Japan stocks lower at close of trade
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Precision Instruments, Railway & Bus and Retail sectors led shares lower. At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.17 percent. Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2290 to 1300 and 256 ended unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 2.18 percent to 19.21. Crude oil for August delivery was up 0.64 percent or 0.46 to $72.26 a barrel.
Sensex falls 500 pts to close at 65,280
Indian shares slid on Friday after rising to new record highs in the first hour of the trading session, tracking a fall in Asian peers ahead of US jobs data and on concerns of further monetary policy tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Nifty 50 index was down 165 pts to close at 19,331, while the S&P BSE Sensex fell 500 pts to close at 65,280. Despite Friday’s fall, both indices notched marginal gains during this trading week. Twelve of the 15 major Nifty sectoral indices logged losses, with the high-weightage IT and banks losing around a percent each.
Taiwan shares end lower on U.S. losses amid fears over FED action
Shares in Taiwan closed lower amid concerns that the U.S. Federal Reserve will hike rates at its next meeting later this month, dealers said. Contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) remained unchanged, however, preventing the bellwether electronics sector and the broader market from falling further, but old economy and financial stocks largely fell, dealers said. The Taiex, the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s benchmark weighted index, ended down 97.96 points, or 0.58 percent, at 16,664.21 after moving between 16,593.84 and 16,762.39. Turnover totaled NT$305.01 billion (US$9.75 billion). The market opened down 0.15 percent and selling escalated to send the Taiex to the day’s low just after 10 a.m. as investors reacted to a 1.07 percent fall on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a 0.82 percent fall on the tech-heavy Nasdaq on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia stocks higher at close of trade
Saudi Arabia stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Industrial Investment, Transport and Agriculture & Food sectors led shares higher. At the close in Saudi Arabia, the Tadawul All Share gained 0.05 percent. Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange by 168 to 95 and 23 ended unchanged. Crude oil for August delivery was down 1.88 percent or 1.35 to $70.44 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in September fell 1.83 percent or 1.40 to hit $75.25 a barrel, while the August Gold Futures contract fell 0.76 percent or 14.60 to trade at $1,912.50 a troy ounce.
The Canadian stock market is ‘dirt cheap’ right now
Investors looking to put their money to work in a heightened interest rate environment could find opportunities in the Canadian equity market, bonds, and cash, one Bay Street veteran advised. In an interview with BNN Bloomberg’s Jon Erlichman on Thursday, David Rosenberg, founder and president of Rosenberg Research, said the S&P/TSX Composite Index is rewarding investors with the highest yield globally. The all in equity yield in the TSX is 16 percent. It’s one of the highest in the world, he said. For people that have been involved in the U.S. market, start bringing some money home in the Canadian market — it’s dirt cheap. Another strategy Rosenberg advised to investors was to park their money in cash holdings, which he says is perfectly appropriate during an elevated interest rate environment.
The bull market in stocks is on track
The S&P 500 is on track to hit the 5,000 level by next year as the secular bull market that began in 2013 follows a similar roadmap seen in the 1950s and 1980s, according to Bank of America. Such a rally would represent potential upside of at least 13 percent for the S&P 500, which traded around 4,400 on Thursday. The 24 percent rally on the S&P 500 from the October 2022 low relinks the 2013 to present secular bull market with the 1950 to 1966 and 1980 to 2000 secular bull markets, BofA technical analyst Stephen Suttmeier said in a Thursday note.
Dow Jones: index plunges on strong jobs data
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 1.1 percent, or 366 points, Thursday after private sector payroll data showed that the labor market remains strong, raising fears that the Federal Reserve could hike rates faster or higher than planned. According to payroll services firm ADP, private employers added 497,000 jobs in June, more than double what Wall Street expected. That sent stocks plummeting, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropping 0.9 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Home Depot (HD) led the Dow lower, falling 2.9 percent. The consumer discretionary sector dropped 1.6 percent on concerns that higher rates will eventually hit consumer spending. Shares of American Express (AXP) fell 2.3 percent after the stock was downgraded by Baird analysts.
FTSE 100: ‘Housing market under pressure’
The FTSE 100 fell even further on Friday after reaching its lowest end-of-day figure of the year on Thursday. The index of London blue-chip stocks closed at 7280.50 on Thursday, the lowest figure since November 2021, after a 2.2 percent fall. Rising interest fears sent 97 of the 100 stocks on the index down. At one point on Friday the FTSE was down a further 0.6 percent. A brief rally faded, leaving the index down 0.3 percent for the day, having lost more than 270 points this week. Meanwhile, Halifax revealed that house prices fell year-on-year at the fastest pace since 2011, but remained surprisingly stable month-on-month in the face of chaos in the mortgage market.