Stocks move past two-year highs on China boost, Kenyan assets in focus
Kenya's shilling weakened to a one-month low against the euro, while the yield on dollar bonds slipped between 4 and 9 basis points (bps).
Risk sentiment got a lift across emerging markets on Thursday, with an index tracking equities hitting over a two-year high, while Kenyan assets were in focus after brokerage Citi downgraded the East African country's international bonds.
MSCI's index is tracking stocks in developing economies. MSCIEF added over 1%, lifted by heavyweight China's main indexes.CSI300, .SSEC, which settled over 1% each, after the local securities regulator announced more curbs on short-selling and pledged tighter scrutiny of computer-driven programme trading.
With equity indexes near pandemic lows and bond yields at record lows, all eyes are on the once-in-five-year Communist Party's meeting early next week as traders anticipate measures to boost growth and confidence in the world's second-largest economy.
Zin Bekkali, founder of Silk Invest, said that while the macroeconomic recovery is slow and painful, China remains an attractive investment destination, with opportunities in the bigger and globally exposed corporations and the mid-to-small cap companies.
Kenya's shilling EURKES= weakened to a one-month low against the euro, while the yield on dollar bonds KE235478161=, XS1781710626=TE slipped between 4 and 9 basis points (bps).
Citi downgraded the East African nation's international bonds to "underweight", saying it expected fiscal concerns to persist and saw a "significant" risk of more credit rating downgrades after Moody's slashed the country's rating on Monday.
"The (International Monetary Fund-led) policies that have been implemented in Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt are painful, but with new reforms by the governments, it should set the tone for more sustainable economies going forward," Bekkali added.
In eastern and central Europe, Czech crown EURCZK= hovered near three-month lows, a day after data showed inflation within the central bank's limit. Vice-Governor Eva Zamrazilova said the regulator could ease monetary policy further but does not need to quicken its rate-cutting pace, as per a report.
Earnings were centerstage in Poland, with the main stock index. WIG is flat, weighed down by a 1.3% drop in Pepco PCOP.WA as the discount retailer reported a worse-than-expected fall in third-quarter underlying revenue.
In South Asia, India's rupee INR=IN inched 0.1% lower. Indians have been allowed wider usage of foreign currency accounts at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT City, boosting business prospects for a finance hub pushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Elsewhere, Uganda's shilling UGX= inched up 0.1%. The domestic central bank has begun buying locally produced gold to bolster its depleted foreign reserves and tackle emerging challenges in international financial markets.
Attention will also be on a key U.S. inflation report due later in the day, along with central bank decisions out of Serbia, Korea and Malaysia.
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