GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks rise ahead of Fed meeting

Reuters · 03/16/2021 16:55
GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks rise ahead of Fed meeting

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Graphic: Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn

Graphic: World FX rates http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

By Herbert Lash

- Wall Street's S&P 500 index scaled a new high on Tuesday and a gauge of global equities rose to within 1% of an all-time peak as investors bet the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks meeting this week will retain policies supporting a post-pandemic recovery.

The U.S. dollar edged up against the euro and commodity currencies such as the Australian and New Zealand dollars. U.S. Treasury yields fell as the two-day Fed meeting kept trading in check and investors awaited the latest government debt auction.. nL1N2L82OT.

Oil prices fell for a third day as Germany, France and other European countries suspended use of AstraZeneca's AZN. vaccine, threatening economic growth and fuel demand.

The Nasdaq rose to a two-week high on a rebound in technology-related stocks at the heart of February's sell-off. MSCI's all-country world index, heavily weighted to big U.S. tech firms, also rose.

After the pandemic, demand will increase further for technology stocks that fueled the rally to record highs during the pandemic, said Johan Grahn, head of ETF strategy at AllianzIM in Minneapolis.

"As long as technology is solving real problems for people, there will continue to be a market for these types of companies," Grahn said. "There will be more demand for technology solutions across the board," he said.

MSCI's benchmark for global equity markets .MIWD00000PUS rose 0.2% to 678.36, while Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 added 0.79% to 1,642.57.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.47%, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.09% and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 0.39%.

Euro zone government bonds held ground as caution set in before the conclusion on Wednesday of the Fed's two-day meeting while uncertainty around vaccinations in the bloc supported safe-haven assets.

Longer-term U.S. Treasury yields slipped further, as the market looked ahead to government debt auctions and the Fed's two-day policy meeting, which will conclude on Wednesday. nL1N2LD10L

The 10-year U.S. Treasury US10YT=RR note traded flat to yield 1.6074%. Yields on the benchmark last week hit 1.642% on expectations of rising inflation.

Fed policymakers are expected to forecast the U.S. economy will grow in 2021 by the fastest rate in decades, as it recovers from a coronavirus-stricken 2020. nL1N2L82OT

The Bank of England also meets this week on Thursday and the Bank of Japan wraps up a two-day meeting on Friday.

The outlook for post-pandemic recoveries continued to diverge between the United States and Europe.

President Joe Biden's order to make vaccinations available to all adults by May 1 contrasted with stuttering rollouts in Germany, France and elsewhere, where use of the AstraZeneca AZN.L vaccine has been suspended amid concern over possible side effects. nL1N2LD0O2

In currencies, the dollar held small gains from overnight, with caution evident ahead of the central bank meetings.

The dollar index =USD rose 0.137%, with the euro EUR= down 0.29% to $1.1894.

The Japanese yen JPY= strengthened 0.10% versus the greenback at 109.02 per dollar.

Bitcoin BTC=BTSP slid 0.1% to $55,591.15. The cryptocurrency hit $61,781.83 on Saturday.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell $0.58 to $68.3 a barrel. U.S. crude futures CLc1 slid $0.74 to $64.65 a barrel.



Emerging markets http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV

Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn

Federal Open Market Committee Projectionshttps://tmsnrt.rs/3eJVKCI

(Reporting by Herbert Lash, additional reporting by Ritvik Carvalho in London and by Kevin Buckland and Kane Wu in Tokyo. Editing by Larry King and Mark Potter)

((herb.lash@thomsonreuters.com; 1-646-223-6019; Reuters Messaging: herb.lash.reuters.com@reuters.net))