Shares and sterling try to shake off the Brexit blues

London — European stocks recovered but sterling and the euro remained fragile on Friday, after some of the most dramatic 24 hours yet in the Brexit process and another turbulent week for world markets.

London, Paris and Frankfurt markets all gained about 0.4%, having been punished the previous day by the resignation of Britain’s Brexit minister roughly 12 hours after a draft agreement with the EU was released.

Sterling also attempted to re-set after what had been its worst day against the euro since the post-Brexit vote fallout of 2016 and a slump of more than 2c against the dollar. But with reports of a UK leadership coup still rife and fear that the country could crash out of the EU without an agreement, it struggled to make it much beyond 88.72p per euro and $1.2788.

“As long as no deal remains as likely as it is, there is a risk of a sterling depreciation spiral that is self-intensifying” said Ulrich Leuchtmannan, an FX strategist at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

UK and eurozone government bond yields also edged up as some stability returned to fixed-income markets. Still, 10-year yields on German bonds, considered one of the safest assets in the world, were set for their biggest weekly fall in three weeks, in a sign that the Brexit uncertainty and worries about Italy’s finances, continue to support demand.

In Frankfurt, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, said the bank still plans to dial back its stimulus at the end of the year, but acknowledged the economy had hit a soft patch and inflation may rise more slowly than expected.

“If firms start to become more uncertain about the growth and inflation outlook, the squeeze on margins could prove more persistent,” Draghi told a conference.

Asian shares had ended their session firmer, after reports that the US might pause on further China tariffs gave Wall Street a fillip, but a near 17% plunge in Nvidia’s stock tempered the mood.  The chip designer forecast disappointing sales for the holiday quarter, pinning the blame on unsold chips piling up with distributors and retailers after the crypto-currency mining boom evaporated.

Also falling after hours were shares of Advanced Micro Devices and Intel. Losses in semi-conductor shares dragged Japan’s Nikkei down 0.5%, while Nasdaq futures also fell 0.5%.

“It started with Apple, then Nvidia … Since performances of these companies set the tone for the global tech and chip industries, related Japanese stocks will likely be sluggish for a while,” said Takatoshi Itoshima, a strategist at Pictet Asset Management.

Pounded

Europe’s tech-linked firms were proving mostly resilient as Brexit remained the clear focus. Fears that UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s hard-fought deal could collapse sent British markets into gyrations not seen since the June 2016 referendum on EU membership.

“If and when a vote on the withdrawal agreement is to occur is uncertain. Whether the withdrawal bill is passed by both houses of parliament is uncertain,” Joseph Capurso, a senior currency strategist at CBA, said in a note. “Whether the prime minister resigns or is challenged for the leadership is uncertain. And, whether there is a second referendum and/or an election is uncertain.”

Source: businesslive.co.za