Stocks and currencies muted; Nigeria, Mexico in focus
Updated at 0918 GMT
IMF agrees deal to give Ukraine access to $1.1 bln
Romanian inflation eases to 5.1% in August
Minutes from Hungary central bank's Aug meeting on tap
Stocks off 0.3%, FX indexes flat
By Johann M Cherian
Sept 11 (Reuters) -Most emerging market assets were subdued on Wednesday in cautious trade ahead of a U.S. inflation report, while investors also focused on a dollar bond issue in Nigeria and a pivotal legislative vote on judicial reforms in Mexico.
MSCI's index tracking emerging market currencies .MIEM00000CUS inched up 0.1%, against the dollar index's =USD 0.2% dip, while an index tracking equities .MSCIEF slipped 0.3% to it lowest in over a month.
Focus will be on U.S. inflation data for August later in the day before the Federal Reserve meets next week to decide on monetary policy, with expectations high for a 25 basis points rate cut.
Economic growth worries out of the U.S. and China have weighed on investor sentiment recently, with the main MSCI EM stocks index on track for its first monthly drop of over 3% since January, if losses hold.
Meanwhile, after Tuesday's fiery U.S presidential debate, betting platforms swung in favour of Democrat candidate Kamala Harris over Republican Donald Trump. The former president's polices are seen as inflationary and an obstacle to global free trade.
"For now, indications that Harris won this debate, even if by a small margin, can keep a lid on the dollar and generally prompt a more favourable environment for currencies with a high beta to protectionism and geopolitical issues," analysts at ING bank said.
In Africa, Nigeria raised $900 million in its first ever domestic dollar bond sale, according to the issue's coordinator.
Nigeria's naira EURNGN= slipped 0.8% relative to the euro, while the yield on dollar bonds maturing in 2029 XS2445169985=TE climbed 13 basis points.
In Latin America, oil exporter Mexico's peso MXN= strengthened 0.7% after a more than 1% drop in the previous session on weak crude prices.
The country's Senate gave general approval to a judicial reform where judges would be elected by popular vote, which critics fear could threaten the rule of law and damage the economy.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's hryvnia UAH= was flat. The International Monetary Fund said it had reached a preliminary agreement that would give the war-torn country access to about $1.1 billion in financial assistance.
In central and eastern Europe, Romania's leu EURRON= was muted against the euro after data showed inflation cooled to 5.1% in August from the previous month.
Hungary's forint EURHUF= ticked up 0.1% ahead of the release of minutes from the central bank's August monetary policy meeting, due at 1300 GMT.
In South Asia, the yield on Sri Lankan bonds maturing in 2025 US85227SAQ93=TE slid 360 basis points, easing from a recent jump as a nationwide election nears.
For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance in 2024 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance in 2024 https://tmsnrt.rs/2OusNdX
Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru
Editing by Christina Fincher
For TOP NEWS across emerging markets nTOPEMRG
For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see CEE/
For TURKISH market report, see .IS
For RUSSIAN market report, see RU/RUB
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.