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Asian markets rally as blockbuster quarter draws to close
HONG KONG, March 29, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Asian markets rose Friday, putting
them on course to end the week on a positive note with investors looking past
a downgrade of US growth to focus on the next round of top-level China-US
trade talks.
While the past five days have been dogged by fears over the outlook for
the global economy, equities from Sydney to Wall Street have enjoyed a
stellar start to 2019 fuelled mostly by hopes of a tariffs deal and the
prospect of lower borrowing costs.
A slight pick-up in the key US 10-year Treasury yield provided some sense
of stability, though dealers remain on edge over the future, with data
showing the US economy grew at a much slower pace than initially thought in
October-December.
Attention is on Beijing where top Chinese and US negotiators are taking
part in their latest batch of talks aimed at ending their long-running trade
row that has dragged on the world economy.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the negotiations were not
“time dependent” and could be extended, adding they could take weeks or
months to get a final deal.
There has been little by way of solid news on the negotiations but
observers have remained upbeat, with China having made a number of
concessions in key issues including intellectual property, while Donald Trump
has often said he is confident.
“Risk assets are being supported right now, in my view, by a dovish Fed, a
China stabilisation and better sentiment around geopolitical risks,” Frances
Donald at Manulife Asset Management told Bloomberg news.
“That probably gives this rally a little bit more juice.”
– ‘Remain limbo’ –
In morning trade Shanghai surged 1.8 percent, Hong Kong added 0.7 percent
and Tokyo headed into the morning one percent higher.
Sydney, Seoul and Singapore each added 0.3 percent, while Wellington put
on 0.6 percent. Taipei and Manila were also sharply higher.
On currency markets the upbeat mood helped the dollar rise against the
safe-haven yen, while the pound was unable to break out of a narrow range as
the Brexit saga rumbles on.
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Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to try for a third time to push her
EU divorce bill through parliament after MPs voted down a number of other
options on how to leave.
However, OANDA senior market analyst Alfonso Esparza warned “the third
time is not likely to be the charm” owing to continued opposition from key
lawmakers.
“Failure for the third time could push the United Kingdom into a remain
limbo, where a credible exit could not be engineered before the European
parliament’s elections in which Britain would have to participate.”
– Key figures around 0230 GMT –
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.0 percent at 21,232.93 (break)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng: UP 0.7 percent at 28,962.50
Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.8 percent at 3,049.49
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3061 from $1.3054 at 2100 GMT
Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.99 pence from 86.03 pence
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1231 from $1.1226
Dollar/yen: UP at 110.81 yen from 110.62 yen
Oil – West Texas Intermediate: UP 20 cents at $59.50 per barrel
Oil – Brent Crude: UP 19 cents at $68.01 per barrel
New York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 25,717.46 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 7,234.33 (close)
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