Morning Update – 31/10/2017 – by Arjun Lakhanpal
October 31, 2017Morning all.. Wall St fell as talk of a slower incremental move lower in corporate tax cuts disappointed many and the S&P fell 0.32%. This also took US yields lower and the dollar. However, in Asia the Nikkei managed to rally back to unchanged as the BoJ left policy unchanged. USDJPY hovered near the lows at 113.00 and broke below it for a while. The yen was steady as the Bank of Japan maintained its key policy rate and target for the yield on 10-year government bonds, while showing concerns remain on the inflation outlook. 10-year Treasury yields held below 2.4 percent, with Trump’s choice to lead the Federal Reserve due by the end of the week. South Korea’s Kospi index climbed to a record high and the won advanced after China and South Korea agreed to put aside a disagreement over the deployment of a U.S. missile shield. While Asian equity markets have been largely held hostage by news out of the U.S. on tax and the next Fed chair, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index is on course to finish its best month since January and its 10th consecutive month of gains. China’s official factory gauge fell this month, with new orders and prices leading the decline, as officials increasingly prioritize a campaign to clamp down on polluting industries and rein in debt. Still, China’s economy continues to defy predictions of a sharper slowdown triggered by the leverage campaign and property risks. The dollar is rather mixed at present. This morning we have French PPI data and consumer spending, EU Unemployment and CPI data.. Good luck.
