Asian markets rise after tough week but optimism at a premium

668

HONG KONG, Sept 25, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Asian markets rose Friday on bargain-
buying after another torrid week for investors, who are growing increasingly
concerned about US lawmakers’ failure to even hold talks on a new stimulus
and surging virus infections that are prompting fresh containment measures.

There was a sliver of hope Thursday for some movement on Capitol Hill after
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats had started putting together a $2.4
trillion rescue package and that they were still looking to find an
agreement.

At the same time, Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin reiterated that a new
deal was still needed, adding: “If Democrats are willing to sit down, I’m
willing to sit down any time for bipartisan legislation. Let’s pass something
quickly.”

However, the proposal still dwarfs the Republicans’ most recent offer and
is also larger than the $1.5 trillion President Donald Trump said he is
willing to accept.

While Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell said the economy was performing
better than expected for now thanks to income support, he told a
congressional committee “it’s likely that additional fiscal support will be
needed”.

“The risk is that they’ll go through that money, ultimately, and have to
cut back on spending and maybe lose their home,” he said. “That’s the
downside risk of no further action.”

Adding to the problems are heightened hostilities over a replacement for
liberal Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died this week.

“The chances of passing another stimulus package appear to be dimming given
the Supreme Court nomination is taking away much-needed oxygen, while the
Democrats’ latest proposal… is still well above where Republicans want to
land,” said National Australia Bank’s Tapas Strickland.

The need for a new deal was highlighted by data showing jobless claims came
in more than expected last week as the recovery in the world’s top economy
stutters owing to a pick-up in new virus cases.

– Stimulus ‘a close call’ –

Aneta Markowska, at Jefferies LLC in New York, said it was “a close call”
on whether a new stimulus would be agreed, adding: “While still possible,
there is a high risk that it does not happen this year. Without it, we would
expect the economy to hit a major speed bump in the fourth quarter.”

There was a little cheer from Washington after Republican Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell and others in the party joined the Democrats in
assuring voters that the winner of the November 3 election would take office
as planned in January.

The comments came after the president suggested he might not accept the
result, citing unfounded claims of mail-in voter fraud.

Still, global traders are growing increasingly concerned about a surge in
coronavirus infections in several countries that have seen governments impose
partial lockdowns and social distancing measures, and shortening opening
times for bars and restaurants.

The moves have sparked concerns of another painful hit to the economy.

“At this point in the recovery, a return to the Covid-19 abyss due to
stricter lockdown measures is quite frankly something the global economy
cannot afford,” said Stephen Innes at AxiCorp.

He pointed to the negative market reaction to the imposition of “ultralight
level of mobility restrictions”.

“I think we dodged a bullet on this one so far, but this is not to say
lawmakers who were slow to respond to the initial coronavirus outbreak will
not re-impose stricter mobility restrictions if the Covid-19 curve steepens,”
he added.

In early Asian trade, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul and Singapore
enjoyed healthy gains, while Sydney jumped more than one percent. There were
also gains in Manila and Jakarta.

– Key figures around 0230 GMT –

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 23,221.40 (break)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng: UP 0.5 percent at 23,434.84

Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,230.55

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1670 from $1.1667 at 2100 GMT

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2754 from $1.2743

Euro/pound: DOWN at 91.50 pence from 91.54 pence

Dollar/yen: UP at 105.48 yen from 105.41 yen

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.3 percent at $40.41 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.1 percent at $42.00 per barrel

New York – Dow Jones: UP 0.2 percent at 26,815.44 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 1.3 percent at 5,822.78 (close)