Global stocks mostly fall as US Treasury yields climb

Specialist Anthony Matesic works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as the rate decision of the Federal Reserve is announced, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

New York, United States — Global stocks mostly fell Thursday as markets digested fresh central bank decisions and a rebound effort on Wall Street faded while US Treasury bond yields climbed further.

US indices bounced early in the day, but the attempted rally faded as the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note rose above 4.5 percent. The Fed on Wednesday lowered interest rates but signaled it expects fewer interest rate cuts in 2025.

Thursday’s move in stocks is “kind of a lackluster recovery effort,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.

“A lot of good news has been priced into this market,” he said. “And now the market is going to sit back and see if a lot of that good news that’s priced in actually comes to fruition.”

READ: Asian markets track Wall St rout as Fed pares rate-cut forecast

While major US indices finished little changed, equity markets in Europe and Asia retreated.

The Bank of England held its key interest rate steady due to UK inflation rising again, and it did not commit to when or by how much it would cut rates in 2025.

While that decision was widely expected, more BoE policymakers voted for a cut, which sent the pound falling against the dollar and the euro.

The split suggests “members may be more nervous about the state of the economy than originally thought,” said Daniela Sabin Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com.

The yen fell against the dollar after the Bank of Japan left borrowing costs unchanged and warned of uncertainty over the economic policies of US President-elect Donald Trump.

BoJ governor Kazuo Ueda told reporters after its announcement that officials would hike interest rates if prices and the Japanese economy develop as they expect.

He warned that “uncertainty surrounding economic policies by the upcoming (Trump) administration is high, so I believe we will need to size up the possible effect.”

“The upcoming administration’s financial, trade and immigration policies have the potential not only to affect the US economy and prices but also significantly impact the global economy” and financial markets, Ueda said.

The rate decisions by Britain’s and Japan’s central bank were the last of the year.

“With the major risk events of the week behind us, the question remains: will the traditional Santa rally take hold, or will 2024 mark a departure from the norm?” asked City Index and FOREX.com analyst Fawad Razaqzada.

Markets often drift higher at the end of the year when small investors influenced by the holidays dominate trading in what is often called a “Santa rally.”

A possible US government shutdown could spoil a Santa rally, but investors appeared unfazed on Thursday.

President-elect Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk urged Republican lawmakers to scupper a cross-party deal to avert a halt in non-essential US government operations in the early hours of Saturday.

But Trump announced on social media Thursday afternoon that Republicans had come up with a new funding package to avert a shutdown.

Key figures around 2130 GMT

New York – Dow: UP less than 0.1 percent at 42,342.24 (close)

New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.1 percent at 5,867.08 (close)

New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 19,372.77 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 1.1 percent at 8,105.32 (close)

Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 1.2 percent at 7,294.37 (close)

Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 1.4 percent at 19,969.86 (close)

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.7 percent at 38,813.58 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.6 percent at 19,752.51 (close)

Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,370.03 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0364 from $1.0353

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2496 from $1.2574

Dollar/yen: UP at 157.35 yen from 156.87 yen

Euro/pound: UP at 82.91 pence from 82.33 pence

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.7 percent at $72.88 per barrel

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.0 percent at $69.91 per barrel