TRY Jumped After Erdogan Win

 | Jun 25, 2018 06:41AM ET

Monday June 25: Five things the markets are talking about

Global stocks remain under pressure, as investors continues to analyze the impact of a trade spat between the world’s two largest economies – US and China.

Markets are beginning to get very nervous by the prospect of a full-blown trade war, and this despite the tariffs so far announced by the US administration, and China’s retaliatory measures, amount only to a small amount of goods. It’s the contagion effect to other major economies that the markets are really worried about.

In China overnight, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) sent a strong signal of policy easing by cutting their reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by -50 bps (as expected), to free up fresh liquidity for the real economy. This move may also fuel trade tensions between the US and China. The cut comes into effect on July 5, one day before the first round of US tariffs on Chinese goods begin.

Elsewhere, the Turkish lira (TRY) temporally surged after Erdogan claimed victory in this weekend’s Turkish presidential election.

On tap: The RBNZ meets on Thursday and a ‘dovish’ message is expected. Stateside, US consumer confidence (June 26), US durable goods and US final GDP (June 28) should provide some interest for investors.

In the UK and Canada, GDP data unfolds, while in Japan, retail sales, the unemployment rate and industrial production will pique markets' interest.

1. Stocks see red

Equities in Asia led the retreat overnight in the wake of reports that the Trump administration is preparing new curbs on Chinese investments.

In Japan, the Nikkei share average dropped as sellers targeted large caps as well as defensive stocks, while the mining sector outperformed after oil prices jumped on Friday. A stronger yen also fueled the selling pressure. The Nikkei fell -0.8%, extending the weekly drop of -1.6% in the past week. The broader Topix dropped -1%.

Down-under, A pullback in financials helped keep Australia’s stock indexes lower, but the S&P/ASX 200 continued to outperform. It fell -0.2% to notch a second consecutive modest drop. In S. Korea, the KOSPI closed higher, up +0.3%.

In Hong Kong, stocks touched a six-month low as the US plans China tech investment limits. The Hang Seng index fell -1.3%, while the Hang Seng China Enterprise (CEI) lost -1.2%.

Note: The US is drafting plans that would block firms with at least +25% Chinese ownership from buying US companies with “industrially significant technology."

In China, stocks reversed early gains to close lower overnight, as an expected RRR cut was largely offset by lingering trade war fears. The blue-chip Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index fell -1.3%, while the Shanghai Composite Index slid -1.1%.

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In Europe, stocks have opened lower as trade concerns continue to weigh on risk sentiment. A coalition disagreement in Germany is also leading to investor concerns.

US stocks are set to open in the ‘red’ (-0.6%).

Indices: STOXX 600 -0.8% at 381, FTSE -0.8% at 7619, DAX -1.0% at 12456, CAC 40 -0.8% at 5347; IBEX 35 -1.0% at 9689, FTSE MIB -1.2% at 21621, SMI -0.9% at 8539, S&P 500 Futures -0.6%