- USDTHB : moving in the range 32.50 – 32.65 this morning
- SET Index: 1,696.1 (+0.37%), 3 Mar 2022
- S&P 500 Index: 4,363.5 (-0.53%), 3 Mar 2022
- Thai 10-year government bond yield (interpolated) : 2.19% (+1.50 bps), 3 Mar 2022
- US 10-year treasury yield: 1.86 (+0.00bps), 3 Mar 2022
- Europe's Largest Nuclear Power Plant on Fire as Russia Attacks
- Commodities Soar After Reports of Russia Attack on Nuclear Plant
- U.S. weekly jobless claims fall; service industry activity slows further
- Euro tumbles further after news of fire at Ukrainian nuclear plant
Europe's Largest Nuclear Power Plant on Fire as Russia Attacks
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine came under attack from Russian shelling early Friday, Ukrainian officials said, raising the stakes in Vladimir Putin’s invasion as his forces bombarded cities across the nation. Mariano Grossi, the IAEA’s director general, spoke with Ukrainian authorities about the nuclear power plant and warned of “severe danger” if its reactors were hit. Ukraine’s regulator told the agency there has been no change reported in radiation levels. Knee-jerk losses in equity markets moderated as traders assessed the severity of the situation at the facility. S&P 500 Index futures were trading 0.6% lower, after earlier falling 1.7%. Gold erased gains as demand for haven assets eased.
Commodities Soar After Reports of Russia Attack on Nuclear Plant
West Texas Intermediate oil jumped almost 5% to extend gains this week. Global buyers are shunning Russian crude and fuels, sparking a race for alternative supplies. Base metals also rallied further after the LMEX Metals Index, which tracks six major contracts, surged to a record on Thursday. Soaring energy prices have added to the momentum by pushing up costs. Aluminum, one of the most energy-thirsty metals, rose as much as 3.6% to $3,850 a ton on the London Metal Exchange, a fresh record. Copper is also closing in on its all-time high.
U.S. weekly jobless claims fall; service industry activity slows further
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to their lowest level this year last week, while layoffs declined sharply in February, indicating that the labor market recovery was gaining steam. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 for the week ended Feb. 26, the lowest level since Jan. 1 and the second straight weekly drop. But the upbeat labor market outlook was overshadowed by a survey on Thursday showing services industry activity slowed for a third straight month in February, with a measure of employment in the sector contracting for the first time since June 2021. The ISM reported on Thursday its non-manufacturing activity index fell to 56.5 in February, the lowest in a year, from 59.9 in January.
Euro tumbles further after news of fire at Ukrainian nuclear plant
The 10-year government bond yield (interpolated) on the previous trading day was 2.21, +1.50 bps. The benchmark government bond yield (LB31DA) was 2.16, +1.50 bps. LB31DA could be between 2.10-2.18. Meantime, the latest closed US 10-year bond yields was 1.86%, -0.00bps. USDTHB on the previous trading day closed around 32.54 Moving in a range from 32.55-32.65 this morning. USDTHB could be closed between 32.50-32.68 today. Meantime, The Nuclear plant crisis sent the euro down a further 0.48% to $1.1009 its lowest since May 2020. It has lost 1.84% this week, which would be the euro's worst week since June 2021. The dollar in turn slipped 0.15% on the safe haven yen on Friday morning, following reports of the fire, though with gains elsewhere, the dollar index, which measures the currency against six peers rose 0.3%.
Sources : ttb analytics , Bloomberg, CNBC, Investing, CEIC
