GLOBAL MARKETS-World stocks rise on spending hopes but bounce fizzles

Published 13/03/2020, 17:00
Updated 13/03/2020, 17:09
© Reuters.  GLOBAL MARKETS-World stocks rise on spending hopes but bounce fizzles

* European, US stocks recover on govt spending hopes

* MSCI's world equity index down 16% so far this week

* Italian govt debt hit again as death toll passes 1,000

* European shares steady on stimulus hopes

* World FX rates year-to-date http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

(Updates prices, comments; changes byline, dateline from

previous LONDON)

By Rodrigo Campos

NEW YORK, March 13 (Reuters) - Stocks across the globe

bounced back on Friday after historic drops, but hopes of more

central bank stimulus and government spending went only so far

and the comeback lost steam in a week of pandemic panic-selling

across markets.

Volatility is expected to remain high, with sharp moves

expected in both directions and across asset classes. The S&P

500 rose as much as 6.1% intraday on Friday and was last up

0.6%.

Stocks rose Friday on hopes of a coordinated stimulus

package from world governments in response to the coronavirus

pandemic, which threatens to slow down the global economy.

"What we're headed for is a market that should begin to

settle down (with) investors now expecting the government to get

the economic plan in place and get it into law," said Peter

Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities

in New York.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 118.69 points,

or 0.56%, to 21,319.31, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 14.98 points,

or 0.60%, to 2,495.62 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added

23.93 points, or 0.33%, to 7,225.73.

On Thursday, the Dow dropped 10%.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose 0.10% and

MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shed

0.17% after falling by the largest percentage on record on

Thursday.

Italy and Spain meanwhile imposed trading curbs, banning

short-selling of dozens of stocks. "Markets are quite prepared for a period of falling output.

The real fear is that you get second-round effects that result

in a nastier, longer recession in the global economy," said

Investec economist Philip Shaw.

"That is going to be very difficult to escape from given the

monetary pedal is very close to the floor in many

jurisdictions."

Earlier, Japan's Nikkei .N225 fell 10% before paring

losses to close 6% lower. Australia's S&P/ASX200 .AXJO had its

wildest trading day on record, falling past 8% before surging in

the last minutes of trade to settle 4.4% higher at the close.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan

.MIAPJ0000PUS ended less than 0.1% higher after falling more

than 5% in morning trade.

The recovery came as central banks from the United States to

Australia pumped liquidity into their financial systems.

Treasury yields rose as liquidity remained scarce even

after the New York Federal Reserve's action to make a massive

amount of cash available.

Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last fell 5/32 in price

to yield 0.8673%, from 0.852% late on Thursday.

Justin Hoogendoorn, head of fixed income strategy and

analytics at Piper Sandler in Chicago, said there were "very

little bids" in the market.

"It really does scream volatility, scream that there's a

lack of liquidity in the marketplace," he said.

Italy, where the COVID-19 death toll shot past 1,000 people,

saw its borrowing costs spike by about 75 basis points this week

- the most for any week since 1994. Bond yields rose across the euro zone as investors'

expectations grew for fiscal stimulus in the region to combat

the coronavirus pandemic.

Oil prices were set for their biggest weekly slide since the

2008 financial crisis and erased their Friday bounce, as the

coronavirus outbreak threatened demand and crude producers

promised more supply.

U.S. crude CLc1 fell 0.89% to $31.22 per barrel and Brent

LCOc1 was last at $33.16, down 0.18% on the day.

Major currencies stabilized after furious dollar buying

overnight, but the yen felt the pressure of risk-on trading.

Market participants said signs of dollar funding stress

persist and policymakers probably need to do even more.

"Underlying concerns regarding the economic fallout from the

coronavirus on credit markets broadly remain," said Shaun

Osborne, chief FX strategist at Scotiabank in Toronto.

"It may be tempting to look for signs of a low in global

stocks but with the underlying issue - the coronavirus - still

unchecked, we think that is premature at this point," he added.

The dollar index =USD rose 0.946%, with the euro EUR=

down 0.85% to $1.1088.

The Japanese yen weakened 2.28% versus the greenback at

107.10 per dollar, while sterling GBP= was last trading at

$1.2451, down 0.95% on the day.

World stocks set for largest weekly drop since Oct 2008 https://tmsnrt.rs/2wPc5lV

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