- US equity futures rose as Amazon earnings calmed nerves, while a rise in Hong Kong shares boosted Asia. Bonds sank as important central banks' hawkish rhetoric grew stronger.
- After e-commerce giant Amazon and Snap rose in late trade on excellent earnings, contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 were up nearly 1.5%. Hong Kong's tech index rose after reopening after a long holiday, helping to keep MSCI's Asia-pacific gauge stable. The value of Japanese stocks has dropped.
- On Thursday, the Nasdaq 100 dropped to its lowest level since 2020, weighed down by a massive $251 bln loss for Facebook owner Meta. However, if the stock's 14% surge in after-hours trading persists until Friday's wall street closing, Amazon's market worth could increase by about $200 billion.
- Meanwhile, ECB's President Lagarde's unexpected hawkish comments and a BoE interest-rate hike showed continued concerns about high inflation.
- Following a rise in European yields and selling in treasuries, Japan's five-year government bond yield increased to zero for the first time since 2016. The 10-year US Treasury yield was about 1.84%.
- The euro continued to rise, while the dollar fell. After breaking beyond the $90 per barrel barrier for the first time since 2014, West Texas Intermediate oil has remained above it.