"June 5 (Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks rose for the first time in five days, the euro strengthened and oil climbed amid speculation global policy makers will take more steps to stimulate economic growth. The Australia dollar strengthened while yields on U.S. and Japanese bonds increased.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index added 1.3 percent as of 1:53 p.m. in Tokyo and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures gained 0.4 percent. The euro climbed for a third day, while the yen and the dollar weakened against most of their major counterparts. Crude oil in New York rose for a second day. Yields on 10-year Treasuries increased one basis point to 1.53 percent.
Leaders from the Group of Seven countries will hold a conference call to discuss the European debt crisis today ahead of the G-20 meeting next week. The Reserve Bank of Australia lowered its key interest rate today by 25 basis points to 3.5 percent, the lowest level since 2009. China’s insurance regulator said it will allow insurers’ to broaden their investment scope, and four Taiwan government-controlled funds bought stocks yesterday to help pare losses, according to the Taipei-based Commercial Times.
“We are likely to see a reasonably strong policy response in a number of countries,” said Angus Gluskie, managing director at White Funds Management in Sydney, who manages more than $350 million. “It’s stacking up to be a reasonably good buying opportunity.”
MSCI Asia Pacific Index rebounded from the lowest close since November, as declines yesterday dragged down valuations on the region’s benchmark to 11.2 times estimated earnings on average, the lowest this year.
Qantas Tumbles
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index advanced 1.3 percent after central bank Governor Glen Steven’s second rate cut in as many meetings. Thirteen of 27 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted the move, while four forecast a half-point reduction and 10 expected borrowing costs to remain unchanged.
“The RBA has put more weight on global factors,” said Matthew Sherwood, Perpetual Investments’ head of investment markets research in Sydney. Perpetual manages funds of about $23 billion. “The bank is clearly worried about the outlook for Europe and households domestically are showing cautionary behavior.”
Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia’s largest carrier, plunged to a record low in Sydney after saying annual profit may decline as much as 91 percent amid mounting losses on international routes and increased fuel costs. Qantas slumped as much as 19.4 percent before trading at A$1.16.
Taiwan’s Taiex Index climbed 1.5 percent amid speculation the government will take steps to bolster equities.
Shanghai Composite
Taiwanese lawmakers are trying to find a compromise solution among 20 draft bills and 10 versions of a capital gains tax on stock trading, the official Central News Agency reported yesterday.
Searches for “Shanghai Composite” were blocked from China’s most-used microblogging service after the stock index’s drop on the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown corresponded to the date of the event. The Shanghai Composite Index dropped by 64.89 points yesterday, matching the date on which Chinese authorities crushed student-led protests on June 4, 1989. The gauge was little changed today.
Korea’s Kospi Index advanced 1.1 percent, while the Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 0.8 percent in Tokyo. Japan’s broader Topix Index, which entered a bear market yesterday as it plunged to a level not seen since 1983, added 1.5 percent.
The S&P 500 closed up less than 0.1 percent in New York yesterday after it fell 9.9 percent from a four-year high on April 2 through last week.
Factory Orders Decline
The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index, which covers almost 90 percent of the economy, probably held at 53.5, matching April’s four-month low, according to median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg before a report from the Tempe, Arizona-based group today. Orders to U.S. factories unexpectedly declined 0.6 percent in April from the previous month, according to the Commerce Department report yesterday.
The euro advanced 0.2 percent against both the dollar and yen to $1.2523 and 98.13 yen. The Dollar Index, which IntercontinentalExchange Inc. uses to track the greenback against the currencies of six U.S. trading partners, fell 0.2 percent to 82.397.
Credit-Default Swaps
Oil futures advanced 0.9 percent after rising for a second day before a government report that may show crude stockpiles dropped for the first time in 11 weeks in the U.S., the world’s biggest consumer of the commodity. U.S. inventories probably slipped 1 million barrels last week as refineries increased gasoline output to meet peak summer consumption, according to the median estimate of nine analysts in a Bloomberg News survey before an Energy Department report tomorrow.
Yields on Australia’s 10-year securities rose 13 basis points to 2.903 percent while Japan’s 10-year rate was up 3.5 basis points at 0.85 percent from yesterday, when it touched 0.79 percent, the lowest since 2003.
The cost of insuring Asia-Pacific corporate and sovereign bonds from non-payment fell, according to traders of credit- default swaps. The Markit iTraxx Asia index of 40 investment- grade borrowers outside Japan dropped 4 basis points to 206 basis points, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc prices show. The gauge is set for its lowest close since May 31, according to data provider CMA.
To contact the reporters on this story: Mariko Ishikawa in Tokyo at mishikawa9@bloomberg.net ; Adam Haigh in Sydney at ahaigh1@bloomberg.net . "
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Steven
Steven Morris CA (SA)
Mobie : 083 943 1858
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E-Mail: steven@global.co.za
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