Global stocks, dollar bounce back on rise in China inflation, U.S. data
Global stocks and the dollar rebounded on Friday from losses a day earlier, buoyed by a surprising rise in Chinese producer prices and strong U.S. economic data that bolstered expectations the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates in December.
The dollar was on track for its largest weekly increase in more than three months, with rebounding U.S. retail sales and a broad rise in producer prices last month indicating the economy regained momentum in the third quarter after a lackluster first-half.
U.S. producer prices rose in September to record their biggest year-on-year rise since December 2014, while retail sales gained 0.6 percent after a 0.2 percent decline in August.
“Observers are increasingly confident that December will finally bring the long-awaited interest rate hike,” said Dennis de Jong, managing director at UFX.com in Limassol, Cyprus.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, added 0.4 percent to 97.862 .DXY and was up 1.3 percent for the week.
In China, September producer prices unexpectedly rose for the first time in nearly five years and consumer inflation also beat expectations, easing some concerns about the health of the world’s second-biggest economy.
Disappointing Chinese trade data on Thursday had rattled investors and pushed global equity markets to three-month lows.
European shares tracked Asian markets higher and Wall Street jumped as better-than-expected results from JPMorgan and Citigroup lifted financial stocks.
Shares of JPMorgan (JPM.N), the biggest U.S. bank by assets, rose 0.77 percent after it beat forecasts for revenue and profit. Citigroup (C.N) rose 1.18 percent after earnings fell less than expected.
In Europe, the pan-regional FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index rose 1.55 percent to 1,344.44, while MSCI’s all-country world index .MIWD00000PUS of equity markets in 46 countries rose 0.77 percent.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 141.07 points, or 0.78 percent, to 18,240.01. The S&P 500 .SPX gained 14.08 points, or 0.66 percent, to 2,146.63 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 37.96 points, or 0.73 percent, to 5,251.29.
Oil slipped below $52 a barrel, giving up earlier gains, as abundant crude supplies outweighed tighter U.S. fuel inventories and plans by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output.
