World stocks trotted higher in light, holiday trading yesterday, moving to record levels as rising industrial metals prices gestured to a strong finish to the year for risk assets.
MSCI’s world equity index, which tracks shares in 47 countries, has returned more than 24 per cent this year including dividends, and looks set for a record 14th month of gains.
The index added 0.15 per cent yesterday.
US stocks opened higher, too, despite a weakening dollar.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 34.9 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 24,809.2, the S&P 500 gained 1.12 points, or 0.04 per cent, to 2,683.74 and the Nasdaq Composite added 6.58 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 6,945.91.
Equity markets have fed off a recovery this year in global economic growth, which has in turn lifted company earnings and commodity prices.
Copper futures were at new four-year highs for an annual gain topping 30 per cent, and the metal gained 0.87 per cent to $7,303 a tonne yesterday.
“Commodities are driving trade in the final days of 2017,” analysts at London Capital Group said in a note.
“Dr Copper is telling us we could be in for a strong 2018,” they added, referring to the perception of the industrial metal as a key barometer of economic growth.
But the US dollar appeared to ignore signs that the new year could bring higher rates and stronger growth in the United States, the world’s largest economy.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of major world currencies, fell 0.42 per cent and was at four-week lows.
“The dollar bears are getting their last licks in for 2017, perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come in 2018,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA. With the dollar on the backfoot and commodities flying, currencies of commodity-exporting countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa hit multi-week highs.
Dollar weakness also helped give another boost to emerging markets yesterday, where stocks are up 34 per cent this year and on pace for their best performance since 2009.
MSCI’s emerging market stock index surged 0.81 per cent. And the financial data company’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed 0.86 per cent higher.
Another tailwind for world stocks is the fact that US tax cuts, which will lead to significantly higher borrowing in coming years, have not so far translated into higher borrowing costs. Oil prices, meanwhile, are near two-and-a-half-year highs and gold climbed to a near-one-month top.