Investors are warning that a strong USD under the approaching Trump administration could lead to weaker returns in emerging market bonds — a line of thought that has prompted investors to pull some USD 5 bn from funds investing in USD- and local currency-denominated EM bonds during the first half of November, the Financial Times reports, citing data from JPMorgan.

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Investors are continuing to redirect their attention toward the greenback, Wall Street stocks, and the so-called “Trump trades,” as analysts predict incoming tax cuts and tariffs to fuel inflation — bumping the USD and Treasury yields higher. Ten-year treasury yields have risen from 4.29 to 4.39 per cent since Trump’s election win, while the USD is up against its peers

US tariffs could cause additional pressures on emerging markets’ local currencies due to lower demand for their exports, which could lessen returns on local currency bonds, investors and analysts warn, according to the salmon-colored paper. “All of this is going to be negative for emerging markets,” GAM EM debt manager Paul McNamara told the publication.

But a stronger USD under Trump is far from guaranteed, as the Trump administration’s plans for “fiscal policy, monetary policy, trade policy and exchange rate outcomes are incompatible with each other,” argues Quincy Institute senior research fellow Karthik Sankaran. Over time, the economic policies of the incoming government could weaken the dollar, but this may be too late for EMs to dodge forecasts of exchange rate pressures, Sankaran adds.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Asian markets are kicking off the day in early trading in the green, led by Korea’s Kospi at 1.5%, Japan’s Nikkei at 1.4%, along with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and the mainland’s Shanghai index both at 0.3%.

TASI

11,865

+0.2% (YTD: -0.9%)

MSCI Tadawul 30

1,492

+0.3% (YTD: -3.8%)

NomuC

30,885

+1.1% (YTD: +25.9%)

USD : SAR (SAMA)

USD 3.75 Sell

USD 3.75 Buy

Interest rates

5.25% repo

4.75% reverse repo

EGX30

30,397

-0.8% (YTD: +22.1%)

ADX

9232

-0.9% (YTD: -3.6%)

DFM

4724

-0.1% (YTD: +16.4%)

S&P 500

5969

+0.4% (YTD: +25.2%)

FTSE 100

8262

+1.4% (YTD: +6.8%)

Euro Stoxx 50

4789

+0.7% (YTD: +5.9%)

Brent crude

USD 75.17

+1.3%

Natural gas (Nymex)

USD 3.13

-6.3%

Gold

USD 2737.20

+1.4%

BTC

USD 97.317.10

-0.7% (YTD: +129.4%)

THE CLOSING BELL: TADAWUL-

The TASI rose 0.2% yesterday on turnover of SAR 4.2 bn. The index is down 0.9% YTD.

In the green: Alarabia (+10.0%), Saudi Re (+5.0%) and SAPTCO (+4.0%).

In the red: Albaha (-6.1%), Aldrees (-4.3%) and Batic (-3.2%).

THE CLOSING BELL: NOMU-

The NomuC rose 1.1% yesterday on turnover of SAR 106.5 mn. The index is up 25.9% YTD.

In the green: Alhasoob (+9.4%), Knowledgenet (+9.2%) and Leen Alkhair (+9.1%).

In the red: Osool And Bakheet (-10.9%), NGDC (-5.5%) and Paper Home (-5.1%)

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