Stocks touch new highs as volatility eases, dollar gains

NEW YORK/LONDON: A global benchmark and two key European indexes hit new highs on Tuesday while the dollar rose in anticipation of faster inflation as volatility eased to lows last seen in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic.

Yields on U.S. Treasury debt fell to their lowest in more than a month, while euro zone bond yields nudged down with markets in a wait-and-see mood ahead of a European Central Bank policy meeting and U.S. inflation data, both due on Thursday.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 4.2 basis points to 1.528per cent, suggesting bond investors don't see a pick-up in inflation, despite nagging jitters over the Federal Reserve's insistence a rise in consumer prices will be transient.

Markets have been quiet before the release of second-quarter earnings in July when very strong results will be reported as a year ago they were so dismal, said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Knowing there's a strong earnings season coming takes away some worry," Tuz said, keeping share prices from falling. "The markets are about as flat and quiet as they can be today."

MSCI's all-country world index, a U.S.-centric benchmark for global equity markets rose 0.02per cent to 717.17 after earlier scaling a fresh intraday high.

In Europe, the pan FTSEurofirst 300 index added 0.08per cent to close at a new record high, while the STOXX 600 index rose 0.15per cent to also set a new closing high.

Telecoms, travel and real estate shares in Europe led equity markets higher, but weak German industrial output data and doubts that Britain will lift remaining pandemic restrictions later this month capped gains.

The travel and leisure index rose 1.8per cent, supported largely by gains in low-cost carrier easyJet after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "buy."

The three major Wall Street indexes rose, with the big tech FAANG stocks leading shares higher as the outlook for lower inflation makes their long-term earnings more valuable.

"We've seen the FAANGs creep their way back in reaction to people buying into the inflation-is-transitory story," said Simon Maughan, head of trading alpha at Liquident, an alternative trading venue.

Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc and Google parent Alphabet Inc rose while Facebook Inc fell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.03per cent, the S&P 500 gained 0.10per cent and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.38per cent.

Sterling was under pressure as the British government considered whether to delay removing most of its remaining coronavirus restrictions and oil was in the doldrums, but both looked like being temporary phenomena at worst.

Recent comments suggested the European Central Bank has no plans to reel in its mass stimulus program any time soon.

"I would expect the ECB to maintain a dovish stance as they would not be want to be seen as moving towards tapering at the moment," said Lombard Odier, head of FX strategy at Vasileios Gkionakis.

Shares in electric carmaker Tesla retreated 0.5per cent after rising earlier on data from Beijing that showed its Chinese sales - which comprise a third of the firm's total sales - had seen a 29per cent leap last month.

The data had also showed China's overall new electric vehicle sales had surged 177per cent compared to a year ago.

The equity market's so-called "fear gauge," the VIX, fell to as low as 15.15, a level not seen since February 2018.

The dollar index rose 0.126per cent, with the euro down 0.12per cent to US$1.2174. The Japanese yen weakened 0.23per cent versus the greenback at 109.50 per dollar.

U.S. gold futures settled down 0.2per cent at US$1,894.40 an ounce.

Brent crude futures settled up 73 cents at US$72.22 a barrel. U.S. crude futures rose 82 cents to settle at US$70.05 a barrel.

Overnight in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 had inched down 0.2per cent as losses in market heavyweights offset gains for drugmakers after Eisai Co's Alzheimer's drug received U.S. regulatory approval.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash, by Stefano Rebaudo in Milan; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Mark Heinrich)