Most currencies subdued as Mideast risks gauged
Hungary rate decision at 1200 GMT
Chinese yuan slips from three-week highs
Canada to impose 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, including Teslas
EM stocks down 0.3%, FX off 0.2%
By Shashwat Chauhan
Aug 27 (Reuters) -Most emerging market currencies were muted on Tuesday, as sentiment remained fragile with investors assessing the risks from rising tensions in the Middle East following Hezbollah and Israel's clash over the weekend.
As of 0830 GMT, MSCI's index for emerging market stocks .MSCIEF slipped 0.3%, while a gauge for currencies .MIEM00000CUS was down 0.2%, easing from record high levels.
The Chinese yuan CNY=CFXS slipped from three-week highs hit in the last session to trade at 7.1296 per dollar. In offshore trade CNY=, it was last down 0.1%.
Chinese shares .SSEC, .CSI300 also came under pressure, with stocks of EV makers and steel producer down after Canada said on Monday it would impose a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminium from China.
Hungary's forint EURHUF= slipped 0.1% against the euro ahead of a local interest rate decision later in the day.
The Hungarian central bank is expected to pause its easing cycle after 15 rate cuts, keeping its base rate at 6.75%, a Reuters poll indicated, with a few outlying forecasts pointing to further easing.
"Despite a surprising cut in July, we do not anticipate any changes ... the July inflation rate was higher than expected, which supports our view of stable rates," analysts at Erste Group wrote in a note.
Most EM currencies saw sharp gains at the end of last week when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday "the time has come" to lower interest rates, pushing the dollar to its lowest level so far this year.
San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly on Monday backed that claim.
However, EM assets, generally considered as risky, paused as investors measured the risks of escalating geopolitical worries in the Middle East.
Hezbollah had launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, and Israel's military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a larger attack, in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.
Hasnain Malik, head of equity research at Tellimer Research noted that "there are clear indications that this escalation remains calibrated."
In Asia, the Philippine peso PHP= led losses with an 0.5% against the dollar, while South Korean won KRW= shed 0.3%.
Russia's rouble RUB= gained 0.4% against the greenback, while South Africa's rand ZAR=D3 was largely stable at 17.77 per dollar.
Bourses in emerging Europe were mixed, though Hungary's benchmark .BUX lagged with a 0.7% fall.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** IMF reaches staff-level deal for Liberia on $209 million new credit facility
** China's PDD suffers $55 bln market cap wipeout after flagging an uncertain market
** Russia pounds Ukraine with missiles, drones for second day in row, Kyiv says
** IMF softens some conditions on Egypt's $8 billion finance package
For TOP NEWS across emerging markets nTOPEMRG
For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see CEE/
For TURKISH market report, see .IS
For RUSSIAN market report, see RU/RUB
For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance in 2024 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance in 2024 https://tmsnrt.rs/2OusNdX
Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru
Editing by Bernadette Baum
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
