LONDON MARKET EARLY CALL: Markets fret over Fed hikes after nonfarms

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were set to open lower on Monday, with Federal Reserve ...

Alliance News 10 October, 2022 | 5:58AM
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(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were set to open lower on Monday, with Federal Reserve rate hike worries front and centre after Friday's US jobs report came in hotter than expected.

Traders had hoped for a figure which would persuade the Fed to slow the pace of its interest rate increases. The US central bank has implemented three 75 basis point interest rate raises in-a-row.

IG says futures indicate the FTSE 100 index of London large-caps will open 43.2 points, or 0.6%, lower at 6,947.89 on Monday. The benchmark closed down 6.18 points, or 0.1%, at 6,991.09 on Friday. It added 1.4% over the course of last week, however.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in September, beating expectations of 250,000 according to consensus cited by FXStreet. Jobs growth slowed from 315,000 in August.

Analysts at Rabobank commented: "As one voice put it, perhaps it wasn't really a surprise given the collapse in job openings prior, as they closed because somebody filled them, not because the position suddenly wasn't needed. Whether you believe that or not, or payrolls or not, the Fed can't ignore it. Another 75bp hike is locked in, and more after that. Our house view remains the Fed gets to a peak of 5% in early 2023."

Stocks in Asia weakened at the start of the week. The Shanghai Composite in China was down 0.9%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was 2.9% lower, and the S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney slid 1.4%. Tokyo was closed to observe Sports Day.

China's private sector slipped into contraction territory for the first time in four months in September, figures showed on Saturday.

The Caixin China composite purchasing managers' index fell to 48.5 points in September, from 53.0 in August. It was the first time the composite PMI declined to below the 50.0 no change mark since May.

Stocks in New York ended sharply lower on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.1%, the S&P 500 2.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite 3.8%.

The dollar strengthened on the back of the US jobs report, and it continued to climb on Monday.

The pound faded to USD1.1066 early Monday in London from USD1.1130 late Friday. The euro stood at USD0.9723, down from USD0.9779. Against the yen, meanwhile, the dollar was trading at JPY145.41, up from JPY145.15.

Brent oil was quoted at USD97.09 a barrel, unchanged from late Friday. Gold fell to USD1,687.01 an ounce from USD1,702.27.

Monday's local corporate calendar has trading statements from real estate investors Regional REIT and Sirius Real Estate.

A quiet economic calendar has a eurozone investor confidence reading at 0930 BST.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

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