NEW YORK: Investors pulled away from speculative bets late on Tuesday, Nov 9, roiling U.S. stock and commodities markets and pushing the dollar higher.
Gold fell 1.14 percent after touching record highs earlier in the day and silver dropped by 3 percent after hitting a 30-year high. Gold typically falls when the dollar strengthens, and vice versa, as a firmer U.S. currency curbs the metal's appeal as an alternative asset.
U.S. government debt prices dropped as investors were uncertain about demand for Wednesday's $16 billion auction of 30-year bonds.
"The markets in general are severely overbought and something has to give," Troy Buckner, managing principal of hedge fund NuWave Investment Management LLC of Morristown, New Jersey.
Investors fear the Federal Reserve's decision to undertake more stimulus by printing more money to buy $600 billion in U.S. bonds, will lead to high inflation.
In addition, markets worry that low interest rates in the United States risk fueling asset bubbles in other countries and destabilizing currencies.
Heavily indebted countries such as Ireland, Portugal and Spain were back in the headlines, with the cost of protecting their government debt against default rising substantially in the past week.
The renewed concerns weighed on the euro, which hit its lowest in nearly two weeks versus the dollar. It was last trading down 1.07 percent at $1.3772.
The dollar was up against a basket currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index rising almost 1 percent at 77.743. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose 1 percent at 81.98.
U.S. equities fell, led by sharp losses in bank and precious metal stocks.
An index of gold and silver miners' shares fell 2.6 percent after hitting an all-time high earlier in the day.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 60.09 points, or 0.53 percent, at 11,346.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 9.85 points, or 0.81 percent, at 1,213.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17.07 points, or 0.66 percent, at 2,562.98.
The December futures contract for the Nikkei 225 stock index trading in Chicago rose 20 points to 9,745.
European shares shrugged off euro zone debt concerns to close at their highest level in more than two years with the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares up 0.6 percent at 1,117.46 points, its highest close since September 2008.
The MSCI all-country world equity index eased 0.17 percent. Emerging market stocks were up 0.04 percent.
U.S. Treasury debt prices fell after an auction of the benchmark notes and ahead of the sale of 30-year bonds on Wednesday.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was down 29/32, with the yield at 2.6613 percent. The 2-year U.S. Treasury note was down 3/32, with the yield at 0.4427 percent. The 30-year U.S. Treasury bond was down 2-1/32 in price, with the yield at 4.2505 percent.
"Bonds are selling off due to both inflationary fears (commodity market bubbles), the idea that maybe the Fed won't buy as many bonds, and due to the euro sovereign debt issues resurfacing," Buckner at NuWave Investment Management said.
Spot gold prices fell $16.05, or 1.14 percent, to $1,393.00 from an all-time high touched earlier at $1,420.90 an ounce, while silver fell 3 percent to $26.80 after touching a 30-year high of $29.33 an ounce.
U.S. crude oil fell 34 cents, or 0.39 percent, to $86.40 per barrel, after touching $87.63, its highest since October 2008. - Reuters
Gold fell 1.14 percent after touching record highs earlier in the day and silver dropped by 3 percent after hitting a 30-year high. Gold typically falls when the dollar strengthens, and vice versa, as a firmer U.S. currency curbs the metal's appeal as an alternative asset.
U.S. government debt prices dropped as investors were uncertain about demand for Wednesday's $16 billion auction of 30-year bonds.
"The markets in general are severely overbought and something has to give," Troy Buckner, managing principal of hedge fund NuWave Investment Management LLC of Morristown, New Jersey.
Investors fear the Federal Reserve's decision to undertake more stimulus by printing more money to buy $600 billion in U.S. bonds, will lead to high inflation.
In addition, markets worry that low interest rates in the United States risk fueling asset bubbles in other countries and destabilizing currencies.
Heavily indebted countries such as Ireland, Portugal and Spain were back in the headlines, with the cost of protecting their government debt against default rising substantially in the past week.
The renewed concerns weighed on the euro, which hit its lowest in nearly two weeks versus the dollar. It was last trading down 1.07 percent at $1.3772.
The dollar was up against a basket currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index rising almost 1 percent at 77.743. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar rose 1 percent at 81.98.
U.S. equities fell, led by sharp losses in bank and precious metal stocks.
An index of gold and silver miners' shares fell 2.6 percent after hitting an all-time high earlier in the day.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 60.09 points, or 0.53 percent, at 11,346.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 9.85 points, or 0.81 percent, at 1,213.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 17.07 points, or 0.66 percent, at 2,562.98.
The December futures contract for the Nikkei 225 stock index trading in Chicago rose 20 points to 9,745.
European shares shrugged off euro zone debt concerns to close at their highest level in more than two years with the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares up 0.6 percent at 1,117.46 points, its highest close since September 2008.
The MSCI all-country world equity index eased 0.17 percent. Emerging market stocks were up 0.04 percent.
U.S. Treasury debt prices fell after an auction of the benchmark notes and ahead of the sale of 30-year bonds on Wednesday.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was down 29/32, with the yield at 2.6613 percent. The 2-year U.S. Treasury note was down 3/32, with the yield at 0.4427 percent. The 30-year U.S. Treasury bond was down 2-1/32 in price, with the yield at 4.2505 percent.
"Bonds are selling off due to both inflationary fears (commodity market bubbles), the idea that maybe the Fed won't buy as many bonds, and due to the euro sovereign debt issues resurfacing," Buckner at NuWave Investment Management said.
Spot gold prices fell $16.05, or 1.14 percent, to $1,393.00 from an all-time high touched earlier at $1,420.90 an ounce, while silver fell 3 percent to $26.80 after touching a 30-year high of $29.33 an ounce.
U.S. crude oil fell 34 cents, or 0.39 percent, to $86.40 per barrel, after touching $87.63, its highest since October 2008. - Reuters
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