Equities gain as US jobless data eases pressure; currencies firm
Taiwan stocks rise over 3%
S.Korean won jumps up to 1%
China inflation rises faster than expected
Singapore equities market closed
By Adwitiya Srivastava and Sameer Manekar
Aug 9 (Reuters) -Equities in Asian emerging markets advanced on Friday, eyeing a positive end to an otherwise rough week as benign U.S. jobless claims data calmed recession fears and nudged the markets to pare back their bets of aggressive rate cuts by the Fed.
Taiwan's benchmark index .TWII surged more than 3% while shares in South Korea .KS11 added 1.4%. MSCI's gauge of Asian emerging market equities .MIMS00000PUS, in which the two East Asian countries hold roughly 40% weight, jumped 2%.
Currencies in the region also logged broad gains against the greenback: the Taiwanese dollar TWD=TP added 0.5% while South Korea's won KRW=KFTC jumped 1%.
In Southeast Asia, Malaysia's ringgit MYR= appreciated 0.3%, while the Philippine peso PHP=, Singapore dollar SGD=, and the Thai baht THB=TH ticked higher.
MSCI's index of emerging market currencies .MIEM00000CUS jumped 0.4% to its highest since early April.
Markets have endured a roller-coaster of a week, with Monday seeing a historical sell-off triggered by massive unwinding of the yen-funded carry trade as data indicated the U.S. Federal Reserve might have to be more aggressive in easing policy at a time when the Bank of Japan (BOJ) looked poised for rate hikes.
Some relief came later in the week in the form of assurances from the BOJ that more tightening may not happen at a time of heavy turbulence, sending the yen JPY=EBS sharply lower.
Further aiding the sentiment was the U.S. jobless claims data overnight on Thursday that eased concerns of an economic slowdown.
Odds of a half-point rate cut by the Fed in mid-September are down to 54% from 69% on Wednesday, according to CME's FedWatch tool.
"The fact that many have reacted and seen the U.S. weekly jobless claims report as a signal shows how open-minded many who had recently subscribed to the U.S. recession trade are," Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone, said.
Pointing to next week's data including U.S. inflation and retail sales, Weston said "good numbers here and we could be looking at a solid rally playing through the week in equity, and risky markets more broadly".
Equities in Malaysia .KLSE, Indonesia .JKSE, and Thailand .SETI advanced between 0.5% and 1%, although were on track for weekly losses.
In the Philippines, the benchmark .PSI jumped 1% on Friday and was just above water for the week ahead of the central bank meeting next week where analysts still expect a rate cut despite strong inflation.
"Keeping monetary policy tight amid softer growth and benign demand inflation may constrain growth more than necessary," analysts at Standard Chartered wrote, maintaining their view of a quarter-point rate cut next week.
In China, the yuan CNY=CFXS and the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC both ticked higher after data showed consumer prices rose at a slightly faster-than-expected pace last month, although the underlying consumption trend remained soft in the world's second-largest economy.
Equity markets in Singapore .STI were closed on Friday on account of National Day.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** Indonesia's 10-year yield ID10YT=RR ticks higher to 6.808%
** US bans imports from five more Chinese companies over Uyghur forced labor
** After ban, Thai opposition party likely to fight in parliament, not streets
** Nobel laureate Yunus takes charge of Bangladesh, hopes to heal strife-torn country
Asia stock indexes and currencies as of 0421 GMT | ||||||
COUNTRY | FX RIC | FX DAILY % | FX YTD % | INDEX | STOCKS DAILY % | STOCKS YTD % |
Japan | JPY= | +0.09 | -4.14 | .N225 | 1.22 | 5.35 |
China | CNY=CFXS | +0.11 | -0.97 | .SSEC | 0.12 | -3.41 |
India | INR=IN | +0.06 | -0.84 | .NSEI | 1.11 | 12.21 |
Indonesia | IDR= | +0.00 | -3.12 | .JKSE | 0.72 | -0.36 |
Malaysia | MYR= | +0.29 | +2.98 | .KLSE | 0.65 | 10.04 |
Philippines | PHP= | +0.23 | -3.27 | .PSI | 1.00 | 2.56 |
S.Korea | KRW=KFTC | +1.09 | -5.46 | .KS11 | 1.34 | -2.42 |
Singapore | SGD= | +0.17 | -0.29 | .STI | - | 0.67 |
Taiwan | TWD=TP | +0.43 | -5.29 | .TWII | 3.19 | 20.10 |
Thailand | THB=TH | +0.03 | -3.02 | .SETI | 0.27 | -8.20 |
Reporting by Adwitiya Srivastava and Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates
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