(Bloomberg) — Global equities trimmed a weekly loss as Chinese shares surged amid signs that authorities are trying harder to ease the impact of the Covid-Zero policy.
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European and US futures rose and a gauge of Asian shares headed for the biggest weekly jump since July. Hong Kong-listed technology stocks rallied as much as 10%.
Investors were heartened by news that US audit officials were ahead of schedule in on-site inspections of Chinese companies, and that a system penalizing airlines for bringing virus cases into the country may be scrapped.
Treasuries were little changed before US payrolls data hits in the American session. A key segment of the curve on Thursday reached an extreme of inversion not seen since the 1980s. Such curve inversions have a track record of preceding economic downturns.
Swaps that reference future Federal Reserve meetings indicate an expected peak policy rate above 5.14% around mid-2023.
Japanese shares were the biggest drag in Asia on Friday as investors in Tokyo played catchup after Thursday’s holiday.
The dollar weakened against all its Group-of-10 counterparts while the offshore yuan advanced.
While similar Chine stock rallies have all fizzled in recent months, bulls are now betting that some of the world’s lowest valuations have left the nation’s shares primed to surge on any hint of good news.
Rebounding about 10% this week, Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index was set for the best gain since 2011. The CSI 300 Index, the benchmark for mainland stocks, also jumped more than 3% on Friday.
“What we are guessing is China in the future will model the reopening on the back of Hong Kong,” Jack Siu, Greater China chief investment officer at Credit Suisse Group AG, said on Bloomberg Television. “To fully reopen, we are still at least nine months away from today.”
Elsewhere, oil jumped toward $90 a barrel as as commodities and equities in Asia rallied. Gold climbed.
Key events this week:
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
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S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% as of 7:11 a.m. in London. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Thursday
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Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.7%. The Nasdaq 100 fell 2%
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Japan’s Topix index fell 1.3%
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Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 6.2%
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China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 2.4%
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Euro Stoxx 50 futures rose 0.6%
Currencies
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The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.3%
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The euro rose 0.2% to $0.9773
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The Japanese yen rose 0.2% to 148.03 per dollar
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The offshore yuan rose 0.9% to 7.2655 per dollar
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The British pound rose 0.4% to $1.1209
Cryptocurrencies
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Bitcoin rose 1.8% to $20,605.31
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Ether rose 2.5% to $1,579.46
Bonds
Commodities
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West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.4% to $90.30 a barrel
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Spot gold rose 1.1% to $1,647.63 an ounce
–With assistance from Tommi Utoslahti.
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