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SENSEX
NIFTY 50
Hang Seng
Taiwan Weighted
MCX GOLD DEC 04
MCX SILVER DEC 04
USD/INR
EUR/INR80.0630

SENSEX
NIFTY 50
NIFTY MIDCAP 100
S&P BSE MIDCAP
Hang Seng
Taiwan Weighted
DAX
Nasdaq
MCX GOLD DEC 04
MCX SILVER DEC 04
MCX CRUDEOIL DEC 18
MCX NATURALGAS DEC 28
USD/INR
EUR/INR
GBP/INR
JPY/INR

Stock Market Highlights: Sensex ends flat, Nifty below 13,150; HDFC Bank, IT stocks drag

Asian shares extend gains on recovery hopes, following stellar November

Oil prices slip in cautious trade ahead of OPEC+ meet

Rupee slumps 35 paise to 74.76 against US dollar

Market

Asian markets start on firm footing buoyed by hopes of vaccine, US fiscal package

Updated : October 19, 2020 08:18 AM IST

Asian markets started higher on Monday, buoyed by hopes of a US fiscal package before the US presidential elections next month and expectations of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year, though the mood was still cautious as infections jump.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.26 percent for its second straight day of gains. The index has risen in eight of the last 10 sessions amid a rally in risk assets buoyed by hopes of a coronavirus vaccine and expectations of a so-called ”blue wave”, which would see the Democrats claim victory in November’s elections.

Boosting overall sentiment, drugmaker Pfizer Inc said on Friday it could have a coronavirus vaccine ready in the United States by the end of this year. Japan’s Nikkei climbed about 1 percent while South Korea’s KOSPI and Australian shares were up 0.7 percent each.

New Zealand was a tad lower after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won a second term at elections over the weekend, having risen over the week in anticipation of such a result. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 jumped 0.5 percent in early Asian trading after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday she was optimistic legislation on a wide-ranging coronavirus relief package could be pushed through before the election.

But with her negotiating partner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in the Middle East until Tuesday, such a timeframe would seem to be overly optimistic, analysts said. Investors are also concerned about rising coronavirus cases to help curb the spread of the disease.

Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

Investors now await China’s third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP), monthly production and retail sales due later in the Asia morning. ”Chinese growth has bounced back well from its early COVID-19 losses and this data will be key to identify how the economy has progressed,” said Steven Dooley, chief strategist at Western Union Business Solutions.

Later in the week, key events include minutes of Australia’s central bank meeting, the final US presidential debate and global manufacturing indicators. Action in currencies was muted with the US dollar, usually perceived as a safe-haven asset, flat at 93.696 against a basket of six major currencies

The euro was also unchanged at USD 1.1715.

Sterling traded near two-week lows at USD 1.2925 after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told businesses to get ready for a no-deal Brexit in case negotiations with the European Union fail to produce a free trade agreement.

”EU-UK trade talks are flirting with collapse,” ANZ economists said.

”UK Prime Minister Johnson said the UK needs to prepare for a no-deal outcome, as both sides cannot agree on a Canada-style FTA. Talks resume in London on Monday, but without the political willingness to shift ground, there is little the negotiators can achieve.”

In commodities, Brent crude futures added 5 cents to USD 42.98 a barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 5 cents to USD 40.9 a barrel. Spot gold was a shade firmer at USD 1,899.9 an ounce.

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