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Asian stocks slip as investors eye central bank hikes
January 31, 2023
Asian shares traded cautiously and bonds nursed small losses on Tuesday as investors braced for an eventful week that includes central bank meetings, a slew of earnings reports and key U.S. economic data.
Investors broadly expect the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) on Wednesday. Rate announcements are due on Thursday from both the Bank of England and the European Central Bank – and both are expected to hike rates by 50 bps.
Meanwhile, more than 100 S&P 500 companies including Apple, Amazon.com and Google parent Alphabet are expected to report results this week, which also will see the publication of closely watched U.S. employment numbers.
“It’s a big week for both central banks and U.S. equities, with some of the household names due to make earnings announcements that will provide a micro overview of the macro economy,” ANZ analysts said in a note.
“We expect a 25 bps (U.S.) rate rise and anticipate that the Fed will caution against an early pause in the tightening cycle Risk appetite could be vulnerable to a correction.”
Early in the Asian trading day, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.1%. U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis, rose 0.1%.
Japan’s Nikkei stock index slid 0.1% while Australian shares were up 0.2%.
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