London - World stock markets and the US dollar started the second quarter on a positive note on Monday,
although caution also set in as the first meeting between US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping loomed.
European shares opened broadly higher, tracking
Asian shares up after generally upbeat economic data.
German manufacturing growth reached an reached an almost
six-year high in March, Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index
(PMI) for manufacturing showed on Monday. Manufacturing activity
in France and Italy also rose, adding to signs of a pickup in
momentum in the global economy.
A private survey on China's manufacturing on Saturday came
in below market expectations but still showed a healthy
expansion after a similar survey by the government on Friday
pointed to strong growth in the sector.
The Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey showed that business
sentiment improved, albeit slightly less than expected.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
rose 0.2 percent, while Japan's Nikkei
gained 0.8 percent after hitting a seven-week low on Friday.
US stock futures also indicated a positive
open for Wall Street shares, while focus turned to a meeting on
Thursday and Friday between the US and Chinese presidents.
"Despite the solid gains seen so far this year, there is
some evidence that the rally in US markets is looking a little
tired given President Trump's trials and tribulations in
Congress," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC
Markets.
"The reflation trade is likely to face a new test this week
when President Trump entertains the Chinese leader Xi-Jinping at
his Mar-a-Lago golf course in Florida, which in the words of
President Trump himself could be a little 'difficult'."
A failure to push through healthcare reforms last month has
added to concerns that Trump may struggle to pass
highly-anticipated tax cuts and infrastructure spending bills.
Trump held out the possibility on Sunday of using trade as a
lever to secure Chinese cooperation against North Korea and
suggested Washington might deal with Pyongyang's nuclear and
missile programs on its own if need be.
On Friday, the US president sought to push his crusade for
fair trade and more manufacturing jobs back to the top of his
agenda by ordering a study into the causes of US trade
deficits and a clampdown on import duty evasion.
Manipulator?
Any hints that Washington may name some of its trade
partners such as China, Japan and Germany as currency
manipulators could dent the dollar. The USTreasury will
release its next currency report on April 15.
"The Trump administration is not necessarily seeking to
reduce the trade deficit through a cheaper dollar. But it has
strong intentions to do that and it could use a weaker dollar as
a bargaining tool in trade negotiations," said Minori Uchida,
chief currency strategist at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.
The dollar index, which measures the dollar's value
against a basket of other major currencies, was up 0.15 percent
at 100.49 - holding above four-month lows hit last week.
The euro ticked up 0.2 percent to $1.0679, recovering
from two-week lows hit on Friday after data showed inflation in
the currency bloc had slowed by more than expected in March.
Government bond yields in the euro zone's lower-rated
countries meanwhile rose on Monday,
underperforming their peers as a reduction in the European
Central Bank's bond purchase programme took effect.
As of the start of April, the ECB's monthly asset purchases
fell to 60 billion euros from 80 billion euros.
Governments and other economic actors need to get ready for
higher borrowing costs after years of record lows, ECB Executive
Board member Benoit Coeure said on Monday.
Elsewhere, Brent crude futures were flat at $53.50
per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures
were little changed at $50.58 a barrel.