Markets

Asia Emerging-Market Stocks Gain While Topix Slips

Published

7 years ago

March 17, 2017

Asia Emerging-Market Stocks Gain While Topix Slips

An equities rally spurred by the Federal Reserve’s outlook found some life in Asian emerging markets, even amid a slump in Japanese and U.S. shares. The dollar was steady after a two-day decline.

Stocks in Indonesia reached a record and markets from Malaysia to South Korea climbed, helped by a weaker U.S. currency. Shares in Tokyo slumped, weighing down the MSCI Asia Pacific Index after its biggest gain since November. The S&P 500 Index’s post-Fed rally ran out of steam after the gauge climbed to within 0.5 percent of an all-time high. Treasuries maintained Thursday’s declines, while the dollar was poised for its biggest weekly loss in more than a month.

Global stocks are on course for the best week since January after the Fed raised its benchmark lending rate a quarter point without accelerating the timetable for future hikes. Investors largely anticipated the tightening and Treasury yields had climbed with the dollar on speculation the central bank might signal a faster pace of tightening.

“A less hawkish monetary policy in the U.S. is more likely to push assets outside of the U.S. into higher-risk, higher-return markets,” James Woods, a Sydney-based investment analyst at Rivkin Securities, said in a phone interview. “A weaker dollar is supportive of those emerging markets generally. I’m not sure whether its going to be long-lived though. People are going to get back to focusing on the next Fed hike, and also Trump’s policies which would be dollar supportive.”

China’s central bank also raised borrowing costs this week and the Bank of Japan left its monetary policy setting unchanged. The pound gained Thursday as some Bank of England policy makers said they may not be far behind Kristin Forbes who’s leaning toward raising interest rates.

Volatility is retreating across the globe after the central bank policy decisions. At the same time, the defeat in this week’s Dutch elections of anti-immigration candidate Geert Wilders is being seen as a blow to populist political leaders, easing concerns ahead of French elections. A gauge of volatility on the Euro Stoxx 50 Index plunged 26 percent on Thursday, the most on record.

“Volatility is scarily low and there’s just a lot of complacency out there,” James Audiss, a senior wealth manager at Shaw and Partners in Sydney, said in a phone interview. “After we get through the big macro events with governments and elections, we have to start to look to corporate earnings. That’s where it becomes not so much a systemic stock market move as stock selection.”

Here are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index retreated 0.2 percent as of 1:12 p.m. in Tokyo, after closing Thursday at the highest level since June 2015. Japan’s Topix fell 0.5 percent, heading for a weekly decline.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 0.2 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index gained 0.4 percent to a record, after a 1.6 percent surge on Thursday. Malaysia’s benchmark jumped 0.6 percent. Both markets are up more than 1.8 percent for the week.
New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 Index increased 0.1 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.4 percent. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.4 percent.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index added at least 0.2 percent, after soaring the most since May on Thursday.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.2 percent Thursday, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.7 percent.

Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed after dropping 0.2 percent on Thursday on top of a 1.3 percent post-FOMC drop. The gauge is down 1.2 percent for the week, the most since the period ended Feb. 3.
The yen edged lower to 113.46 per dollar, down 0.1 percent to pare is biggest weekly gain in more than a month.
The pound slipped less than 0.1 percent to $1.2351. The currency is up 1.5 percent for the week, its biggest gain since January.

Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell less than one basis point to 2.54 percent, after rising five basis points on Thursday. The rate dipped below 2.50 percent following the Fed decision. It traded above 2.60 percent earlier in the week.
Australian 10-year yields rose for the first time in five days, climbing five basis points to 2.86 percent. The rate tumbled 10 basis points on Thursday.
The yield on New Zealand’s benchmark advanced three basis points to 3.28 percent, after also dropping 10 basis points in the previous session.

Commodities

Oil advanced 0.2 percent to $48.85, heading toward its first weekly gain in three weeks.
Gold was steady after a two-day gain, trading at $1,226.94 an ounce and poised for a 1.9 percent increase for the week.

Up Next

U.K. Consumer Spending to Slow Sharply in Coming Years, PwC Says

Don't Miss

Shoprite Launches ‘Proudly Nigeria Product” Campaign

Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

Comments

Crude Oil

Oil Prices Rally Amidst Russian Export Ban and Rate Hike Concerns

Published

3 days ago

September 22, 2023

Samed Olukoya

Oil prices saw an upward trend on Friday as concerns over Russia’s ban on fuel exports potentially tightening global supply.

This development overshadowed apprehensions of further interest rate hikes in the United States that could impact demand.

However, despite this bounce, oil prices were still on course for their first weekly decline in four weeks.

Brent crude oil gained 46 cents, or 0.5% to $93.76 per barrel while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) oil surged by 65 cents, a 0.7% rise to $90.28 a barrel.

These gains were driven by growing concerns regarding tight global supply as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) continued to implement production cuts.

Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi Securities Co Ltd, commented on the volatile nature of the market, stating, “Trading remained choppy amid a tug-of-war between supply fears that were reinforced by a Russian ban on fuel exports and worries over slower demand due to tighter monetary policies in the United States and Europe.”

He further noted that investors would closely monitor OPEC+ production cuts and the impact of rising interest rates, predicting that WTI would trade within a range of approximately $90 to $95.

Russia’s abrupt ban on gasoline and diesel exports to countries outside a select group of four ex-Soviet states had an immediate effect as it aimed to stabilize the domestic fuel market. This export restriction prompted a nearly 5% increase in heating oil futures on Thursday.

Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets, explained, “Crude oil bounced off a session low after Russia banned diesel exports, which included gasoline. The action reversed a downside movement in crude markets following the hawkish Fed decision.”

However, she also warned that mounting concerns about a recession in the Eurozone could continue to exert downward pressure on oil prices.

The U.S. Federal Reserve recently maintained its interest rates but adopted a more hawkish stance, projecting a quarter-percentage-point increase to 5.50%-5.75% by the year-end. This decision heightened fears that higher rates might dampen economic growth and reduce fuel demand.

Also, the stronger U.S. dollar, reaching its highest level since early March, made oil and other commodities more expensive for buyers using alternative currencies.

Crude Oil

NNPCL’s Crude Commitments Create Hurdles for Dangote’s Oil Operations

Published

5 days ago

September 20, 2023

Investors King

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has found itself at the center of a growing challenge faced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, one of Africa’s largest industrial projects.

As the refinery gears up for full-scale production, it is grappling with unforeseen hurdles caused by the commitments made by NNPCL in the form of crude oil agreements with other entities.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery, a flagship project of the Dangote Group led by billionaire Aliko Dangote, is on the brink of becoming a game-changer in Nigeria’s energy sector. With a promise to significantly reduce the country’s dependence on imported petroleum products, the refinery holds the potential to bolster the nation’s energy self-sufficiency.

However, recent revelations have shed light on the complexity of the oil industry in Nigeria and how contractual commitments can disrupt even the best-laid plans.

According to Devakumar Edwin, the Executive Director of the Dangote Group, in an interview with S&P Global Commodity Insights, the NNPCL, which normally trades crude oil on behalf of Nigeria, has pledged its crude to other entities.

While Edwin did not disclose the specific recipients of NNPCL’s crude commitments, it was previously announced that the company had entered into a $3 billion crude oil-for-loan deal with the African Export-Import Bank. Under this agreement, NNPCL agreed to allocate future oil production to the bank as repayment for the loan.

This unforeseen twist has left Dangote Petroleum Refinery in a predicament, necessitating the temporary importation of crude oil.

Edwin, however, stated that this importation is only a short-term solution, as the refinery expects to receive crude supply from NNPCL starting in November 2023.

The refinery’s ambitious plans include producing up to 370,000 barrels per day of crude, which will be processed into Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and jet fuel by October 2023. By November 30, 2023, the plant aims to produce Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), providing a much-needed boost to the domestic fuel market.

While the Dangote Group remains committed to its objectives, the delays caused by NNPCL’s prior commitments have raised concerns among oil marketers.

They believe that the prices of diesel and jet fuel, in particular, will only experience a significant reduction once the refinery begins receiving crude oil supplies from Nigeria rather than importing it.

Despite these temporary setbacks, Edwin reaffirmed the refinery’s readiness to receive crude oil, stating, “Right now, I’m ready to receive crude. We are just waiting for the first vessel. And so, as soon as it comes in, we can start.”

In essence, the shift in the refinery’s original timeline can be attributed to the prior commitments made by NNPCL, causing a momentary delay.

However, it remains a beacon of hope for Nigeria’s energy sector, promising a reliable supply of environmentally-friendly refined products and a substantial influx of foreign exchange into the country.

Devakumar Edwin also underscored that the revenues generated from the refinery’s operations would be reinvested in further developments, reaffirming Aliko Dangote’s unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s economic growth.

As the nation eagerly awaits the commencement of production at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, it is clear that the complex web of oil industry contracts and commitments has played an unexpected role in shaping the refinery’s journey towards becoming a transformative force in Nigeria’s energy landscape.

Crude Oil

Oil Prices Retreat as Markets Await Fed Meeting

Published

5 days ago

September 20, 2023

Investors King

Oil prices dipped by almost $1 on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s anticipated interest rate decision.

Investors are grappling with uncertainty surrounding peak rates and the potential impact on energy demand.

Despite a substantial drawdown in U.S. oil inventories and sluggish U.S. shale production indicating a possible tight crude supply for the remainder of 2023, prices tumbled.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigerian oil is priced, slid 88 cents, or 0.9%, to $93.46 a barrel following Tuesday’s peak of $95.96, its highest level since November.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil also fell by 1%, or 97 cents, to $90.23 a barrel after hitting a 10-month high of $93.74 the previous day.

Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA, said, “The oil rally is taking a little break as every trader awaits a pivotal Fed decision that might tilt the scales of whether the U.S. economy has a soft or hard landing.”

He emphasized that the oil market remains “very tight” in the short term.

Investors are closely monitoring central bank interest rate decisions this week, including the Federal Reserve’s announcement, to gauge economic growth and fuel demand. While it’s widely expected that the Fed will maintain interest rates, the focus will be on its projected policy path, which remains uncertain.

U.S. crude oil stockpiles declined significantly, with a 5.25 million-barrel drop last week, exceeding the 2.2 million-barrel decline expected by Reuters analysts.

Goldman Sachs analysts raised their 12-month ahead Brent forecast from $93 a barrel to $100 a barrel, citing lower OPEC supply and higher demand. They believe OPEC can maintain a Brent price range of $80-$105 in 2024.

Russia is considering imposing higher export duties on oil products to address fuel shortages, while U.S. shale oil production is set to reach its lowest point since May 2023. On the demand side, India’s crude oil imports declined for the third consecutive month in August due to maintenance and reduced shipments from Russia.

Exxon Mobil Corp has pledged to increase oil production by nearly 40,000 barrels per day in Nigeria, as part of a new investment initiative in the country, according to a presidential spokesperson.