asia

Asian equities saw modest gains on Thursday, while European index futures pointed to a positive opening. The U.S. dollar weakened to its lowest level in three years, and U.S. Treasury yields fell — all amid anticipation of Friday’s U.S. employment report and a major $3.3 trillion U.S. spending bill.

🔹 Traders Await Key Labor Data and Budget Approval

As investors anxiously await the latest U.S. job market figures, attention is also focused on the proposed $3.3 trillion budget package. This could significantly influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) next policy steps, especially regarding interest rate cuts.

🔹 Trump’s Trade Deal With Vietnam Boosts Sentiment

Markets responded positively to news of a fresh trade agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam. The deal includes a 20% U.S. tariff on Vietnamese imports, while Vietnam will impose zero tariffs on American goods. This has also sparked hopes of a similar deal with India.

🔹 Mixed Sentiment Across Asian Markets

▪ The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index (excluding Japan) rose 0.2%, nearing a four-year high.

▪ Tokyo’s Nikkei remained flat, while China’s CSI 300 rose 0.2%.

▪ In contrast, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.6% after data showed China’s services sector grew at its slowest pace in nine months.

🔹 European Markets Set for Higher Open

▪ U.K.’s FTSE 100 futures rose 0.3%

▪ Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 both added 0.2%

▪ Italy’s FTSE MIB gained 0.15%
In the U.K., markets digested a tense parliamentary moment when Finance Minister Rachel Reeves appeared visibly emotional during a welfare debate. Prime Minister Keir Starmer later offered his support.

🔹 Pressure Mounts on Fed to Cut Rates

Tomorrow’s U.S. labor data may heavily influence the Fed’s next move. IG analysts warn that unemployment could spike to 4.4% — the highest since October 2021 — raising the likelihood of a July rate cut to around 70%. However, futures markets currently price in only a 25% chance of a July cut.
Donald Trump once again criticized the Fed’s inaction, urging a rate cut from the current 4.25–4.50% range down to 1% to stimulate the economy before the elections.

🔹 Dollar Weakens, Euro and Pound Gain

The dollar index dropped to its lowest level in three years. The euro climbed to $1.1807, nearing Tuesday’s four-year high of $1.1829, while the British pound recovered 0.8% of recent losses.

🔹 Commodities: Oil Slips on Iran Tensions

U.S. crude oil fell 0.4% to $67.20 per barrel, and Brent crude dipped 0.4% to $68.84. This came after a 3% overnight rally driven by reports that Iran halted cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, stoking geopolitical concerns and fears of slowed global demand.

#Asia , #stockmarket , #FederalReserve , #usd , #WallStreetNews

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