Global Market Report - September 22 2017

North Korea has resurfaced has a concern for investors, ending the recent run in global markets. European investors had plenty of political developments to consider

James Gard 22 September, 2017 | 10:57AM
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Asia

A revival in hostilities between North Korea and the West turned investors away from equities after a short period of relative calm in Asian markets. With China banning its banks from doing business with North Korea, and Washington and Pyongyang engaging in a renewed war of words, the region’s equities gave up recent gains.

Japanese indices were nonetheless composed despite threats by North Korea to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean: the Nikkei 225 held above the 20,000 level it broke through earlier this week, and the Topix, while a touch lower on Thursday’s close, is still around two-year highs. Market moves were again limited by the yen’s rise against the dollar after a week in which the US currency had been in the ascendant.

Other markets in Asia-Pacific fell further: Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and South Korea’s Kospi were off nearly 1% on the day. China’s CSI 300 closed unchanged, as investors weighed ratings agency Standard & Poor’s decision to downgrade the country’s credit rating - as well as the obvious geopolitical concerns.

Europe

Investors in Europe had many political factors to consider on Friday. UK prime minister Theresa May will speak in Florence and try to articulate a coherent vision of Britain’s exit from the European Union and argue for transitional arrangements after 2019. Germany heads to the polls this weekend, with chancellor Angela Merkel expected to remain in power.

A surge in popularity for nationalist party AfD could unsettle currency and stock markets next week if the polls are correct. In terms of economics news, France’s second-quarter GDP was stronger than expected, as was Germany industry data on manufacturing and services. PMI surveys for the eurozone for September were also above forecasts, in line with recent data suggesting the currency Bloc’s economy is building momentum.

The UK’s FTSE 100 index was slightly lower on the day, while Germany and France indices were a touch higher despite falls across a range of global stock markets. 

North America

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday after a recent strong run of gains and futures suggest that North Korea fears will unsettle investors again on Friday when markets open. As in Europe, the United States is also awaiting PMI data on services and manufacturing for September. Weekly rig count data will also give some insight into the state of the US oil market.

Canada is expecting CPI inflation data for August to show a steeper rise in the cost of living as the economy expands. The country’s retail sales numbers for July are expected to support the same trend. Otherwise the earnings calendar for Friday is light in North America ahead of results next week from Nike (NKE) and BlackBerry (BB). 

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
BlackBerry Ltd3.97 CAD3.39Rating
Nike Inc Class B94.02 USD-0.18Rating

About Author

James Gard

James Gard  is senior editor for Morningstar.co.uk

 

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