SYDNEY, Aug 1 ― Asian shares were set to open significantly lower today as the US Federal Reserve poured cold water on market expectations of a lengthy easing cycle after delivering a 25-basis-point cut.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell, speaking in a news conference after the release of the central bank's statement, characterised yesterday's rate cut as “a mid-cycle adjustment to policy”, a sign to markets that sharp further cuts were not imminent.
Later in a press conference, Powell said yesterday's easing was “not the beginning of a long series of rate cuts”, sending US equity markets into a tailspin and dollar to its highest since May 2017 against a basket of six major currencies.
Overnight, the Dow and the Nasdaq lost 1.2 per cent each while the S&P 500 declined 1.1 per cent. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe slipped to a five-week low.
In a sign the gloomy mood is likely to spread to Asia, Nikkei futures faltered 0.3 per cent while futures for Australia's benchmark share index fell 0.4 per cent. E-minis for the S&P500 were off 0.3 per cent.
“By not coming out and promising more cuts in the future, the market appears to have interpreted this policy move as hawkish,” said John Velis, forex and macro strategist at BNY Mellon.
US Treasuries reacted by flattening the yield curve as the front-end of the market scaled back on prior expectations for at least a 100 basis points of easing in the near-term.
Notably, yields on 10-year bonds too came under pressure, suggesting “the market thinks the Fed is making a policy mistake by not being more dovish,” National Australia Bank analysts wrote in a note.
In foreign exchange, the dollar rose against the euro and Antipodean currencies on expectations monetary policies in Europe, Australia and New Zealand will remain accommodative.
The dollar index finished July 2.5 per cent higher though the greenback's reaction against the Japanese yen was a bit muted at 108.77.
The common currency hit a more than two-year trough of US$1.1065 (RM4.56) overnight and was last at US$1.1073.
The Aussie fell to US$0.6832, its lowest since early January when a currency “flash crash” briefly took it to US$0.6715 while the kiwi held at US$0.6561 as markets wager on a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand next week.
In commodities, crude oil futures settled higher yesterday for the fifth straight day, buoyed by a bigger-than-expected drop in US inventories, but the stronger dollar helped bring prices down from session highs in post settlement trading.
US crude futures were off 68 US cents at US$57.9. Brent had settled up 0.7 per cent at US$65.17.
Spot gold bounced from a two-week trough to add 0.1 per cent to US$1,414.46 an ounce. ― Reuters
