Stocks in Asia fell on Monday. Japan's Nikkei slid 0.5%, Chinese blue chips dived 0.5%, and the MSCI Asia-Pacific index outside Japan lost 0.6%.
South Korea's market stayed flat. U.S. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures slipped 0.3%, and European futures also posted small losses. This was after U.S. officials signaled that there would be delays on tariffs but provided no specifics.
Trump said trade partners would be notified by July 9 of the prospect of higher tariffs, which could take effect from August 1. He cautioned against tariffs of up to 60% or 70% for countries that are part of the BRICS. To date, only a handful of deals have been struck. Analysts are concerned that the trade tension could weigh on U.S. economic growth and stoke inflation.
Currency Moves and Central Bank Expectations
The dollar index rose 0.2%, to 97.142. It rose 0.3 percent against the yen to 145.02 and was little changed at $1.1767 against the euro. The Australian dollar, often sensitive to trade news, fell 0.7% to $0.6501. Interest rates were marginally down, with the yield on the 10-year United States Treasury note 2 basis points lower at 4.328 percent.
Traders are on the lookout for any signals from the Federal Reserve about future rate cuts. Trade uncertainties have kept Fed officials cautious. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to move the rate from 3.75% down to 3.60% on Tuesday. New Zealand's central bank is expected to keep rates unchanged at 3.25%, having already slashed them by 225 basis points over the past year.
Oil Slides as OPEC+ Ups Output, Gold Dips
Oil prices slid after OPEC+ agreed to increase output in August by 548,000 barrels per day, at a higher level than the markets were expecting. The group also suggested another increase in September. Brent crude fell 0.4% to $68.01 a barrel, and U.S. crude was down 1.1% at $65.28. Analysts say that OPEC+ appears to be seeking to squeeze U.S. shale producers.
Gold was down 0.3% at $3,324 an ounce, having added nearly 2 percent last week on dollar weakness. Market participants continue to focus on a larger trend of global trade and economic normalization and are apprehensive as they try to make sense of it.
