Stocks

Bloomberg A crisis of confidence is brewing in Indonesia’s mutual-fund industry after some asset managers created products that invested in tiny, illiquid stocks, which have plunged in value. The volatility has triggered a “serious issue” in the nation’s capital markets that’s raised public concerns, said Wimboh Santoso, chairman of Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority. The regulator last year restricted sales of …

Bloomberg US equity-index futures gained on Wednesday as China took steps to contain the spread of a deadly virus that had rattled international markets. Treasuries and the dollar were steady. Contracts on the three main American equity indexes all rose, with Netflix Inc and International Business Machines Corp climbing in the premarket as traders digested their earnings. The Stoxx Europe …

Bloomberg Southeast Asian companies seeking to list in Hong Kong may be better off staying at home as investors in the financial hub continue to avoid small-cap stocks. Initial public offerings from Southeast Asian companies in Hong Kong are generally tiny. The average deal size of such IPOs last year stood at just $15.3 million, according to data compiled by …

Bloomberg Some investors may have been taking advantage of the sell-off in Asian stocks to position for a rebound. While the iShares China Large-Cap ETF tumbled the most in two years on news that the coronavirus out of China has spread, Susquehanna Financial Group spotted buyers of bullish options. Four of the five most-traded contracts on US-listed exchange-traded fund were …

Bloomberg US equity futures slipped on Tuesday, pointing to declines after the long weekend as investors grapple with worries about a deadly virus in China that sparked earlier declines across Asia and Europe. Treasuries rose. Contracts for all three of the main gauges were firmly in the red after a miserable session in Asia triggered by the outbreak of the …

Bloomberg A deadly virus in China. A rating downgrade from Moody’s Investors Service. Violent clashes over the weekend. Welcome to Hong Kong, where reasons to sell stocks are mounting ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 3.2%, the most since October 2018, while the MSCI Hong Kong Index dropped 2.7%, hitting its 200-day …

Bloomberg European stocks and US equity futures trimmed most of an earlier decline on Monday as investors awaited a fresh batch of corporate earnings and some key central bank meetings this week. Crude oil rose following supply disruptions in Libya and Iraq. Activity was muted across most major markets because of a US holiday. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index traded …

Bloomberg The Thai baht was Asia’s best-performing currency by a country mile last year. This year’s winner looks to have been already decided: the Indonesian rupiah. The currency of Southeast Asia’s most populous nation has rallied for seven straight weeks as the bumper yields offered by the nation’s government bonds enticed carry traders and the central bank said it would …

Bloomberg Stack up US equities next to almost anything that is used to measure value right now, and the picture can elicit anxiety. Up 13 of the past 15 weeks, the S&P 500 is trading at historically high levels versus earnings, expected profits and sales. Does that mean there’s no way to justify putting more money into a market where …

Bloomberg Stocks may be grabbing most of the headlines, but equities aren’t the only asset class in uncharted territory. Global currency volatility has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded. After the US and China put pen to paper on a trade deal that reaffirmed an agreement not to devalue their currencies, the JPMorgan Global FX Volatility Index is trading …