But subdued market volatility, that saw the VIX “fear index” clock a post-pandemic closing low on Wednesday at just 12.75, was helped by signs of some calming of geopolitical tensions. A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding shakily on Friday with no major reports of attacks, although both sides were accused of violations.
Oil prices, which had lunged sharply lower again over the past two days amid a chaotic postponement of this weekend’s OPEC+ meeting, held steady on Friday and U.S. crude hovered just above $76 per barrel.
But with seasonal retail now in focus for many stock and economy watchers, S&P500 futures were higher ahead of the open and look set to extend gains to their highest in almost four months – and potentially on course for their best month in three years.
Better-than-forecast flash European business readings for November, released on Thursday, tee up equivalent surveys later in the day for the United States and may be contributing to a back-up in bond yields.
With some $148 billion of new 2-, 5- and 7-year Treasury notes up for auction next week, benchmark 10-year yields were about 5 basis points higher at 4.48% ahead of Friday’s shortened session. The dollar index remained under wraps, however, and edged lower.
But with most overseas stocks steady to higher, perhaps the most eye-catching moves involved the relentless drain on Chinese stocks – which recorded their lowest close in almost a month and are now underperforming the MSCI all-country index by almost 20% for 2023 to date.
With data showing plunging foreign direct investment into the world’s second-largest economy this year, Friday saw overseas investors selling another net 6.2 billion yuan ($859.79 million) of Chinese shares via the Stock Connect – the biggest daily outflow in more than one month.
The decline marked yet another investor shrug at reports of further official moves to shore up China’s ailing property sector.
The Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index dropped 2.2% even after Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that Beijing might allow banks to offer unsecured short-term loans to qualified property developers for the first time.
