Yields on two-year and five-year U.S. government bonds, or Treasuries, slid below 1% on Friday for the first time since 2016 in a further sign that investors are bracing for the economy to take a hit from the spread of coronavirus. The two-year Treasury yield fell to 0.986%, its lowest level since late 2016 and was last down 11 basis points on the day.
Carney says Brexit will lead to period of reorganization in U.K. economy. The head of the Bank of England said supply chains are getting tight due to the coronavirus, which could lead to a worsening economy. Mark Carney gave his assessment in what Sky News said was his final televised interview before making way for Andrew Bailey to lead the U.K. central bank.
Market gauges of euro-dollar one-month implied volatility jumped on Friday to their highest in over a year at 6.6% as the intensifying coronavirus outbreak fuelled big currency moves and recession fears. The Japanese yen, appeared to have regained its safe-haven status after last week's brief wobble, rising to a 3-1/2-week high of 108.79 versus the dollar.
No decision on possible actions on coronavirus is expected at the March ECB governing council meeting as the institution is in a "wait and see approach", Lithuania's central bank governor Vasiliauskas told reporters in Brussels on Friday.
Turkey's dollar-denominated sovereign bonds fells as much 4 cents on Friday after tensions in the region escalated sharply with 33 Turkish soldiers killed in an air strike in Syria. The 2034 bond suffered the sharpest falls, dropping 4.3 cents in the dollar to 109.8 cents, according to Tradeweb data.
European shares dove 3% on Friday, sliding deeper into correction territory, as investors feared a global recession is on the horizon with the coronavirus spreading across the world. The pan-regional STOXX 600 was on track to record its biggest weekly decline since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008.
* Wheat down almost 6% in Feb, corn nearly 4% lower. * Coronavirus pandemic fears drag down global markets. By Naveen Thukral. Chicago wheat slid for a third consecutive session on Friday, on track for its biggest monthly drop since July, as a spike in new coronavirus cases beyond China fuelled fears of a pandemic.
More Markets Enter Corrections as Coronavirus Spooks Investors. Global shares fell further, on worries that the economic fallout from the global spread of the coronavirus may be more severe than previously expected. Bets on Interest Rate Cuts Escalate.
U.S. stock futures fell sharply on Friday, a day after major benchmarks pushed into correction territory as investor fears heightened over just how much damage the fast-spreading coronavirus will wreak on the global economy. How are major benchmarks trading? Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slid nearly 300 points, or 1%, while S&P 500 futures dropped 1% to 2,926.75 and Nasdaq-100 futures fell 1.3% to 8,273..
Japanese government bond prices advanced on Friday as the coronavirus epidemic spread well beyond Asia prompting a stampede into the safety of government debt. Benchmark 10-year JGB futures rose 0.41 point to 154.07, while the yield on the key 10-year cash JGBs fell 5 basis points to minus 0.160%, the lowest in four months.
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