(Bloomberg) -- Stocks erased losses as the Federal Reserve signaled its most-aggressive campaign since the 1980s to curb inflation could be entering its end phase, with traders now awaiting to hear more details from Chair Jerome Powell.
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The S&P 500 climbed, with big names like Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. pushing the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 higher. Two-year US yields -- which are more sensitive to imminent Fed moves -- retreated with the dollar. Swap traders are now pricing in a 50-basis-point Fed hike as the most likely outcome in December after the central delivered its fourth straight 75-basis-point rate increase Wednesday.
The Fed said that “ongoing increases” will likely be needed to bring rates to a level that is “sufficiently restrictive to return inflation to 2% over time.” It also said: “In determining the pace of future increases in the target range, the Committee will take into account the cumulative tightening of monetary policy, the lags with which monetary policy affects economic activity and inflation, and economic and financial developments.”
“It’s a very articulate way of being dovish without being dovish,” Scott Minerd, global chief investment officer at Guggenheim Investments, said on Bloomberg TV. “The market wants something to rally on therefore they will pick on anything and think of it as dovish.”
Data Wednesday showed hiring at US companies rose in October by more than forecast, underscoring resilient labor demand despite the Fed’s efforts to cool the economy. A strong job market has fueled fast wage growth, contributing to rapid inflation and putting pressure on the Fed to aggressively tighten monetary policy.
The Treasury halted the longest string of cutbacks to its quarterly sales of longer-term debt in about eight years, showcasing the end of a period of historic reduction in the fiscal deficit.
In corporate news, Boeing Co.’s chief said the planemaker could generate $10 billion in cash annually by mid-decade, once it turns around its operations after years of setbacks and miscues. China has ordered a seven-day lockdown of the area around Foxconn Technology Group’s main plant in Zhengzhou, a move that will severely curtail shipments in and out of the world’s largest iPhone factory.
Key events this week:
Bank of England rate decision, Thursday
US factory orders, durable goods, trade, initial jobless claims, ISM services index, Thursday
ECB President Christine Lagarde speaks, Thursday
US nonfarm payrolls, unemployment, Friday
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The S&P 500 rose 0.5% as of 2:24 p.m. New York time
The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.5%
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%
The MSCI World index rose 0.6%
Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.7%
The euro rose 0.7% to $0.9945
The British pound rose 0.5% to $1.1540
The Japanese yen rose 1.4% to 146.19 per dollar
Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin rose 1% to $20,692.4
Ether rose 2.2% to $1,609.62
Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined five basis points to 3.99%
Germany’s 10-year yield advanced one basis point to 2.14%
Britain’s 10-year yield declined seven basis points to 3.40%
Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.8% to $89.97 a barrel
Gold futures rose 1.1% to $1,667.20 an ounce
--With assistance from Lu Wang.
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