U.S. Futures Climb With Stocks on China Tariff Cut: Markets Wrap

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) – U.S. equity futures rose with stocks on Thursday as China’s plans for tariff cuts on American imports added to optimism the global economy will weather the hit from the coronavirus. Treasuries fluctuated.

Contracts on the main American equity benchmarks all pointed to the fourth day of gains after China said it will lower levies on $75 billion of U.S. goods next week, likely satisfying part of the interim trade deal. Twitter Inc. rallied in pre-market trading after topping analysts’ projections for fourth-quarter revenue.

Strong results also helped power the Stoxx Europe 600 Index to a record high. ArcelorMittal SA jumped the most since 2016 after expressing optimism on the outlook for steel demand this year, and Societe Generale SA rose after pledging to boost shareholder returns. Asian benchmarks advanced, with Japan’s rising more than 2% as Toyota Motor Corp. reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit.

The latest trade developments have further boosted investor optimism after several reports on possible vaccines for the virus on Wednesday, though the World Health Organization later said there are no proven therapeutics. While some warn of complacency as a gauge of global stocks inches toward a record, others flag support from policymakers, and recent indicators showing the trajectory of growth was solid before the virus struck.

“Companies are going to continue to struggle in the short term” with disruptions and forgone business due to the virus, said Joe Zidle, chief investment strategist at Blackstone Group Inc. But China’s moves in recent days to reopen markets and inject stimulus “gave global investors a degree of confidence that the Chinese policymakers had at least taken the worst-case scenario off the table,” he said.

Elsewhere, a gauge of European credit risk hit its lowest since 2007, while the euro held steady even as data showed German factory orders fell at their fastest pace in more than a decade.

Source: Bloomberg Business News