Stocks, dollar on tenterhooks with all eyes on US Election Day
Dollar and bonds seen reacting to US vote
Polls show tight race, keeping markets on edge
USD/CNH implied volatility hits record high
Australia holds interest rates, as expected
Updates prices to 0340 GMT
By Tom Westbrook
SINGAPORE, Nov 5 (Reuters) -Stock markets moved sideways and an uneasy calm settled over currencies and bonds as investors waited for the United States to choose a new leader with polls showing the contest on a knife edge.
Oil held sharp overnight gains on delays to producers' plans for increased output, leaving benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 at $75.08 a barrel after a 3% rise on Monday.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was flat. Tokyo's Nikkei .N225 returned from a holiday and rose 1.3% in morning trade.
S&P 500 futures ESc1 ticked 0.1% higher.
The dollar, which had eased overnight as traders made final adjustments to positions, bought 152.35 yen JPY=EBS and traded at $1.0875 per euro EUR=EBS.
"They've priced what they think is price-able and that's that," said Westpac strategist Imre Speizer, adding that a clear win for Republican Donald Trump would lift the dollar, while a win for Democrat Kamala Harris would push it a little lower.
Election day ends an acrimonious campaign jolted by assassination attempts on Trump and the withdrawal of President Joe Biden in favour of Harris, with polls showing the candidates virtually tied.
Markets are on edge about how Trump's protectionist trade policies in particular could stoke inflation and hit exports in the world's biggest consumer market with bonds and the dollar expected to move on the outcome of the election.
"Ultimately the U.S. election comes down to this - whether the U.S. electorate wants to vote for economic policy continuity, institutional stability and liberal democracy (Harris) or radical trade policy, a further retreat for globalization and strongman democracy (Trump)," J.P. Morgan analysts said in a note. "In short, a vote for stability or change."
BRACED
China is seen on the front line of tariff risk and the currency in particular is trading on tenterhooks with implied volatility against the dollar CNHSWO= at record highs.
The yuan CNY=CFXS hovered at 7.1065 per dollar, while broader foreign exchange markets were steady. The Australian dollar barely reacted after the central bankheld rates, as expected, and reiterated they would stay high for some time.
The Australian dollar AUD=D3 traded at$0.6588, but was seen as likely to rally if Harris won the presidency. AUD/
"Simply, if Harris wins, we like selling dollar/yen and buying AUDUSD," said currency strategists at Citi. "If Trump wins, we like buying USD against EUR, SEK, and NOK."
Treasury markets, which have also priced in a U.S. interest rate cut for Thursday, held their ground in Asia with 10-year U.S. yields US10YT=RR at 4.30%.
Bitcoin BTC=, which is seen as a beneficiary of a softer regulatory environment should Trump win office, has sold from recent highs and was steady at $67,924 on Tuesday.
When results roll in after midnight GMT the focus will be on battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada.
A winner may not be known for days and Trump has signalled that he will attempt to fight any defeat, as he did in 2020.
World FX rates YTD http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Editing by Shri Navaratnam
Relaterade tillgångar
Senaste nytt
Ansvarsfriskrivning: XM Group-enheter tillhandahåller sin tjänst enbart för exekvering och tillgången till vår onlinehandelsplattform, som innebär att en person kan se och/eller använda tillgängligt innehåll på eller via webbplatsen, påverkar eller utökar inte detta, vilket inte heller varit avsikten. Denna tillgång och användning omfattas alltid av i) villkor, ii) riskvarningar och iii) fullständig ansvarsfriskrivning. Detta innehåll tillhandahålls därför uteslutande som allmän information. Var framför allt medveten om att innehållet på vår onlinehandelsplattform varken utgör en uppmaning eller ett erbjudande om att ingå några transaktioner på de finansiella marknaderna. Handel på alla finansiella marknader involverar en betydande risk för ditt kapital.
Allt material som publiceras på denna sida är enbart avsett för utbildnings- eller informationssyften och innehåller inte – och ska inte heller anses innehålla – rådgivning och rekommendationer om finansiella frågor, investeringsskatt eller handel, dokumentation av våra handelskurser eller ett erbjudande om, eller en uppmaning till, en transaktion i finansiella instrument eller oönskade finansiella erbjudanden som är riktade till dig.
Tredjepartsinnehåll, liksom innehåll framtaget av XM såsom synpunkter, nyheter, forskningsrön, analyser, kurser, andra uppgifter eller länkar till tredjepartssajter som återfinns på denna webbplats, tillhandahålls i befintligt skick, som allmän marknadskommentar, och utgör ingen investeringsrådgivning. I den mån som något innehåll tolkas som investeringsforskning måste det noteras och accepteras att innehållet varken har varit avsett som oberoende investeringsforskning eller har utarbetats i enlighet med de rättsliga kraven för att främja ett sådant syfte, och därför är att betrakta som marknadskommunikation enligt tillämpliga lagar och föreskrifter. Se till så att du har läst och förstått vårt meddelande om icke-oberoende investeringsforskning och riskvarning om ovannämnda information, som finns här.
