(Bloomberg) — European stocks and U.S. stock futures advanced as traders looked for more economic data that could strengthen the case for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates next month.
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Shares of Bavarian Nordic A/S, one of the few companies with an approved MPOX vaccine, rose 17% in Copenhagen after the World Health Organization declared a fast-spreading outbreak of the disease a global public health emergency. The European Stoxx 600 Index rose 0.3%.
U.S. futures pointed to a positive open on Wall Street after the S&P 500 extended its winning streak to a fifth day Wednesday, buoyed by a favorable consumer price index. Cisco Systems Inc. rose as much as 6.3% in the premarket after the computer networking equipment maker’s results beat expectations.
“The latest US inflation data supports our view of a gradual cooling of the US economy,” said Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management. “This underlines our view that the Fed will begin easing policy at its September meeting. This provides a positive backdrop for risky assets. It would also erode returns on cash, underscoring our view that investors should brace for lower interest rates.”
There’s no let-up for traders following a busy week of updates from the world’s largest economy. Figures on initial unemployment claims and retail sales will be released on Thursday, while Walmart Inc.’s earnings will be released on Thursday. should provide insight into the state of the American consumer.
Data out Wednesday showed U.S. consumer prices rose at the slowest pace since 2021 on an annual basis in July. Traders are pricing in a 25 basis point cut by the Fed next month and 100 basis points of cuts through the end of the year in full. .
Government bonds remained stable, as did a gauge of the dollar’s strength.
In Asia, Japan’s Topix index and China’s CSI 300 benchmark rose in a largely positive response to data points in the two countries. The Japanese economy grew faster in the second quarter than analysts expected. China, meanwhile, saw signs of stabilization, including a slowing decline in house prices and better-than-expected retail sales.
Not everyone saw the latest Chinese figures positively.
The “July data suggests the government will need to provide more stimulus to meet its 5% economic growth target for this year,” Ed Yardeni, head of Yardeni Research, wrote in a research note. “Most notable is the small but unusual decline in bank loans during the month. It indicates a lack of confidence among companies and consumers, which could potentially lead to lower investments and expenditure.”
In the commodities sector, oil regained some gains after a second decline on Wednesday. Gold rose after two daily declines to trade above $2,450 an ounce.
Main events this week:
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US initial unemployment claims, retail sales, industrial production, Thursday
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Alberto Musalem and Patrick Harker of the Fed will speak on Thursday
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US housing market starts, consumer sentiment from University of Michigan, Friday
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Fed CEO Austan Goolsbee speaks Friday
Some of the major moves in the markets:
Stocks
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The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.3% as of 9:14 a.m. London time
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S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%
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Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.3%
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Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%
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The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed
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The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.1%
Currencies
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The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
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The euro was unchanged at $1.1012
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The Japanese yen was little changed at 147.27 per dollar
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The offshore yuan fell 0.2% to 7.1593 per dollar
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The British pound rose 0.1% to $1.2848
Cryptocurrencies
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Bitcoin fell 1.8% to $58,076.66
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Ether fell 2.5% to $2,610.05
Bonds
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The yield on 10-year government bonds was little changed at 3.84%
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The German ten-year yield rose by one basis point to 2.19%
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The British ten-year yield rose by two basis points to 3.85%
Raw materials
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Brent crude rose 0.4% to $80.08 per barrel
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Spot gold rose 0.3% to $2,455.52 an ounce
This story was produced with the help of Bloomberg Automation.
–With help from Richard Henderson and Sagarika Jaisinghani.
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