Stocks jumped yesterday as investors clung to hopes of a detente in the China-US trade war and picked through the rubble of conflagrations in other top economies, with heightened uncertainty over Brexit and French protests.
A report China is moving to cut import tariffs on American-made cars drove European stocks to extend gains strongly as auto stocks jumped and the market interpreted this as a sign China is ready to make concessions on trade.
The report came after China’s Vice Premier Liu He exchanged views on the next stage of trade talks with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
S&P 500 and Dow futures were up 0.8 to 1 per cent, indicating a strong session on Wall Street.
Euro zone stocks rose 1.8 per cent and Germany’s DAX climbed 2 per cent while Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.6 per cent. Germany’s DAX, the most China-sensitive market in Europe, last week entered bear market territory.
MSCI’s world equity index gained 0.4 per cent – set for its first day of gains after a five-day losing streak. China’s blue-chip index had risen 0.5 per cent overnight.
Sterling, meanwhile, still floundered near 20-month lows as the market sought clarity on the next steps for Brexit after Britain’s prime minister postponed a vote on her deal.
Sterling hesitantly rose 0.4 per cent to $1.2610 as traders sought to price in a range of possibilities after Prime Minister Theresa May’s abrupt decision to postpone a parliamentary vote on her Brexit agreement on Monday, a move that sent the pound spiralling down to $1.2505.
Goldman Sachs analysts said volatility across UK assets has increased, with option markets pricing a wider range of outcomes including Brexit without a deal, a last-minute agreement or another referendum on EU membership.
Ms May embarked on the first leg of a trip to meet European leaders yesterday, seeking support for changes to her Brexit deal, while at home some lawmakers agitated for a vote of no confidence.
The EU was adamant the withdrawal agreement, including its most contentious element – a “backstop” for the Northern Ireland frontier – could not be renegotiated.
In emerging markets, stocks rose 0.4 per cent from one-month lows hit on Monday.
The shock resignation of India’s central bank governor hurt India’s NSE share index initially, but it closed up 0.6 per cent, helped by election results in three states which were not as poor for the ruling party as some had expected.
Oil prices rebounded strongly from earlier losses, having sunk on Monday. US crude futures climbed 1.2 per cent to $51.61 and Brent futures rose 0.8 per cent to $60.47.