🐂 Not all bull runs are created equal. November’s AI picks include 5 stocks up +20% eachUnlock Stocks

GLOBAL MARKETS-World stocks and oil slip, US dollar gains

Published 10/26/2009, 04:51 PM
Updated 10/26/2009, 04:54 PM
GC
-
CL
-

* U.S. stocks slip on talk of end of home buyer tax credit

* U.S. dollar rises as stocks, commodities fall

* U.S. Treasury prices sag on supply, rate-rise worries

* Oil slips more than 2.0 percent as U.S. dollar gains (Updates with close of U.S. markets)

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Global stocks and crude oil ended lower on Monday, on fresh concerns about economic recovery, helping to revive a safety bid for the U.S. dollar

The U.S. dollar bounced from 14-month lows seen last week on speculation that a credit for first-time U.S. homebuyers credit will be phased out, and a rising dollar meant investors scaled back commodity holdings after a rally for raw goods.

Gold prices fell to a two-week low as the dollar rebounded, with weak physical demand for the precious metal also weighing. For details, see [ID:nLQ93767].

The dollar turned around after earlier struggling in the wake of a report saying China should increase its holdings of euros and yen in its foreign reserves.

Diversification of China's $2.27 trillion stockpile of foreign exchange reserves is a long-standing policy, a senior central banker in Beijing said. [ID:nPEK275970]

The euro fell to session lows just below $1.49 after earlier hitting a 14-month high at $1.5064.

Crude oil slid more than 2.0 percent, below $79 a barrel, after trading as high as $81.58.

"You do have an overall reversal in risk appetite," said Samarjit Shankar, managing director of global FX strategy at BNY Mellon in Boston.

"It's primarily a lot of profit-taking on long risk positions and some hesitation on the part of market participants ahead of the (third-quarter U.S. gross domestic product) number that's going to come out this week," he added.

Investors felt uncomfortable pushing the euro higher given the huge amount of bearish trades on the dollar, suggesting a near-term recovery in the U.S. currency is on the horizon.

Earlier in the day data unexpectedly showed German consumer sentiment declined for the first time in just over a year going into November. [ID:nLN478719]

U.S. financial shares tumbled after investment researchers ISI Group said in a research note that there could be an agreement to phase out the home buyer tax credit over 13 months, rather than expand it, as some had hoped. [ID:nN26194506]

Several traders attributed the aboutface in U.S. stocks, which had been about 1.0 percent higher, to ISI's research note.

"Anything that stops the printing press is going to help the dollar," said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, New Jersey. But "any time you pull away a bailout, the market doesn't like it," he said.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> closed down 104.22 points, or 1.05 percent, at 9,867.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 12.65 points, or 1.17 percent, at 1,066.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 12.62 points, or 0.59 percent, at 2,141.85.

MSCI's all-country world index <.MIWD00000PUS> fell 1.2 percent.

The energy and materials sectors reversed course as U.S. crude futures fell below $80 a barrel, while the ICE Futures dollar index <.DXY> gained 0.7 percent.

U.S. Treasury bond prices fell sharply as investors grappled with another record round of debt auctions and fretted over the possible timing of a Federal Reserve policy reversal. [ID:nN26141252]

Solid results for a sale of $7 billion in five-year, inflation-protected notes did not assuage these concerns, while fears of a more vocal exit strategy from the Federal Reserve added to the selling pressure.

Short-term interest rates futures implied traders are pricing in the chances of the U.S. central bank raising rates in the second quarter of 2010, rather than the third quarter.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was down 20/32 in price to yield 3.56 percent.

The dollar was up against a basket of major currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index <.DXY> up 0.70 percent at 75.995.

The euro was down 0.88 percent at $1.4868. Against the yen, the dollar was up 0.16 percent at 92.19.

U.S. crude for December delivery fell 2.3 percent, or $1.82 a barrel, to settle at $78.68. Brent crude fell $1.66 to settle at $77.26 a barrel.

U.S. December gold futures settled down $13.60 at $1,042.80 an ounce in New York.

The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan <.MIAPJ0000PUS> fell 0.2 percent, holding below a near-15-month peak set last week, while Japan's Nikkei average <.N225> ended up 0.8 percent at 10,362.62. (Reporting by Angela Moon, Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, Joshua Schneyer and Richard Leong in New York; George Matlock in London and Blaise Robinson in Paris; Writing by Herbert Lash; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.