Global Stocks Rise to Record High; Dollar Slips: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) -- Global stocks climbed to another all-time high Thursday on optimism that U.S. fiscal spending will revive economic growth and bolster corporate earnings. The dollar weakened.

Asian shares rose for a third session, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index hit 30,000 points for the first time since May 2019. U.S. futures edged higher after the S&P 500 posted its best first-day reaction to a presidential inauguration since at least 1937. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index jumped more than 2%. Netflix Inc and ASML Holding NV were among companies that gained on solid results. Treasuries were little changed.

In China, the nation’s three biggest telecommunications firms said they requested a review of the New York Stock Exchange’s decision to delist their shares. Separately, Twitter Inc. locked the official account of the Chinese embassy to the U.S., citing a violation of its “dehumanization” policy.

Elsewhere, oil dipped as concerns over lackluster consumption amid the pandemic crept back in. The yen was steady after the Bank of Japan kept its main policy settings unchanged. The Australian dollar rose as the nation’s unemployment rate dropped.

Investors looked past a fresh stumble in the rollout of vaccines and elevated infection rates, toward the promise of increased economic support and an expanded federal effort to get shots to more Americans under President Joe Biden. Stimulus plans in Europe will come under further scrutiny after the European Central Bank’s policy decision later Thursday.

“If stimulus happens at the same time that people get vaccinated, the optimism can’t help but build,” said Keith Buchanan, a portfolio manager for GLOBALT Investments in Atlanta. “It’s a fairly safe bet there will be another stimulus package with more direct payments to consumers and individuals and more help for small businesses.”

Investors are counting on more aid to help propel economic growth under Biden. Still, it won’t be all smooth sailing, with Janet Yellen encountering early Republican resistance to Biden’s relief plan in her confirmation hearing to become Treasury secretary.

On the virus front, Germany suffered record daily deaths and a study on the South African variant raised concern about the efficacy of vaccines.

These are some key events coming up:

• Policy decisions are due Thursday from Bank Indonesia and the European Central Bank.
• Earnings are due from companies including Kia Motors Corp., Schlumberger Ltd. and Yes Bank Ltd.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% as of 11:46 a.m. in Tokyo. The gauge climbed 1.4% on Wednesday.
• Japan’s Topix index climbed 0.6%.
• South Korea’s Kospi added 0.7%.
• Hang Seng rose 0.1%.
• Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.7%.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index slipped 0.1%.
• The yen was at 103.57 per dollar.
• The offshore yuan was at 6.4600 per dollar.
• The euro bought $1.2128, rising 0.2%

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries held at 1.08%.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 0.6% to $53 a barrel.
• Gold was at $1,868.66 an ounce, down 0.2%.