Marketmind: Markets shake off surprise US credit downgrade

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Brigid Riley

Fitch delivered the markets a doozy of a surprise with an unexpected downgrade of the U.S. government’s credit rating, by one notch to AA+ from AAA, citing concerns over governance and U.S. debt.

The U.S. government naturally delivered some sharp comebacks in response to the move, which came months after the Biden administration scraped together a deal with conservative lawmakers to avoid a debt ceiling crisis.

The market reaction so far has been fairly mild.

U.S. Treasury yields eased back a touch as investors ironically sought the safety of U.S. sovereign debt, while the dollar also benefited, ticking up against a basket of major peers.

The reaction was a little more pronounced in equities, with and NASDAQ futures slipping around 0.5% each.

suffered a 1.8% drop, but that’s after hovering near post-Bubble highs for most of the past two months.

Chinese markets also took a big hit, led by a 2% drop for Hong Kong’s . But again, these are markets that had been supported by now-waning hopes for big-bang economic stimulus from Beijing.

China’s post-pandemic economic recovery is looking increasingly shaky, judging from the data, with factories and services activity adding to the gloom earlier in the week.

Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:

– U.S. July ADP report

– Swiss PMI and consumer confidence

– Spain international tourism arrivals

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