Stocks, futures rise as Fed bets ease after Warsh: Markets wrap
Stock markets were already rising on Oct 16 before Kevin Warsh’s comments as a selloff in chip stocks eased.
U.S. stocks and futures experienced a surge on Monday, as traders reduced expectations of an interest rate hike following Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's remarks. Despite the release of stronger-than-expected inflation data, Warsh refrained from advocating for tighter monetary policy. MSCI's Asia Pacific equities index gained 1.6%, while S&P 500 Index futures recovered losses of up to 0.6% to climb 0.2%.
The modest uptick in sentiment followed Warsh's comments about the positive impact of artificial intelligence on the U.S. economy, but he did not explicitly mention monetary policy. His statement that he "doesn't prejudge meetings" after strong inflation figures contributed to the dollar weakening. Traders pared their bets on a Fed rate hike by October, from over 25% on October 15 to 15% after Warsh's speech.
The U.S. dollar index fell 0.1%, and gold rose 0.1% to around $4,175 per ounce. Treasuries also declined as Warsh spoke, following a rally across the yield curve in U.S. trading.
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