(Bloomberg) -- U.S. and European futures tracked a slide in Asian stocks on Thursday as worries over U.S.-China tensions grew. India bucked the trend, with equities there soaring as election results showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to win a majority on his own.
Shares fell from Tokyo and Sydney to Hong Kong and Shanghai. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index has now dropped 6% since President Donald Trump pledged to ramp up tariffs on China earlier this month, giving up about half its gains for the year. S&P 500 futures and European contracts indicated losses will continue when markets open. The yuan remained under pressure Thursday after China’s flagship People’s Daily published two commentaries assailing American moves to curb Chinese companies. Treasuries held recent gains. The pound extended losses amid an escalating Brexit crisis.
In India, shares hit a record high and the rupee climbed as counting pointed to Modi winning another term, with his Bharatiya Janata Party surging to a commanding lead.
On the U.S.-China front, economists are turning more pessimistic. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS). now sees higher odds of a U.S.-China stalemate, and Nomura Holdings Inc. has shifted to forecasting a full-blown escalation of tariffs. Treasuries continue to benefit from haven demand, with 10-year yields near their lows for the year.
“We don’t think that there is an overnight solution,” said James Johnstone, co-head of emerging and frontier markets at RWC Partners LLC. “The accommodation of China as a rising power is something that the Americans and the West have been contemplating for a long time. This will be a 20-30 year accommodation.”
China’s yuan dipped in onshore trading even after the People’s Bank of China set its daily fixing for the yuan at a stronger-than-expected level for a fourth straight day. The Aussie slipped, and Australian government bond yields plumbed fresh all-time lows.
Treasuries rallied on Wednesday after minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last policy meeting showed officials judged their patient approach to interest-rate changes would be appropriate “for some time.” Lack of faith in a speedy resolution to the trade conflict helped lead Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to cut its forecast for U.S. yields.
Elsewhere, Britain’s pound is trading near its January low as Theresa May’s premiership hangs by a thread amid a growing revolt over her Brexit handling. Crude oil fell below $61 a barrel after inventory data showcased supply concerns.
Here are some notable events coming up:
- The European Parliament holds continent-wide elections May 23-26.
- On Thursday, the European Central Bank publishes its account of the April monetary policy decision.
And these are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
- Japan’s Topix index fell 0.4% at the 3 p.m. close in Tokyo.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 1.6%.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index dipped 0.3%.
- Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.2%.
- India’s S&P BSE Sensex surged 1.2%.
- Futures on the S&P 500 Index slid 0.5%. The underlying gauge fell 0.3% Wednesday.
- The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 0.6%.
- Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.7%.
Currencies
- The yen traded at 110.33 per dollar, up 0.1%
- The offshore yuan was at 6.9374 per dollar.
- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%.
- The euro bought $1.1149, little changed.
- The British pound dipped 0.2% to $1.2643.
Bonds
- The yield on 10-year Treasuries held at 2.38% after falling four basis points.
- Australian 10-year bond yields dropped about five basis points to 1.58%.
Commodities
- West Texas Intermediate crude sank 0.9% to $60.86 a barrel.
- Gold was flat at $1,274.42 an ounce.