Asian stocks, FX subdued as geopolitical risks rise
U.S. dollar firm on Middle East tensions
Asian currencies edge lower
Indonesia, Malaysia stocks down 1%
By Roushni Nair
Oct 2 (Reuters) -Emerging Asian stocks and currencies were largely subdued on Wednesday after Iran's ballistic missile strike on Israel provoked fears of a wider regional conflict and led investors to flee to safe-haven assets, including the U.S. dollar.
The Japanese yen JPY= and the Indonesian rupiah IDR= declined over 0.3%, each. Equities in Jakarta .JKSE and Seoul .KS11 dipped 0.7% and 0.2%, respectively.
In response to Israel's actions against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, Iran launched a series of ballistic missiles at Israel, who in turn promised a "severe retaliation" against its adversary.
Escalating geopolitical conflicts can trigger swift downturns in markets, especially in risk-prone emerging markets, while traditionally safe assets such as gold and Treasuries often see an influx of investments.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's inflation rate in September recorded its slowest increase in almost three years, providing the country's central bank with more room to execute rate cuts.
The rupiah, which has gained more than 1% this year, rose by 0.6% during the quarter ended September, enough to completely offset its prior losses from the previous quarter, when it fell nearly 8%.
Investors are now awaiting inflation figures from the Philippines on Friday, expecting it to determine the pace of future interest rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
As inflation is forecast to continue its downward trend, market expectations are mounting the BSP could further lower rates at its two remaining policy meetings this year, in October and December.
Among other regional currencies, the Malaysian ringgit MYR= and the Philippine peso PHP= were largely flat, last up 0.1% each. The Thai baht THB=TH was down 0.2%, after slipping from early 2022 highs in the previous session.
In the United States, Fed Chair Jerome Powell countered expectations of drastic easing measures, projecting that the central bank would likely continue with quarter-percentage-point rate cuts in the future.
That led to a 0.5% gain in the U.S. dollar index =USD overnight to 101.2, its largest rise since Sept. 25, which was also helped by a stronger-than-expected reading on U.S. job openings. USD/
"Our view is that Asian currencies will broadly rise gradually, as we anticipate the U.S. employment rate will not go up significantly and as China's stimulus impacts on markets will remain positive," Ryota ABE, an economist at SMBC said.
Following China's weekend stimulus measures, Shanghai .SSEC shares had their strongest trading day in 16 years on Monday, as global investors flocked to invest in previously downtrodden Chinese stocks.
Financial markets in Taipei were shut ahead of the arrival of a weakening Typhoon Krathon. Onshore financial markets in China are closed for the rest for the week due to public holidays.
Other equities were largely mixed, with those in Kuala Lumpur .KLSE and Bangkok .SETI slipping 1% and 0.7%, respectively, while shares in Singapore .STI and Manila .PSI rose marginally by 0.2% each.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** Indonesian 10-year benchmark yields rise 0.1 basis points to 6.46%
** Markets in India are closed for a public holiday
** South Korea inflation cools more than expected as rate cut talk grows
Asian currencies and stocks at 0439 GMT | ||||||
COUNTRY | FX RIC | FX DAILY % | FX YTD % | INDEX | STOCKS DAILY % | STOCKS YTD % |
Japan | JPY= | -0.22 | -1.96 | .N225 | -1.57 | 14.29 |
China | CNY=CFXS | - | +1.14 | .SSEC | - | 12.15 |
India | INR=IN | - | -0.73 | .NSEI | - | 18.71 |
Indonesia | IDR= | -0.20 | +1.12 | .JKSE | -0.89 | 4.15 |
Malaysia | MYR= | +0.05 | +10.36 | .KLSE | -0.99 | 12.74 |
Philippines | PHP= | +0.14 | -1.25 | .PSI | 0.12 | 14.55 |
S.Korea | KRW=KFTC | -0.23 | -2.42 | .KS11 | -0.60 | -2.92 |
Singapore | SGD= | +0.09 | +2.51 | .STI | 0.27 | 10.81 |
Taiwan | TWD=TP | - | -3.46 | .TWII | - | 24.87 |
Thailand | THB=TH | -0.03 | +4.85 | .SETI | -0.25 | 3.19 |
Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
Asian stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Reporting by Roushni Nair, Additional reporting by Sherin Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
면책조항: XM Group 회사는 체결 전용 서비스와 온라인 거래 플랫폼에 대한 접근을 제공하여, 개인이 웹사이트에서 또는 웹사이트를 통해 이용 가능한 콘텐츠를 보거나 사용할 수 있도록 허용합니다. 이에 대해 변경하거나 확장할 의도는 없습니다. 이러한 접근 및 사용에는 다음 사항이 항상 적용됩니다: (i) 이용 약관, (ii) 위험 경고, (iii) 완전 면책조항. 따라서, 이러한 콘텐츠는 일반적인 정보에 불과합니다. 특히, 온라인 거래 플랫폼의 콘텐츠는 금융 시장에서의 거래에 대한 권유나 제안이 아닙니다. 금융 시장에서의 거래는 자본에 상당한 위험을 수반합니다.
온라인 거래 플랫폼에 공개된 모든 자료는 교육/정보 목적으로만 제공되며, 금융, 투자세 또는 거래 조언 및 권고, 거래 가격 기록, 금융 상품 또는 원치 않는 금융 프로모션의 거래 제안 또는 권유를 포함하지 않으며, 포함해서도 안됩니다.
이 웹사이트에 포함된 모든 의견, 뉴스, 리서치, 분석, 가격, 기타 정보 또는 제3자 사이트에 대한 링크와 같이 XM이 준비하는 콘텐츠 뿐만 아니라, 제3자 콘텐츠는 일반 시장 논평으로서 "현재" 기준으로 제공되며, 투자 조언으로 여겨지지 않습니다. 모든 콘텐츠가 투자 리서치로 해석되는 경우, 투자 리서치의 독립성을 촉진하기 위해 고안된 법적 요건에 따라 콘텐츠가 의도되지 않았으며, 준비되지 않았다는 점을 인지하고 동의해야 합니다. 따라서, 관련 법률 및 규정에 따른 마케팅 커뮤니케이션이라고 간주됩니다. 여기에서 접근할 수 있는 앞서 언급한 정보에 대한 비독립 투자 리서치 및 위험 경고 알림을 읽고, 이해하시기 바랍니다.
