U.S. Futures Rise, Stocks Mixed as Crude Oil Drops: Markets Wrap
- S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 contracts advance as traders mull economy
- Oil lower on U.S. move to tap reserves; Treasury yields climb
U.S. equity futures pushed higher Friday and Asian stocks were mixed as investors evaluated the economic outlook amid moderating oil prices, tightening Federal Reserve monetary policy and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
MSCI Inc.’s Asia-Pacific index pulled away from session lows, aided by turnarounds in Japan and China, where markets continue to expect steps to bolster growth. S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and European contracts rose. Global stocks are coming off their worst quarter since the pandemic bear market.
Oil retreated below $100 a barrel on a move by the U.S. to release 1 million barrels a day for six months from reserves to tackle rising energy costs. Russia’s invasion has disrupted commodity flows, stoking fuel and food prices.
Treasuries dipped and the curve between two-year and 10-year yields remained close to inverting, a pattern that signals worries about an economic downturn if the Fed uses aggressive interest-rate hikes to damp high inflation.
The yen was the worst performer in the Group-of-10 basket, while a dollar gauge advanced. U.S. payrolls figures later Friday may underline the case for Fed tightening, reinforcing a divergence with Japan’s dovish monetary settings that’s weighed on the latter’s currency.
Investors begin a new quarter wondering if the fighting in Ukraine, the isolation of Russia and the Fed’s increasingly hawkish turn will engender still more volatility and losses for stocks and bonds. Raw materials are the only key asset class to deliver major gains so far in 2022.
Downgraded growth outlooks in the U.S., Europe and China are “something to watch very carefully,” Anwiti Bahuguna, head of multi-asset strategy at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said on Bloomberg Television. “There are very few places to hide these days in the multi-asset space,” though commodities are a good spot because of inflation and geopolitics, she added.
The latest data showed Asia’s manufacturing resurgence faltered in March, hampered by worsening supply shortages and soaring costs. In the U.S., the personal consumption expenditures price index -- which the Fed uses for its inflation target -- increased 6.4%, the most since 1982.
Cease-fire talks between Ukraine and Russia are set to resume Friday. President Vladimir Putin said Russia aims to keep supplying gas to European customers even as it demands they shift to payment in rubles.
The Russian government has so far stayed current on its debt obligations. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Thursday processed a nearly $447 million payment for dollar debt due in 2030. Another deadline is approaching on April 4.