Dec 17 ,2024
Synopsis:
Asian markets set for mixed start to Wednesday trade. Futures signaling small opening declines in Japan while Hang Seng futures higher. ASX flat in initial trade. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures touch softer afterhours. Australian bonds flat with Treasuries little changed overnight. Dollar firming against kiwi and Korean won. Crude remains range-bound while gold nearing two-week low. Bitcoin steady after pulling back from $110K.
Fed widely expected to cut rates by 25 bp at Wednesday's meeting. Bigger focus will on SEP and dot plot with markets having wound back projected 2025 rate cuts (some thought dot plot may signal three rate cuts next year vs four previously). Chair Powell likely to be asked for details on rate outlook in post-meeting press conference and may default back to gradual/patient phrasing pushed by Fed officials over past month.
Big corporate development involves reports Nissan and Honda exploring merger to better compete against China EVs. Nikkei added talks may also involve bringing Mitsubishi under the holding company. In other news, Bloomberg sources noted Biden administration set to launch another probe into China semis that could lead to restrictions on China imports containing foundational chips.
No traction for China markets from recent flurry of fiscal headlines with MSCI China and Hang Seng down 3-4% over past week. Authorities flagged looser policy stance in 2025 with mentions of direct consumer support and rate/RRR cuts. Reuters sources also noted agreement to raise deficit ratio to 4% from 3%, in-line with some exceptions. Economists still harbor skepticism around policy follow-through while lack of policy specifics has also been highlighted.
Pre-open Company News:
601611.CH -- China Nuclear Engineering Corp. reports Jan-Nov new contracts signed CNY142.45B
3692.HK -- Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group receives NMPA approval for HS-20110 injection
543322.IN -- Glenmark Life Sciences changes name to Alivus Life Sciences, effective today
543248.IN -- Restaurant Brands Asia to consider fund raise via preferential issue/QIP in 20-Dec board meeting
+YSXT -- YSX Tech prices 1.25M-share IPO at $4.00/sh through Kingswood Capital
5285.MK -- SD Guthrie reports November production data
6488.TT -- GlobalWafers to receive $406M (NT$13.19B) subsidy from CHIPS and Science Act
532500.IN -- Maruti Suzuki India has produced 2M vehicles for 2024 as of yesterday
1193.HK -- China Resources Gas Group appoints QIN Yan as CEO, effective today
000661.CH -- Changchun High-Tech's subsidiary receives NMPA clinical trial approval for GenSci122 tablets in advanced solid tumors
1378.HK -- China Hongqiao Group guides FY net income to increase by approx. +95% y/y
Morgan Stanley downgrades MLCO; revises target on 1128.HK, 1928.HK, 2282.HK, others
9749.JP -- Fuji Soft opposes Bain Capital's ¥9,600/sh tender offer, reaffirms support KKR's offer
On Deck:
China:
Economic:
08:00 CST: Foreign Direct Investment Y/Y; consensus
Japan:
Economic:
08:50 JST: Trade Balance NSA (Preliminary); consensus
08:50 JST: Import NSA Y/Y (Preliminary); consensus
08:50 JST: Export NSA Y/Y (Preliminary); consensus +2.3%
Market Data:
Gold (Feb 25): +$0.50 or +0.02% to $2662.50
WTI Crude (Jan 25): +$0.07 or +0.10% to $70.15
$-¥: (0.62) or (0.40%) to 153.5200
$-KRW: (2.73) or (0.19%) to 1435.0500
A$-$: (0.00) or (0.52%) to 0.6337
$-INR: +0.04 or +0.05% to 84.9264
$-CNY: +0.00 or +0.02% to 7.2847
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