Global stock markets were mixed Tuesday after another record-setting rally on Wall Street. London and Frankfurt opened lower, while Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced, The Associated Press reported.
U.S. futures were lower a day after Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index closed up 0.7%. Investors were encouraged by company earnings, news that a surge in coronavirus cases is easing, progress in distributing vaccines and the possibility of U.S. government stimulus.
Despite concern prices might be rising too fast, “the momentum behind this reflation trade remains a force to reckon with,” said Jingyi Pan of IG in a report.
In early trading, London’s FTSE 100 declined less than 0.1% to 6,518.19 and Frankfurt’s DAX lost 0.2% to 14,032.42. The CAC 40 in Paris was unchanged at 5,686.76.
On Wall Street, the future for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were off less than 0.1%.
On Monday, the S&P 500, the Dow and the Nasdaq composited all set records.
In Washington, President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats appear to be moving forward with a $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus plan. That includes a rise in the federally required minimum wage and cash aid to households.
“Market participants doubled down on fiscal stimulus bets” after U.S. Federal Reserve officials downplayed concerns the spending might fuel inflation, said Mizuho Bank in a report.
In Asia, the Shanghai Composite index rose 2% to 3,603.49 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo added 0.4% to 29,505.93. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong advanced 0.5% to 29,476.19.
The Kospi in Seoul shed 0.2% to 3,084.67 and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 lost 0.9% to 6,821.20.
India’s Sensex advanced 0.8% to 51,777.21. New Zealand and Singapore retreated while Bangkok and Jakarta advanced.
On Wall Street, Tesla rose 1.3% on Monday after the company said it purchased $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and plans to allow customers to pay for their electric vehicles with the digital currency. Bitcoin was up 13.2% to $43,252, according to digital currency brokerage Coinbase.
In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose 35 cents to $58.30 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.12 on Monday to $57.97. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 40 cents to $60.96 per barrel in London. It advanced $1.22 the previous session to $60.56.
The dollar fell to 104.88 Japanese yen from Monday’s 105.22. The euro rose to $1.2080 from $1.2055.
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