Morning Bid: Gold glitters, inflation jitters

12:35 am Wednesday, July 17th, 2024

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook

In a grand ceremony marking the opening of the new parliament replete with gold and splendour, Britain’s King Charles will read out the agenda of Keir Starmer’s Labour government, aimed at rebuilding an economy roiled by political turmoil.

Markets’ main focus, however, will be on whether Britain’s inflation sticks to the global script.

U.S. consumer prices fell for the first time in four years in June, data showed last week, and month-on-month Canadian prices followed suit overnight.

Earlier, in the Asia, New Zealand inflation slowed more than expected – however it contained some domestic pressure under the hood that may prove cautionary.

Britain’s sticky services inflation was running at 5.7% year-on-year in May and is tipped at an uncomfortable 5.6% for June.

Sterling was steady at $1.2978, just shy of a one-year high and rates markets have priced an even chance the Bank of England will begin cutting interest rates in August.

New Zealand’s dollar rose 0.5% and two-year swaps bucked the global rally to rise three basis points on the stickiness of domestically driven inflation with increases in rent and construction costs.

Gold scaled record highs in Asia on firmer expectations of interest rate cuts, while Taiwan stocks were wobbled by Donald Trump equivocating on the United States’ commitment to the island in remarks to Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Taiwan took our chip business from us,” Trump said. “They’re immensely wealthy… I don’t think we’re any different from an insurance policy. Why? Why are we doing this?”

Shares in Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC were down 1.4%.

Earnings due later on Wednesday at Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML are expected to show new orders booming.

Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:

* Economics: British CPI, euro zone final CPI, U.S. housingstarts * Earnings: ASML, U.S. Bancorp, United Airlines

(By Tom Westbrook; Editing by Christopher Cushing)