Fed's short-term funding CP plan boosts stocks, dollar
By Herbert Lash NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gold and a gauge of global equity markets rose on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve said it would buy short-term corporate debt directly from companies to help relieve credit markets under strain from the economic impact of coronavirus epidemic. The renewal of the financial crisis-era Commercial Paper Funding Facility, first used in 2008, will provide a backstop to that market, a key funding source for a range of businesses that have seen liquidity dry. The Fed said the Treasury would provide $10 billion of credit protection to the central bank's commercial paper operation
By Herbert Lash
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gold and a gauge of global equity markets rose on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve said it would buy short-term corporate debt directly from companies to help relieve credit markets under strain from the economic impact of coronavirus epidemic.
The renewal of the financial crisis-era Commercial Paper Funding Facility, first used in 2008, will provide a backstop to that market, a key funding source for a range of businesses that have seen liquidity dry.
The Fed said the Treasury would provide $10 billion of credit protection to the central bank's commercial paper operation.
Gold snapped a five-session decline on the funding effort and stocks on Wall Street rose as the move eased growing fears of a liquidity crunch due to an epidemic expected to slam world growth as businesses shut and countries close their borders.
"For commercial paper to seize up, that is an ominous sign of bad things to come," said Chad Morganlander, senior portfolio manager at Washington Crossing Advisors in Florham Park, New Jersey.
"This certainly helps the plumbing of the financial system," he said.
Equity markets in Europe rebounded and Wall Street climbed on a series of announcements from the Fed, Treasury Department and White House.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index <.STOXX> rose 2.26% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe <.MIWD00000PUS> gained 2.83%.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> rose 742.19 points, or 3.68%, to 20,930.71, the S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 112.31 points, or 4.71%, to 2,498.44 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> added 335.84 points, or 4.86%, to 7,240.43.
The move to add liquidity to credit markets came as major central banks and commercial counterparts joined forces to alleviate broad shortages of dollar financing in global markets.
The Bank of Japan conducted an 84-day dollar funding operation valued at $30.272 billion, its biggest injection of dollar funds since 2008, and South Korea also pledged to act soon.
While the funding backstop is important, it does not assist low-wage workers who get laid off during the closure of restaurants, bars and other entertainment outlets, said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.
"The question is, are authorities doing all that they can to soften the blow of the social distancing recession? I don't think we're there yet," Kelly said.
A fiscal spending package is needed as "there's going to be a lot of human misery out there," he added.
Before U.S. markets opened, equity and oil prices struggled to shake off coronavirus fears after Wall Street's worst rout since the Black Monday crash of 1987.
The Philippines became the first country to close its markets, and then said trading would resume, while France, Italy, Spain and Belgium curbed stock trading by banning short-selling to shield some of Europe's biggest companies from a sell-off.
The moves will temporarily halt bets on falling shares at scores of companies from the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev
The dollar surged as companies and investors sought out the most liquid currency, and concerns about the coronavirus' economic impact dented risk appetite.
Three-month euro/dollar cross-currency basis swap spreads
"Stress here is helping lift the USD," said Shaun Osborne, chief FX strategist at Scotiabank in Toronto.
An early rebound in European markets was wiped out as the region's battered airline and travel stocks suffered a drubbing. [.EU] <.SXTP>
Data showed German investor morale at lows last seen in the 2008 financial crisis, and rating agency S&P Global warned the inevitable global recession this year would lead to a spike in defaults.
Brent crude fell below $30 a barrel to its lowest since 2016 as the pandemic hit oil demand while Saudi Arabia and Russia kept up their battle for market share.
Brent crude
U.S. gold futures
Markets stabilized earlier in Asia. Australian shares <.AXJO> closed 5.9% higher, their biggest daily percentage gain since October 2008, after plunging nearly 10% on Monday.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares <.MIAPJ0000PUS> and Japan's Nikkei <.N225> both finished steady.
Some $2.7 trillion in market value was wiped from the S&P 500 on Monday as it suffered its third-largest daily percentage decline on record. Over the past 18 days, the benchmark index has lost $8.3 trillion. World stocks <.MIWD00000PUS> have haemorrhaged over $15 trillion.
Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/GLOBAL-CURRENCIES-PERFORMANCE/0100301V041/index.html
Graphic: Asian stock markets https://product.datastream.com/dscharting/gateway.aspx?guid=516bc8cb-b44e-4346-bce3-06590d8e396b&action=REFRESH
Graphic: Tracking the coronavirus https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-MAP/0100B59S39E/index.html
Group of Seven finance ministers are expected to hold a call on Tuesday night, though markets want to see fiscal stimulus and signs that the virus will not snowball out of control.
The dollar index <=USD> rose 1.504%, with the euro
The yen weakened 1.80% against the dollar to 107.82.
(Reporting by Herbert Lash, additional reporting by Karen Brettell and April Joyner in New York; Editing by Richard Chang and Nick Macfie)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
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