Stocks Rally Pauses in Asia; Dollar Holds Losses: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) -- A global equity rally ran out of steam in Asia as investors assessed the latest efforts toward U.S. fiscal stimulus and the rising toll of the pandemic. The dollar held losses.

Japan’s stock market fell as many shares traded without the right to dividends and after the Nikkei reported Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. plans to make its mobile unit a subsidiary. Australia and South Korea pared gains. Hong Kong fluctuated. S&P 500 futures edged higher after the U.S. gauge rose to its biggest gain in more than two weeks Monday.

Treasuries were steady. The pound consolidated an advance on speculation that successful Brexit trade talks could help shield Britain from a messy rupture with the European Union.

Democrats released a scaled back $2.2 trillion proposal to extend support to the U.S. economy, seeking to break an impasse with Republicans on Covid-19 relief. Traders are also awaiting the first presidential debate Tuesday, as well as an employment report Friday to gauge how the world’s biggest economy is transitioning through the pandemic that has now killed more than a million people globally.

“We definitely need another round of stimulus here, not only for confidence for the American public and workers, but also for the markets,” Michelle Connell, owner and president of Portia Capital Management, said on Bloomberg Television. “Going into this election, that would definitely help.”

Meanwhile, major developed and emerging economies are struggling to contain the coronavirus almost 10 months after it first emerged. Health professionals estimate that the real death toll from the pandemic could be double while many parts of the world are battling a renewed jump in cases amid all-out efforts to develop a vaccine.

Read: Global Deaths Surpass 1 Million in Grim Milestone: Virus Update

Here are some key events coming up:

• On Tuesday, the first U.S. presidential debate will take place between President Donald Trump and Democratic opponent Joe Biden.
• China purchasing manager indexes are due Wednesday, and expected to show September manufacturing improved slightly while non-manufacturing moderated from August’s level.
• The EIA crude oil inventory report comes out Wednesday.
• The September U.S. employment report on Friday will be the last before the November election.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% as of midday in Tokyo. The S&P 500 Index gained 1.6%.
• Japan’s Topix index fell 0.8%.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index gained 0.1%.
• South Korea’s Kospi index rose 0.8%.
• Hang Seng Index was little changed.
• Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.4%.
• Euro Stoxx 50 futures were flat.

Currencies

• The yen traded at 105.52 per dollar.
• The offshore yuan was at 6.8248 per dollar, down 0.2%.
• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was flat.
• The euro traded at $1.1671.
• The British pound gained 0.1% to $1.2841.

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries ticked up to 0.66%.
• Australia’s 10-year bond yield held at about 0.78%.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.6% to $40.35 a barrel.
• Gold was at $1,883.10 an ounce, up 0.1%.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.