elevated in July, while the core reading may have quickened on an annual basis. How the figures affect views on Fed tightening will be key for risk sentiment.
“Today’s inflation number could set the tone for the markets for the rest of the month,” said Craig Erlam, a senior market analyst at Oanda. “A lower-than-expected number could be a major tailwind for the markets while anything around or above the June reading could trigger a big risk reversal in the markets as the debate shifts to 75 or 100 basis points, with 50 left in the rearview mirror.”
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said the US central bank will be prepared to hold interest rates “higher for longer” should inflation continue to surprise to the upside.
The Fed “will be driving those short rates higher,” said Gary Schlossberg, a global strategist for Wells Fargo Investment Institute, on Bloomberg Television. “We will be seeing a deepening inversion and a full inversion of the Treasury yield curve.”
Elsewhere, Elon Musk sold $6.9 billion of shares in Tesla Inc., the billionaire’s biggest sale on record, saying he needed cash in case he is forced to go ahead with his aborted deal to buy Twitter Inc.
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What to watch this week:
US CPI data, Wednesday
Chicago Fed President Charles Evans and his Minneapolis counterpart Neel Kashkari due to speak, Wednesday
US PPI, initial jobless claims, Thursday
San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly is interviewed on Bloomberg Television, Thursday
Euro-area industrial production, Friday
US University of Michigan consumer sentiment, Friday
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.2% as of 8:21 a.m. London time
Futures on the S&P 500 were little changed
Futures on the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.1%
Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were little changed
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.9%
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 1.1%
Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
The euro was little changed at $1.0215
The Japanese yen was little changed at 135.06 per dollar
The offshore yuan fell 0.1% to 6.7646 per dollar
The British pound was little changed at $1.2085
Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced one basis point to 2.79%
Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at 0.93%
Britain’s 10-year yield advanced two basis points to 1.99%
Commodities
Brent crude fell 0.7% to $95.64 a barrel
Spot gold fell 0.3% to $1,789.64 an ounce
