- SET Index: 1,483.0 (+0.08%), 4 Feb 2020
- S&P 500 Index: 3871.7 (+1.08%), 4 Feb 2020
- Thai 10-year government bond yield: 1.215 (-0.50 bps), 4 Feb 2020
- US 10-year treasury yield: 1.15% (+4.00 bps), 4 Feb 2020
- Bank of England keeps rates and bond-buying programme unchanged
- U.S. Senate Democrats push ahead on road to new COVID-19 relief
- No sweeping change to N.Ireland protocol, Ireland says
- Dollar set for best week in three months as pandemic recoveries diverge
Bank of England keeps rates and bond-buying programme unchanged
The Bank of England kept its stimulus programme unchanged on Thursday. The BoE maintained its Bank Rate at 0.1% and left the size of its total asset purchase programme at 895 billion pounds ($1.22 trillion). The Bank of England gave British lenders at least six months' breathing space before negative interest rates are a possibility. The pound gained a cent against the U.S. dollar and 10-year British government bond yields (GB10YT=RR) hit their highest since March as investors interpreted the BoE's comments as kicking negative rates into the long grass.
U.S. Senate Democrats push ahead on road to new COVID-19 relief
The U.S. Senate, debate over the shape of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid plan, voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to exclude upper-income Americans from a new round of direct payments to help stimulate the economy. By a vote of 99-1, the Senate approved an amendment recommending that high-income earners not qualify for a new round of government checks that could amount to $1,400 for individuals. Details of the income cap would still have to be worked out in subsequent legislation. Earlier direct payments provided $1,200 for eligible individuals and $2,400 for most married couples, with an additional $500 per eligible child. The payments began phasing out at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for married couples.
No sweeping change to N.Ireland protocol, Ireland says
The European Union is considering demands by Britain and some Northern Irish politicians to extend grace periods for goods checks, but post-Brexit trade arrangements for the province will not change much, Ireland's foreign minister said. Many pro-British Northern Irish unionists fiercely oppose the new trade barriers and some of the checks were suspended at two ports this week after reports of staff intimidation in a region beset by violence until a peace deal 23 years ago. "The idea of grace periods was to allow time for adjustment, not to put permanent alternatives in place. Whether it is possible to extend some of those grace periods is I think under consideration," Simon Coveney told BBC on Thursday.
Dollar set for best week in three months as pandemic recoveries diverge
The benchmark government bond yield (LB29DA, 8.8 years) on the previous trading day was 1.215, -0.50 bps. Thai benchmark government bond yield (LB29DA) could be between 1.20-1.24. Meantime, the latest closed US 10-year bond yields was 1.15%, +0.00bps. USDTHB on the previous trading day closed around 30.06 Moving in a range from 30.07-30.12 this morning. USDTHB could be between 30.08-30.15 today. Meantime, The dollar headed for its best weekly gain in three months, lifted by growing confidence that the U.S. economic recovery will outpace global peers.
Sources : Bloomberg, CNBC, Investing, CEIC
