LONDON/SYDNEY - Global stocks fell on Wednesday, after disappointing earnings from Alphabet knocked Wall Street futures, while the dollar took a dive against the yen, which rallied sharply after Japanese wage data upped the chances of another rate hike.
Investors shrugged off comments from US President Donald Trump that the US would like to take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and develop it economically.
The suggestion came out of the blue and underlined the risk of more policy uncertainty and market volatility ahead. Gold hit another record high, driven mostly by a weaker dollar.
In Europe, activity was dominated by a heavy day for earnings, where shares in Novo Nordisk, the most valuable company in the region, rose 4 percent after beating fourth-quarter expectations, which helped keep the STOXX 600 relatively steady on the day.
"Trump’s comments on Gaza and potential US military occupation are not being taken seriously by investors. There may be ramifications in bringing about a broader peace settlement, and comments like these also possibly lessen the importance ascribed to other pronouncements - comments like tariffs being an obvious area," Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, said.
Volatility across markets has run high in the last few trading days after Trump announced he would slap tariffs on Canada and Mexico, only to back-pedal within hours and agree to a one-month delay.
Some sense of calm returned by Wednesday, leaving investors to focus on more micro-led events, such as company earnings, where Google parent Alphabet missed forecasts as it ramped up spending on capex. Its shares fell 8 percent in premarket trading, suggesting a heavy fall after the opening bell later.
S&P 500 futures fell 0.4 percent and Nasdaq futures lost 0.5 percent in response. Results out on Wednesday include Uber, Ford, Qualcomm and Walt Disney.
The delays to tariffs have eased concern about how much scope the Federal Reserve might have to cut interest rates this year, pushing Treasury yields lower, although with China and Europe still in Trump's sights, the mood was cautious.
"The period of doubt - during which worries about 'tariff risk' prevails in the market - is not over yet," Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie said in a note. "Traders may revisit those doubts in 30 days, as Trump tries to extract more concessions from Mexico and Canada, and then the EU."
Dollar softens
Yields on two-year Treasuries were back at 4.224 percent and off a peak of 4.282 percent hit on Monday, which in turn took some sheen off the dollar. The US currency is relatively flat so far this year against a basket of major currencies, having risen 7 percent in 2024.
The Japanese yen strengthened sharply against a range of currencies, after upbeat data on wages supported expectations of further tightening by the Bank of Japan this year.
The dollar fell almost 1 percent against the yen to 152.875, while the euro was down 0.6 percent at 159.18.
Against the dollar, the euro rose 0.3 percent to $1.041, having pulled off a two-year trough of $1.0125 at the start of the week. The dollar also fell 0.3 percent against the Canadian dollar to C$1.4282, below this week's 22-year high at C$1.4792.
In commodities, gold hit a fresh all-time high at $2,869.68 an ounce aided in part by the pullback in the dollar and Treasury yields.
Oil prices were weighed down by China's tariffs on imports of US oil, which offset a potential boost from reports Trump had restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran in a bid to drive Iranian oil exports to zero.
Brent was down 0.7 percent to $75.67 a barrel, while US crude fell 0.65 percent to $72.23.
