FYI:
.European stocks rose slightly in early Friday trading
• Asian stocks were mixed, with Japan, Hong Kong and India down, while China gained
• U.S. stock futures slipped after equities hit a record on Thursday
European stocks were largely flat Friday as geopolitical risks prompted a return to safer assets for some investors and profit-taking for others after a run of gains this week.
The Stoxx Europe 600 climbed 0.1% ahead of the release of data on the European manufacturing sector, which will be watched closely by investors looking for clues on the region’s growth.
In Asia, indexes were mostly lower after a similar survey of Japanese manufacturers showed new orders slipped to the lowest level in three years as trade tensions between the U.S. and China hurt business there.
The Japanese benchmark Nikkei index slipped almost 1%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.4% and Korea’s Kospi fell 0.3%. China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.5%.
U.S. stock futures wavered Friday. S&P 500 futures edged down 0.02% while Dow Industrials futures were up 0.01%.
Investors have also been watching rising tensions in the Middle East, which has affected oil prices.
U.S. officials said Friday that Washington came close to launching a retaliatory strike against Iran for shooting down an American reconnaissance drone, but it was called off at the last minute.
That added to seven weeks of rising acrimony between the two nations as the U.S. has blamed Iran for six attacks on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf and increased its military presence in the region.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.8% Friday to $64.94 a barrel. That came after prices jumped 4.3% the day before.
Gold prices breached $1,400 a troy ounce in early Asian trading for the first time since 2013, before paring back. The precious metal, which is priced in dollars, has been supported by a fall in the U.S. currency that came after the Fed’s meeting Wednesday.
Spot gold prices were up 0.1% at $1,390.25 an ounce, while the U.S. Dollar Index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of other currencies, was flat at 96.65.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose after having fallen below 2% on Thursday for the first time since late 2016. The yield, which moves in the opposite direction to its price, was last at 2.09%.
Regards,
Ted
WSJ:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stocks-tread-water-after-s-p-record-11561105675Bloomberg:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-20/asia-stocks-seen-mixed-with-s-p-500-at-record-high-markets-wrap?srnd=premiumIBD:
https://www.investors.com/market-trend/stock-market-today/dow-jones-futures-canopy-growth-stock-paypal-stock-lululemon-stock-exelixis/CNBC:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/21/stock-market-us-stocks-focus-on-tensions-with-iran.htmlReuters:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-risks-analysis/risks-to-wall-streets-rally-abound-despite-record-high-idUSKCN1TL31KU.K.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-stocks/londons-ftse-100-inches-higher-as-middle-east-tensions-lift-oil-majors-idUKKCN1TM0PLEurope:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-stocks/european-shares-pause-after-5-surge-iran-tensions-weigh-idUSKCN1TM0PRAsia:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-mixed-as-investors-eye-persian-gulf-tensions-2019-06-20/printBonds:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/20/us-treasury-yields-lower-after-federal-reserve-meeting.htmlCurrencies:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/21/forex-markets-the-fed-dollar-in-focus.htmlOil:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/21/oil-markets-middle-east-tensions-the-fed-in-focus.htmlGold:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/20/gold-prices-at-high-after-us-fed-hints-at-rate-cut.htmlCuirrent Futures:
https://finviz.com/futures.ashxQuote
