By Scott Murdoch and Amanda Cooper
Signage is seen outside the LSEG (London Stock Exchange
Group) headquarters in Paternoster Square, London. REUTERS
(Reuters)
- Global stocks rose on Tuesday after Federal Reserve officials
breathed more life into expectations for a December interest rate cut,
prompting investors to pile into technology stocks, shrugging off
concerns about the sector becoming overheated.
Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) could hit $4 trillion in market capitalisation later on, which would
make it only the fourth company to reach that mark, showing investors
believe the AI-fuelled tech boom is set to continue.
MSCI's All-World index (.MIWD00000PUS) rose for a third day, lifting off last week's two-month lows, as shares in Europe edged up (.STOXX) 0.2% and U.S. stock index futures , hovered either side of unchanged, following Monday's rally in the benchmark indices.
RISING RATE CUT BETS
The
yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes dipped nearly 1 basis point
to 4.03%, while two-year yields , which tend to fall in line with
traders' expectations of lower Fed fund rates, were steady at 3.49% in
Europe, after dropping 2.5 basis points in the previous session.
The prospect of a U.S. interest rate cut is rising after Fed Governor Christopher Waller
said on Monday that available data indicated that the U.S. job market
remained weak enough to warrant another quarter-point cut. His remarks
followed those of New York Fed President John Williams, who suggested
late on Friday that a cut in December was a possibility.
Markets
are pricing in a roughly 81% chance of a quarter-point cut next month,
according to CME's FedWatch Tool, up from 42.4% a week ago. The U.S.
central bank meets on December 9 and 10.
Later
on Tuesday, investors will be able to sift through delayed data on
retail sales, wholesale inflation, home prices and consumer confidence,
although these may not have much impact on their thinking about what the
Fed might do next month.
The
shift in rate expectations over the last week has boosted stocks, but
has had limited impact on the dollar. So far this month, it has gained
against every major currency except the offshore Chinese yuan , which
has strengthened around 0.5%.
"This
suggests, to me, that the FX market remains in a mindset of trading on
growth differentials over anything else and, with the U.S. economy
outperforming peers now, as well as likely continuing to do so into
2026, bodes well for the buck moving forwards," Pepperstone senior
research strategist Michael Brown said.
TENSION OVER JAPAN
Most
notably, the dollar has forged higher against the Japanese yen , which
is hovering around its weakest in 10 months and causing unease among
Tokyo officials about the need for intervention to support it.
The dollar was last down 0.3% on the day at 156.43, having gained 1.6% in November. The euro was up 0.1% at $1.1528.
Adding
to tension around Japanese markets is the ongoing row between Tokyo and
Beijing over a comment by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier
in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese
military response.
Takaichi
and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Tuesday, following his call on
Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. She said Trump explained
U.S.-China relations to her.
Trump said on Monday he would travel to Beijing
in April, which was interpreted as a further sign that diplomatic and
political relations between the two countries were improving following
their trade war truce.
U.S. stock and bond markets will be closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday and will trade for half a day on Friday.
ALPHABET HEADS FOR $4 TRILLION
Alphabet shares were up another 4% in premarket trading, following a report in The Information that Facebook parent Meta (META.O) is in discussions with the company to use its AI chips in its data centres from 2027 and to rent chips next year.
In
commodities, Brent crude futures fell 0.4% to $63.14 a barrel, under
pressure from concerns that global supply could rise significantly in
the coming year relative to demand. Gold, meanwhile, slipped 0.1% to
$4,135 an ounce, but was still set for a near-3% gain in November.
Reporting by Scott Murdoch and Amanda Cooper
Editing by Sonali Paul, Tomasz Janowski and Frances Kerry
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