Stock markets mixed as bond yields near one-year highs - 15.3.2021

The Dollar strengthening is intact currently. The live dollar index data show the ICE US Dollar index, a measure of the dollar’s strength against a basket of six rival currencies, rose 0.2% on Friday as Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Producer Price Index surged 2.8% over year in February, after 1.7% increase in January.

Both EUR/USD and GBP/USD reversed their climbing Friday despite UK National Institute of Economic and Social Research report UK economy shrank by 2.9% in January from the previous month, a less severe contraction than expected. Both are lower against the Dollar currently. AUD/USD reversed its climbing Friday while USD/JPY accelerated its climbing with both Australian dollar and yen lower against the Greenback currently.

Futures on US equity benchmarks are mixed currently after ending mixed on Friday as the 10-year US Treasury note’s yield rose above 1.6 per cent. The three main US stock benchmarks recorded returns ranging from -0.6% to +0.9%.

European stock indexes are mixed currently after ending down on Friday led by tech shares. Asian indexes are mostly retreating today with Shanghai Composite leading losses despite news China's industrial output, investment and consumption in the first two months of the year were all higher compared with the same period in 2020.