Stocks Climb With Treasury Yields; Dollar Dips: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) -- Most Asian equities rose with U.S. stock futures Tuesday and bond yields ticked up as investors awaited comments from Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen on stimulus and the dollar. The greenback retreated.

An Asia-Pacific share gauge gained the most in more than a week. South Korea and Hong Kong stocks outperformed. S&P 500 contracts advanced and 10-year Treasury yields climbed to about 1.11%. The yen dipped, while most G-10 currencies rose. U.S. markets were shut for a holiday Monday and European equities posted a small increase.

Yellen’s Senate confirmation hearing will likely touch on currency policy but will also serve as the first congressional forum for lawmakers to vet President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan. Yellen will tell them low borrowing costs mean it’s time to “act big,” according to prepared remarks. Traders will also monitor Donald Trump’s last full day in office.

Elsewhere, oil and gold fluctuated and Bitcoin traded around the $37,000 level.

The global stock market rally has lost some steam after a strong start to 2021, as investors turn to the upcoming earnings season and the difficult negotiations ahead for Biden’s relief plan. His proposals could be watered down under congressional opposition, and there’s the possibility that some taxes could rise.

In her testimony, Yellen will affirm the U.S.’s commitment to market-determined exchange rates and make clear the country doesn’t seek a weaker dollar for competitive advantage, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cited Biden transition officials. Biden transition spokespeople were unable to confirm the report.

“The extensive advance discussion of Treasury nominee Yellen’s views on the dollar suggests that she does not want her nomination hearings to be market moving,” Steven Englander, head of North American macro strategy at Standard Chartered Plc, wrote in a note. He added that “reassuring is likely seen as the preferred stance.”

On the coronavirus front, cases topped 95 million, while the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 neared 400,000. The European Union’s executive arm will urge member states to set a target for vaccinating at least 70% of the bloc’s population by this summer.

These are some key events coming up in the week ahead:

• Earnings come from companies including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Procter & Gamble, Intel, and Netflix.
• Joe Biden takes office as U.S. president on Wednesday.
• Policy decisions are due Wednesday from central banks in Brazil, Malaysia and Canada. The Bank of Japan and the ECB deliver decisions Thursday.

Here are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• Futures on the S&P 500 Index rose 0.6% as of 12:04 p.m. Tokyo time.
• Japan’s Topix index added 0.6%.
• South Korea’s Kospi index rose 2.2%.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index climbed 1.2%.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 2.2%.
• Shanghai Composite slipped 0.1%.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.1%.
• The euro added 0.2% to $1.2096.
• The British pound rose 0.1% to $1.3606.
• The Japanese yen dipped 0.3% to 103.99 per dollar.
• The offshore yuan was at 6.4930 per dollar.

Bonds

• The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield climbed about three basis points to 1.11%.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 0.2% to $52.26 a barrel.
• Gold was steady at $1,840 an ounce.