Bitcoin price today: falls to 2-week low below $113k ahead of Fed Jackson Hole
* Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
* Ex-Asia stocks pause after 10-session winning streak
* Fed cautious on economy, ready to take further action
* Bonds rally as Fed mulls yield curve control, guidance
* Dollar near three-month lows on dovish outlook
By Wayne Cole
SYDNEY, June 11 (Reuters) - Asian shares eased on Thursday
while bonds rallied after a downbeat economic outlook from the
U.S. Federal Reserve stoked speculation it would have to add to
already historic levels of stimulus to safeguard recovery.
Still, stock losses were modest given the scale of their
recent rise. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares
outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS dipped 0.3%, a natural pause after
10 straight sessions of gains.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 slipped 1.1% as the yen firmed, while
Chinese blue chips .CSI300 were off 0.4%. E-Mini futures for
the S&P 500 ESc1 fell 0.4%.
The Dow .DJI had ended Wednesday down 1.04%, while the S&P
500 .SPX lost 0.53%. Bucking the trend, the Nasdaq Composite
.IXIC added 0.67% to a fresh record helped by gains in
Microsoft MSFT.O and Apple AAPL.O .
In a challenge to the stock market's recent optimism, the
Fed predicted the U.S. economy would shrink 6.5% in 2020 and
unemployment would still be at 9.3% at year's end. Data out earlier had also shown core U.S. consumer prices
fell for a third straight month in May, the longest stretch of
declines on record.
As a result, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he was "not even
thinking about thinking about raising rates". Instead, he
emphasised recovery would be a long road and that policy would
have to be proactive with rates near zero out to 2022.
"While Powell did not commit to any new action at this time,
his focus on downside risk and uncertainty reinforces the
message that they will take further action, probably by
September," was the take of economists at JPMorgan.
"Outcome or calendar based guidance looks likely and Powell
left the door open for moving to some form of interest rate
caps."
Powell confirmed the Fed was studying yield curve control, a
form of easing already employed by Japan and Australia.
All of which, saw yields on 10-year Treasuries US10YT=RR
fall 9 basis points on Wednesday, the biggest daily drop in
almost two months. Yields were down at 0.72% on Thursday, a
sharp rally from last week's peak of 0.96%. US/
The risk of more easing kept the U.S. dollar under pressure,
seeing it skid to a three-month low on a basket of currencies at
95.714 =USD .
The dollar carved out a one-month trough on the yen to trade
at 106.92 JPY= , threatening support at 106.72. The euro was
firm at $1.1389 EUR= having hit its highest since mid-March.
The prospect of super-low rates for longer was a boon for
gold overnight, leaving it at $1,732 an ounce XAU= . GOL/
Oil prices fell back after U.S. data showed crude
inventories had risen to a record high. O/R
Brent crude LCOc1 futures fell 88 cents to $40.85 a
barrel, while U.S. crude CLc1 lost 93 cents to $38.67.
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Asia stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Asia-Pacific valuations https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dr2BQA
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(Editing by Sam Holmes)