Global Markets: Stocks Buoyed By Tech Rebound; Dudley Remarks Lift Treasury Yields
June 19, 2017 9:24 PM UTC in News
Article Highlights
Tech, retail bounce from selloff
Oil hits seven-month low
Dollar strengthens on Dudley comments
World stock markets climbed on Monday as technology and retail stocks rebounded from recent weakness and U.S. Treasury yields rose in the wake of hawkish comments from a Federal Reserve official.
The tech sector, up 1.7 percent, pushed equity indexes on Wall Street higher, with the Dow and S&P 500 closing at records. The group had fallen 3.4 percent over the past two weeks but are up nearly 19 percent on the year.
"From a technical standpoint you know there are throngs of investors probably sitting on the sidelines watching that tech rally, wanting to be part of it," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank in Chicago.
"Any incremental downturn looked more like an opportunity than a threat."
Retailers in Europe, closed up 0.8 percent, and in the U.S., gained 0.9 percent, recouping some losses that were triggered on Friday by news of Amazon's $13.7 billion deal to buy upscale grocer Whole Foods Market.
It was Amazon's first major brick-and-mortar acquisition in the sector and already struggling retailers were hit hard by the prospect of having a well-known disruptor as a competitor.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 144.71 points, or 0.68 percent, to end at 21,528.99, the S&P 500 gained 20.31 points, or 0.83 percent, to 2,453.46 and the Nasdaq Composite added 87.26 points, or 1.42 percent, to 6,239.01.
A 1.2 percent gain in Europe's banks also boosted European shares in the wake of broker upgrades for Credit Suisse .
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.87 percent and MSCI's gauge of stock markets across the globe gained 0.65 percent.
Dudley Comments
The U.S. dollar and Treasury yields moved higher after comments from New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley that reinforced expectations the U.S. central bank will continue on its path of tightening monetary policy.
The dollar index, tracking the greenback against a basket of key currencies, rose 0.4 percent, with the euro down 0.46 percent to $1.1146.
Benchmark 10-year notes were last down 10/32 in price to yield 2.1914 percent, from 2.157 percent late on Friday.
The Fed raised rates last week and said it would begin cutting its holdings of bonds and other securities this year.
The stronger dollar weighed on gold prices, but losses were curbed by uncertainty as talks commenced on the terms of Britain's departure from the European Union.
The EU said after a first day of talks on Britain's exit from the 28-member bloc that the clock was ticking on negotiations, but British Brexit minister David Davis said he was optimistic they would yield a swift and good outcome.
Oil prices gave up early gains and turned negative as rising production in the United States, Libya and Nigeria have foiled an OPEC-led effort to support the market by cutting output.
U.S. crude settled down 1.2 percent at $44.20 per barrel, its lowest since Nov. 14. Brent settled 1 percent lower at $46.91. (Editing by Bernadette Baum and James Dalgleish)
Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms.
More from Reuters
A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done. Vince Lombardi