Premarket: Global stocks rise as holiday-shortened week begins
World shares rose broadly while European markets opened lower on Monday diverging from tech-driven gains on Wall Street, while the yen floundered near all-time lows against the euro as higher interest rates piled pressure on Japanese government debt.
MSCI’s broadest index of world shares added 0.2 per cent. European shares dithered 0.2 per cent lower on Monday in thin markets, as investors started a holiday-shortened week on a tepid note following the previous session’s record-high close.
With U.S. equity and bond markets closed on Thursday for Christmas, trading volumes are expected to remain light through the end of the week, said Bruno Schneller, managing director at investor Erlen Capital Management.
“As a result, market moves are likely to be driven more by data outcomes and positioning than by new policy signals, with investors largely focused on closing out the year ahead of January’s labor market and inflation releases,” he added.
Despite it being a holiday-shortened week for much of the world, momentum funds were still flowing to equities, precious metals and commodities ahead of delayed data that is forecast to show the U.S. economy had continued to grow strongly in the third quarter.
Median forecasts tip annualized growth of 3.2 per cent, due in part to a sharp pullback in imports after a run-up earlier in the year ahead of the introduction of tariffs.
Yet analysts at BofA had some words of caution, noting their measure of investor sentiment had moved into extreme bullish territory at 8.5, often a prelude to a reversal.
“Sentiment data reinforce the cautionary signal: the Fund Manager Survey shows most bullish sentiment in 3-1/2 years, driven by expectations of rate, tariff, and tax cuts.”
For now the fear of missing out seemed to be greater and S&P 500 futures added another 0.3 per cent, with Nasdaq futures up 0.5 per cent.
Japan’s Nikkei finished up 1.8 per cent, extending Friday’s bounce as a steep decline in the yen promised to boost export earnings for Japanese corporates. Chinese blue chips closed up almost 1 per cent higher.
The yen selloff came as the Bank of Japan raised rates to a 30-year high of 0.75 per cent and flagged more to come, slamming government debt. Yields on 10-year bonds surged a further 6 basis points to 2.08 per cent, levels not seen since 1999.
Minutes of the BOJ meeting are due on Wednesday, while the head of the central bank speaks to a Japanese business lobby on Christmas Day.
ON INTERVENTION WATCH
The yen touched a fresh record trough on the euro at 184.92 . The dollar gained 0.2 per cent at 157.43, with investors wary of testing the November peak of 157.90 in case that triggered intervention from Tokyo.
Japanese officials duly signaled their concern about one-way moves and warned of appropriate action against an excessive decline.
Analysts at TD Securities noted equity markets recorded their highest weekly inflows on record at $98 billion last week, led by U.S. equity funds. Chinese equity funds saw their third largest weekly inflow of 2025, and emerging markets drew their largest inflows since April.
Flows to bonds, however, saw their fourth straight week of slowdown. U.S. 10-year yields steadied around 4.167 per cent.
Gold jumped past the US$4,400-per-ounce level for the first time on Monday, riding on growing expectations of further U.S. rate cuts and strong safe-haven demand.
Silver also hit a fresh record high of US$69.44, bringing gains this year to almost 140 per cent. Oil prices also perked up after the U.S. intercepted a Venezuelan oil tanker over the weekend, and was pursuing another one in what would be the third such operation in less than two weeks.
Brent firmed 53 US cents to US$60.99 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose 50 US cents to US$57.03 per barrel.
Reuters
