Opening Bell: Ongoing Bond Rout Leads Global Stock Selloff; Dollar Hits New High

 | May 09, 2022 07:40AM ET

  • Bearish investor sentiment increasing
  • China's jobs warnings accelerate market jitters
  • Nonfarm payrolls report reinforces Fed's aggressive stance
  • h2 Key Financials/h2

    The US Treasury rout deepened on Monday, dragging down futures on the Dow Jones, S&P 500, NASDAQ 100 and Russell 2000, pulling the contracts further into the red this morning, ahead of today's US session. Increasingly stringent COVID restrictions in China weighed significantly on the world's second-largest economy even as the US Federal Reserve has become the most aggressive its been in 22 years.

    As the trading week began, investors found safety in the US dollar, which reached a 20-year high.

    h2 Global Financial Affairs/h2

    All four major US index contracts were over 1% in the red on Monday, with futures on the NASDAQ and Russell 2000 underperforming as those two indices are most sensitive to rising interest rates.

    An ongoing argument on whether investors should focus on attractive stock market valuations after the recent slide, or consider higher US interest rates and maybe even recession seems to be leaning towards the latter view. Friday's US jobs data dispelled any notion that the US Federal Reserve might ease its foot on the interest rate accelerator. Sentiment is growing increasingly bearish which is why the S&P 500 Index has posted its longest string of weekly declines since 2011.

    In Europe, the STOXX 600 opened lower for the third day in a row after the gauge topped out and bulls failed at their counter-attack. China's ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has increased concerns of waning demand by the world's foremost commodities importer, exacerbating a selloff for miners.

    Basic resources fell for the sixth consecutive day.