U.S. stock futures and Asian shares fell Friday after President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
The future contracts for both the S&P 500 and the Dow industrials dropped nearly 2% but were trading 1.2% lower several hours later. Oil prices tumbled about 3%.
Trump tweeted news of his test results just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks had come down with the virus after traveling with the president several times this week.
The positive test reading for the leader of the world's largest economy heaps uncertainty onto a growing pile of unknowns investors are grappling with, first among them how it might affect the Nov. 3 election and American policies on trade, tariffs and many other issues beyond then.
“To say this potentially could be a big deal is an understatement,” Rabobank said in a commentary. “Anyway, everything now takes a backseat to the latest incredible twist in this US election campaign.”
A statement issued by Trump's doctor saying both he and his wife were well and that he would continue his duties appeared to calm the markets' reaction.
Germany's DAX gave up 0.6% to 12,649.29 and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.6% to 4,796.97. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped 0.5% to 5,850.86.
Trading in Asia was thin, with markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong closed. The Nikkei 225 index shed strong early gains, losing 0.7% to 23,029.90 after the Tokyo Stock Exchange resumed trading following an all day outage due to a technical failure.
Reports that the Japanese government is preparing new stimulus measures to help the economy recover from a prolonged downturn worsened by the coronavirus pandemic provided only a temporary lift. Prices fell further after Trump's announcement.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 slipped 1.4% to 5,791.50. Shares in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia also fell.
On Thursday, the benchmark S&P 500 ended the day 0.5% higher, at 3,380.80, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 27,816.90 and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.4% to 11,326.51, as big tech-oriented stocks propped up the market, much as they have through the pandemic.
Such big swings have become routine as investors assess chances of a deal on Capitol Hill to send more cash to Americans, restore jobless benefits for laid-off workers and deliver assistance to airlines and other industries hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continued their talks on Thursday, but no breakthrough arrived before stock trading ended on Wall Street. Instead, there were only hopes that were periodically raised and dashed as government officials took turns criticizing each other.
“Things remain fluid; we all know what is at stake if this deal does not go through before markets sundown, it is unlikely to be pretty ugly," Stephen Innes of Axi said in a commentary.
Beyond potential political developments, investors will be watching for job figures due out Friday. Data released Thursday painted a mixed picture for the economy, with one report showing the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits last week fell to 837,000 from 873,000. That was less than economists expected, but incredibly high compared with before the pandemic.
With airlines and other major companies announcing layoffs and furloughs, another round of economic aid from Congress is seen as crucial. Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have worked effectively together in the past, helping to drive through the previous economic rescue approved by Congress in March. But the country’s deepening partisan divide has stymied progress, with the presidential election only about a month away.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury was steady at 0.67%.
U.S. benchmark crude lost $1.12 to $37.60 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gave up $1.50 to $38.72 on Thursday. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.20 to $39.73 per barrel.
The dollar weakened to 105.21 Japanese yen from 105.54 yen. The euro weakened to $1.1724 from $1.1747.
AP Newsroom
Fri Oct 02 2020
A statement issued by Trump's doctor saying both he and his wife were well and that he would continue his duties appeared to calm the markets' reaction. - REUTERS
Bertrand mengembara 'serap' ilmu terjun
Bertrand kini jalani latihan di Singapura bermula hingga 30 Mei ini dan kemudiannya akan ke Australia untuk menyertai kejohanan terjun di Brisbane.
Pusat data membentuk sebahagian besar daripada pelaburan digital dilulus berjumlah RM144.7 bilion
Pada 2021 pelaburan dilulus dalam pusat data berjumlah RM3.4 billion, RM80.8 bilion pada 2022 dan RM60.5 bilion tahun lepas.
Lelaki lemas ketika bercuti di Air Terjun Sekayu
Mangsa dipercayai lemas selepas menyelamatkan rakannya yang terjatuh ke dalam air sewaktu mendaki laluan berbukit di tepi kawasan air terjun itu.
Ahli lembaga pengarah, hala tuju DNB diumum esok - Fahmi
Fahmi menjelaskan dalam mesyuarat Kabinet pada Rabu, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim telah memberi penegasan mengenai pelaksanaan rangkaian 5G dan perkara-perkara yang dipersetujui.
AWANI Ringkas: Laporan interim nahas helikopter TLDM dalam dua minggu
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Semua jenazah dibawa keluar dari HRPB
Semua jenazah anggota TLDM yang maut dalam nahas helikopter di Lumut dibawa keluar daripada Jabatan Forensik Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun pada Rabu.
Lebih sebulan berlalu, polis masih kesan pemilik sebenar wang RM500,000 dalam bagasi
Polis masih mengesan pemilik sebenar wang tunai lebih RM500,000 yang ditemui dalam bagasi di tempat letak kereta sebuah pusat beli-belah di Damansara pada 20 Mac lalu.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: "Ini panggilan daripada Allah" - Dr Sharifah Mazlina
Beliau bersyukur kerana permohonan menyertai misi ini diluluskan biarpun hanya sempat mengisi borang penyertaan di saat akhir.
Bersatu beri bayangan ketengah calon Melayu
Bersatu beri bayangan calon yang akan diketengahkan Perikatan Nasional (PN) pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu Mei ini ialah calon Melayu.
Proses bedah siasat 10 mangsa selesai
Proses bedah siasat melibatkan 10 mangsa nahas helikopter terhempas di Lumut yang dijalankan di Jabatan Forensik Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) selesai pada jam 2.20 petang Rabu
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar mahkamah New York
Max Azzarello yang berasal dari St. Augustine, Florida, dilaporkan telah diselamatkan dan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
7 juri dipilih dalam bicara kes wang sogok yang dihadapi Trump
Tujuh juri dipilih dalam perbicaraan kes wang sogok Donald Trump di New York, perbicaraan jenayah pertama terhadap bekas presiden Amerika Syarikat.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perbicaraan skandal Donald Trump - bintang porno bermula
Donald Trump menjadi bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat pertama yang menghadapi perbicaraan kes jenayah.
Bicara kes bayaran tutup mulut yang dihadapi Trump bermula dengan pemilihan juri
Donald Trump akan menjadi bekas presiden pertama dalam sejarah Amerika Syarikat (AS) yang dibicarakan atas tuduhan jenayah.
Trump gagal tangguh, perbicaraan tetap berlangsung 15 April ini
Ini merupakan kali pertama bekas Presiden AS dibicarakan melibatkan bayaran menutup mulut kepada seorang bintang filem lucah.
Biden menang pemilihan peringkat awal di Dakota Utara
Dalam pemilihan peringkat awal di Dakota Utara, terdapat 13 perwakilan ditawarkan dan kebanyakan pengundian dilakukan melalui undi pos.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perbicaraan Donald Trump bermula 15 April
Ini merupakan kali pertama bekas Presiden AS dibicarakan melibatkan bayaran menutup mulut kepada seorang bintang filem lucah.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.