Canada’s main stock index rose on Wednesday as Bank of Canada cut interest rate to mitigate the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was unofficially up 355.91 points, or 2.17 per cent, at 16,779.53.
The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark interest rate to 1.25 per cent from 1.75 per cent on Wednesday in the face of a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, and said it was prepared to cut again if needed to support economic growth.
The energy sector climbed 0.6 per cent as oil prices climbed in anticipation of further output cuts, while the materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, also added 1.2 per cent as gold and copper prices held recent gains.
Utilities rose 3 per cent, while industrials gained 2.6 per cent.
World equity markets rose on Wednesday as investors were cheered by a strong showing by Joe Biden in the U.S. Democratic presidential primaries, although the economy-slowing coronavirus outbreak kept investors on tenterhooks.
Former Vice President Biden, considered less likely to raise taxes and impose new regulations than rival Bernie Sanders, rolled to victories across the South, Midwest and New England on the biggest day of voting in the Democratic nomination campaign.
That helped U.S. stock markets bounce back from declines on Tuesday after investors deemed the U.S. Federal Reserve’s surprise 50-basis-point interest rate cut to be an inadequate response to an epidemic that has so far killed more than 3,000 people worldwide and threatens to slow global growth.
The benchmark S&P 500 rose for only the second time in 10 days, taking back losses from the previous session.
Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,172.26 points, or 4.52 per cent, to 27,089.67, the S&P 500 gained 126.72 points, or 4.22 per cent, to 3,130.09 and the Nasdaq Composite added 334.00 points, or 3.85 per cent, to 9,018.09.
However, all three main U.S. indices remained firmly in correction territory, down more than 10 per cent from recent highs. Analysts stressed there was probably more trouble to come as the outbreak continues to worsen in countries outside China.
“I don’t think the market has bottomed. I think the market will probably fall another 5 per cent to 10 per cent,” said Larry Hatheway, co-founder of research firm Jackson Hole Economics. “We’re going to have to go lower because you’ve got a clear slowdown in activity that’s probably going to last through the first half.”
Bonds held on to gains after Tuesday’s rate cut.
The Fed’s first off-schedule move since the 2008 financial crisis came with comments highlighting both the scale of the challenge and the limits of monetary policy.
Biden’s success offered investors some respite.
“Seeing Biden emerge as the frontrunner sets the stage for a runoff in the autumn that pits two people who are not anti-business,” Hatheway said, referring to President Donald Trump.
MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe gained 1.95 per cent and emerging market stocks rose 0.83 per cent.
The epidemic continues to impact companies and financial institutions around the world. Lufthansa said it would ground 150 aircraft out of its total fleet of around 770 due to the virus, and General Electric warned it would take a hit of $300 million to $500 million.
Private equity firm Blackstone’s Chief Executive Stephen Schwarzman said it “remained unclear” if the Fed’s cut would restore confidence.
Incoming Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said the central bank should wait until it has more clarity on the economic impact of the virus before making any decision to cut rates.
Money markets in the euro zone are pricing in a 90 per cent chance that the ECB will cut its deposit rate, now minus 0.50 per cent, by 10 basis points next week.
Emily Roland, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, said the Fed and other central banks have a track record of supporting markets over the past 10 years.
“These moves are going to help certainly, and we look at them as a positive,” she said.
Economic data shows the U.S. economy was in good shape prior to the Fed’s cut. U.S. services sector activity jumped to a one-year high in February while the ADP National Employment report showed private payrolls gained 183,000 jobs last month.
“There’s an interesting dynamic playing out, where economic growth is decent to up in the U.S., but the Fed is kind of telling you not so fast,” said Roland.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasuries yield, which falls when bond prices rise, held below 1 per cent - not far over the overnight low of 0.9060 per cent. The yield has fallen for ten straight days, its longest slide in at least a generation.
Ten-year notes last rose 9/32 in price to yield 0.9876 per cent.
With safe-haven currencies in demand, the dollar clawed back some ground. The dollar index rose 0.193 per cent, with the euro down 0.29 per cent to $1.1139.
Benchmark Brent oil prices, which had been up 2 per cent earlier on Wednesday, settled down 73 cents at $51.13 a barrel as Russia still resisted new steps to implement output cuts.
U.S crude oil futures settled down 40 cents at $46.78 a barrel.
U.S. gold futures settled 0.1 per cent lower at $1,643 an ounce.
Reuters