(June 11): Oil climbed and stocks fell after US forces launched fresh strikes on Iran, reviving geopolitical risks at a time when markets are already grappling with a selloff in richly valued technology stocks.
Brent crude rose over 2% to near US$95.20 a barrel after the US military launched strikes on multiple targets in Iran for a second straight day. MSCI’s gauge for Asian equities dropped 1%, setting the gauge up for a fifth loss in six days. Tech stocks remained under pressure with South Korea’s Kospi Index, a bellwether for the artificial-intelligence trade, dropping over 4%.
Equity-index futures for Wall Street benchmarks also retreated after the underlying gauges both dropped during the US session. The Nasdaq 100 Index dropped 2% as traders were rattled by a renewed selloff in some of the world’s largest tech companies.
Elsewhere, gold extended losses to around US$4,050 an ounce on concerns elevated oil prices will lead to higher interest rates. The dollar was a touch stronger against most Group-of-10 currencies. Treasury futures also fell as geopolitical tensions increased with Iran saying the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all types of vessels.
The latest strikes threatened to inject fresh volatility into markets and tighten crude oil supplies, risking renewed inflationary pressures. Even after Wednesday’s softer-than-expected US inflation report offered a brief reprieve, traders continued to price in higher borrowing costs while a selloff in semiconductor stocks cast doubt on the sustainability of the record equity rally.
“Investors remain skittish despite being thrown a lifeline by the inflation figures,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG. “It is now a case of ‘once bitten, twice shy’ — no one wants to go charging in to buy the dip yet, which suggests more of a drift lower for the time being, though leaving the overall trend intact.”
See also: Japan market jittery over Ueda’s absence from BOJ press conference
US Central Command said it had begun what it called the “additional self-defence strikes” at 5.15pm New York time on Wednesday.
The attacks, which followed strikes on Tuesday in retaliation for the downing of a US Apache helicopter, underscored President Donald Trump’s growing impatience that the two sides have so far failed to reach an agreement.
They also reinforced the view that an April ceasefire has effectively collapsed, despite the absence of a return to the large-scale bombing campaign seen at the start of the conflict.
See also: Stocks decline before US CPI; gold drops on Fed bets
“Markets retain a suspicion that this will be another brief episode of sound and fury signifying not much, so a degree of caution in positioning seems warranted,” said Sean Callow, a senior analyst at ITC Markets in Sydney.
In the US, shares of chipmakers and other AI infrastructure companies, this year’s biggest winners, fell for a second day on Wednesday. Chip bellwether Nvidia Corp dropped 3.7%, Broadcom Inc dropped 5.1%, while Super Micro Computer slid 28% after unveiling plans for a US$7 billion equity raise. Oracle Corp shares slipped in extended trading after reporting quarterly capital expenses that were higher than estimates.
Elsewhere, the yen held near 160.50 per dollar with Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda hospitalised. He is expected to miss next week’s policy meeting, the central bank said.
Meanwhile, the core consumer price index in the US, which excludes food and energy prices, increased 0.2% from April, under the 0.3% consensus forecast among economists polled by Bloomberg.
Even so, bond traders maintained bets that the Fed would raise rates by the end of the year. While Treasury yields initially dipped after the data on Wednesday, they resumed climbing with oil prices later in the session. Interest-rate swaps showed traders are still fully pricing in a rate hike by December.
“It’s clear that rate cuts are off the table, and while there is chatter about a potential rate hike, we believe it’s unlikely that we’ll see a rate hike before the midterm elections,” wrote Skyler Weinand, chief investment officer at Regan Capital.
Corporate highlights:
To stay ahead of Singapore and the region’s corporate and economic trends, click here for Latest Section
- SpaceX’s initial public offering has attracted orders worth more than four times the shares on offer, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is selling 555.6 million shares at US$135 apiece, a deal that would raise about US$75 billion and value the company at roughly US$1.8 trillion.
- Super Micro Computer Inc sank after the company announced a plan to raise US$7 billion through a package of equity offerings, a move meant to help pay for the production of more AI servers.
- Shares of several large trucking companies plunged after Amazon.com Inc announced an expansion of its shipping service that has already shaken the transportation and logistics sector and unsettled investors.
- JPMorgan Chase & Co, Barclays plc and Fifth Third Bancorp won dismissal of a fraud lawsuit filed by holders of notes issued by Tricolor Holdings, the bankrupt subprime auto lender.
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
- S&P 500 futures fell 0.3% as of 9.03am Tokyo time
- Hang Seng futures rose 0.1%
- Japan’s Topix fell 1.4%
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 1%
- Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.4%
Currencies
- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed
- The euro was little changed at US$1.1539
- The Japanese yen was little changed at 160.51 per dollar
- The offshore yuan was little changed at 6.7812 per dollar
- The Australian dollar was little changed at US$0.6995
Cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin fell 0.3% to US$61,551.03
- Ether fell 0.4% to US$1,621.99
Bonds
- The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced one basis point to 4.56%
- Australia’s 10-year yield advanced two basis points to 4.91%
Commodities
- West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.7% to US$92.43 a barrel
- Spot gold fell 0.5% to US$4,050.41 an ounce
Uploaded by Chng Shear Lane
