Opening Bell: Stocks Challenge Worst Week Of The Year; Boeing Weighs On Dow

 | Mar 11, 2019 06:00AM ET

  • Global stocks climb as traders treat last week's sharp losses as buying dip
  • China outperforms due to boosted outlook for stimulus
  • Dow futures struggle on Boeing's setback
  • U.S. yields rise on Powell’s dovish signals
    • h2 Key Events/h2

    European stocks, alongside futures on the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100, followed Asian equities higher, as traders appear to have decided the worst trading week of the year was a buying opportunity.

    The STOXX Europe 600 climbed with oil and gas producers for the first session after a three-day selloff.

    Futures contracts on the Dow pointed to a much less solid opening of the industrial index, after Sunday’s Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 Max 8 crash pressured prices lower. At 11.26% of total weighting, the U.S. aviation company is the heaviest component of the Dow, as well as almost double the heft of the runner up, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), which accounts for 6.32 percent of the index.

    During the earlier Asian session, most indices threw a last ditch attempt to close in the green, after posting a mixed performance on the prevailing perception that U.S.-China trade talks are broadly stalling. China’s Shanghai Composite (+1.92) still managed to outperform, confusing the market narrative. However, as we argued last week, the Chinese bullishness is being favored by the government's newly announced stimulus measures, which offset ongoing noise on trade negotiations. Disappointing loan and money supply data boosted the outlook for the government to increase its efforts to kick start the slowing economy. One could point out that China most likely will not want to give the U.S. president any further bargaining advantage due to the contraction of its own economy.

    Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.97 percent. Japan’s Nikkei climbed 0.47 percent, and South Korea’s KOSPI held onto positive territory (+0.03%). Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was the only one to remain down under, falling 0.38%.

    It should be viewed, overall, as a solid session, if we consider it followed a markedly downbeat week for global stocks, capped by the weakest U.S. job growth since Sep. 2017.

    h2 Global Financial Affairs/h2