|

S&P 500 Futures drop 1.0%, US treasury yields decline amid risk-off

  • Signals of further challenges, due to coronavirus, recently weigh on the market’s risk sentiment.
  • US stock futures follow the footsteps of Wall Street, Treasury yields remain on the back foot below 0.70%.

While the increase in the coronavirus numbers from the US and Europe earlier weighed on the market’s risk sentiment, expectations of a double-digit contraction in the US economy and millions to get infected recently heavies the market’s risk catalysts off-late.

US President Donald Trump recently cited the fears while saying that the upcoming two weeks will be very tough. "White House officials are projecting between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths in the U.S. with coronavirus fatalities peaking over the next two weeks," said CNBC.

Also contributing to the market’s risk-off could be the latest figures of New York City (NYC) deaths due to the virus. As per the update, there are more than 1,000 deaths by the end of Tuesday in NYC due to the deadly disease.

That said, futures linked to S&P 500 and Dow Jones mark nearly 1.0% losses by the press time whereas the US 10-year treasury yields decline three basis points to 0.67% as we write. Further to portray the risk-off, Japan’s NIKKEI drops 1.90% to 18,540 as Tokyo opens for trading on Wednesday.

Given the recent fears of the virus outbreak in the West, investors will keep eyes on any updates for near-term direction. In doing so, safe-havens like Gold, Japanese yen and the US dollar might be of their choice.

Author

Anil Panchal

Anil Panchal

FXStreet

Anil Panchal has nearly 15 years of experience in tracking financial markets. With a keen interest in macroeconomics, Anil aptly tracks global news/updates and stays well-informed about the global financial moves and their implications.

More from Anil Panchal
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD meets initial support around 1.1800

EUR/USD remains on the back foot, although it has managed to reverse the initial strong pullback toward the 1.1800 region and regain some balance, hovering around the 1.1850 zone as the NA session draws to a close on Tuesday. Moving forward, market participants will now shift their attention to the release of the FOMC Minutes and US hard data on Wednesday.
 

GBP/USD bounces off lows, retargets 1.3550

After bottoming out just below the 1.3500 yardstick, GBP/USD now gathers some fresh bids and advances to the 1.3530-1.3540 band in the latter part of Tuesday’s session. Cable’s recovery comes as the Greenback surrenders part of its advance, although it keeps the bullish bias well in place for the day.

Gold remains offered below $5,000

Gold stays on the defensive on Tuesday, receding to the sub-$5,000 region per troy ounce on the back of the persistent move higher in the Greenback. The precious metal’s decline is also underpinned by the modest uptick in US Treasury yields across the spectrum.

RBNZ set to pause interest-rate easing cycle as new Governor Breman faces firm inflation

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand remains on track to maintain the Official Cash Rate at 2.25% after concluding its first monetary policy meeting of this year on Wednesday.

UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes

In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months. 

Ripple slides to $1.45 as downside risks surge

Ripple edges lower at the time of writing on Tuesday, from the daily open of $1.48, as headwinds persist across the crypto market. A short-term support is emerging at $1.45, but a buildup of bearish positions could further weaken the derivatives market and prolong the correction.