A worldwide measure of stocks dipped on Tuesday but was within reach of its record high, while U.S. Treasury yields touched one month highs and the euro slipped as a whiff of higher U.S. interest rates takes hold in markets.
Stocks on Wall Street opened slightly lower a day after the S&P 500 closed at a record for a fourth straight session and world shares <.MIWD00000PUS> drifted near their record set in November 2007.
"Most valuation metrics suggest that equities are no longer cheap, though they're not exactly overpriced where they are now. People are looking for reasons to really buy, but we're optimistic that equities can continue to push higher," said David Carter, chief investment officer at Lenox Wealth Advisors in New York.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 18.37 points or 0.11 percent, to 16,924.73, the S&P 500 <.SPX> lost 2.38 points or 0.12 percent, to 1,948.89 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 4.41 points or 0.1 percent, to 4,331.83.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> edged up 0.1 percent to extend its high going back to January 2008.
Chinese, Indonesian and Korean shares all rose more than 1 percent, helped by Chinese inflation data that remained well within the government's comfort zone, giving room for the government to launch fresh stimulus measures if needed to support the economy.
Last week's ECB cut in interest rates, and its move to start charging banks for keeping their spare cash, ensured the impact continued elsewhere. Fresh bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve could begin to raise rates earlier than expected were also supportive of the greenback.
"If broader measures are suggesting that the U.S. economy is on a stronger footing, the market has to bring forward the expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike," said Aroop Chatterjee, currency strategist at Barclays in New York.
The euro fell back near last week's four-month low against the U.S. dollarat $1.3532.
The dollar index <.DXY>, which measures its strength against a basket of key currencies, climbed 0.2 percent, though the dollar was slightly lower against the yen at 102.38.
The greenback continued to benefit from rising U.S. Treasury yields as the benchmark 10-year ratetopped 2.65 percent for the first time since May 13.
"The Fed's bias could likely shift to a more hawkish stance. They're a little worried about financial exuberance and a little bit of complacency in the market," said Aaron Kohli, interest rate strategist, at BNP Paribas in New York.
Next week's two-day meeting of Fed officials will be followed by a press conference in which Fed Chair Janet Yellen will likely be pressed on the timing of interest rate hikes.
Source: Reuters
Stocks on Wall Street opened slightly lower a day after the S&P 500 closed at a record for a fourth straight session and world shares <.MIWD00000PUS> drifted near their record set in November 2007.
"Most valuation metrics suggest that equities are no longer cheap, though they're not exactly overpriced where they are now. People are looking for reasons to really buy, but we're optimistic that equities can continue to push higher," said David Carter, chief investment officer at Lenox Wealth Advisors in New York.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 18.37 points or 0.11 percent, to 16,924.73, the S&P 500 <.SPX> lost 2.38 points or 0.12 percent, to 1,948.89 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 4.41 points or 0.1 percent, to 4,331.83.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index <.FTEU3> edged up 0.1 percent to extend its high going back to January 2008.
Chinese, Indonesian and Korean shares all rose more than 1 percent, helped by Chinese inflation data that remained well within the government's comfort zone, giving room for the government to launch fresh stimulus measures if needed to support the economy.
Last week's ECB cut in interest rates, and its move to start charging banks for keeping their spare cash, ensured the impact continued elsewhere. Fresh bets that the U.S. Federal Reserve could begin to raise rates earlier than expected were also supportive of the greenback.
"If broader measures are suggesting that the U.S. economy is on a stronger footing, the market has to bring forward the expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike," said Aroop Chatterjee, currency strategist at Barclays in New York.
The euro fell back near last week's four-month low against the U.S. dollar
The dollar index <.DXY>, which measures its strength against a basket of key currencies, climbed 0.2 percent, though the dollar was slightly lower against the yen at 102.38
The greenback continued to benefit from rising U.S. Treasury yields as the benchmark 10-year rate
"The Fed's bias could likely shift to a more hawkish stance. They're a little worried about financial exuberance and a little bit of complacency in the market," said Aaron Kohli, interest rate strategist, at BNP Paribas in New York.
Next week's two-day meeting of Fed officials will be followed by a press conference in which Fed Chair Janet Yellen will likely be pressed on the timing of interest rate hikes.
