Stocks Hover Near Record Highs Ahead of Holidays: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) -- Stocks in Europe drifted on Monday along with U.S. equity-index futures, with volumes subdued as investors count down to the holiday break. Ten-year Treasury yields edged lower.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index retreated from Friday’s record-high close, with a modest decline led by telecom shares and carmakers. Contracts on the S&P 500 were little changed after the underlying index logged its biggest weekly gain since September. Chinese shares dropped after a state-backed fund said it would pare its stakes in some tech companies. Equities had modest losses in Tokyo, and were little changed in Hong Kong and Seoul. The dollar slipped against a basket of major peers.

Major asset classes are collectively on track for the best returns in a decade in 2019 after central banks around the world eased monetary policy. Trade tensions also eased ahead of the year end, calming investors’ nerves. China cut import tariffs on a wide range of goods including food, consumer items and smart-phone parts, continuing Beijing’s drive to lower trade barriers and spur domestic demand. The signing of the first-phase of the U.S.-China trade deal is set for January.

“There is justification to say that the fundamentals are turning, but we haven’t seen confirmation in prices or data yet,” Kyle Rodda, an analyst at IG Markets Ltd., said on Bloomberg TV. “The risk is skewed to the upside, but I still think it’s a tentative picture at the moment.”

The pound is straddling $1.30 after seeing its worst week in more than two years. It remains on the back foot after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson renewed hard-Brexit fears with an accelerated schedule for signing a trade deal with the European Union.

Elsewhere, oil declined as Kuwait signaled a deal with Saudi Arabia to renew crude output along their border.

Here are some events to watch for this week:

• U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday aims to muscle Brexit legislation through Parliament before the Jan. 31 deadline.
• Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hosts a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in Tuesday in Chengdu, focused on trade.
• Most stock markets close Wednesday for Christmas. Australia, Canada, Germany and U.K. markets also shut on Dec. 26.
• U.S. jobless claims on Thursday.
• Japan retail sales and industrial production are scheduled for Friday.
• China industrial profits also on Friday.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• The Stoxx Europe 600 Index declined 0.1% as of 9:16 a.m. London time.
• Futures on the S&P 500 Index increased 0.1%.
• The U.K.‘s FTSE 100 Index sank 0.1%.
• The MSCI World Index was little changed.
• The MSCI Emerging Market Index was little changed.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index dipped 0.1%.
• The euro was little changed at $1.1084.
• The British pound advanced 0.1% to $1.3015.
• The Japanese yen was little changed at 109.39 per dollar.

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined one basis point to 1.90%.

  The yield on two-year Treasuries advanced less than one basis point.

• Germany’s 10-year yield dipped one basis point to -0.26%.
• Britain’s 10-year yield sank two basis points to 0.758%.
• Japan’s 10-year yield climbed less than one basis point to 0.016%.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.1% to $60.35 a barrel.
• Gold strengthened 0.4% to $1,484.46 an ounce.