A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook
Six billion dollars of withdrawals in 72 hours have sent cryptocurrency exchange FTX into the arms of larger rival Binance and crypto markets into a new tailspin.
“We are in the best of hands,” FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried said on Twitter, after announcing a bailout that has not quite soothed market jitters. Bitcoin was falling in Asia on Wednesday, so was FTX’s collapsing token and Binance’s token had the wobbles.
Broader markets were steady.
Just a few months ago it was FTX scooping up wounded competitors at a discount. Its fall is perhaps another case of the cautionary “stadium curse”.
As Spectra Markets’ Brent Donnelly and others have previously noted, naming rights are a reasonable signal of irrational exuberance. Enron’s 30-year rights deal for a baseball field in Houston lasted three years.
FTX’s 19-year deal for naming rights at the Miami Heat basketball team’s home arena looks to face a similar fate, as does its sponsorship of the Mercedes F1 team. Spillover to other asset classes is so far limited.
Currency markets were calm in Asia trade, with investors waiting for more conclusive results from the U.S. midterm elections – which could take days – and positioning ahead of U.S. inflation data on Thursday.
China’s factory gate prices dropped for the first time since December 2020, and consumer inflation moderated, underlining faltering domestic demand. Japanese manufacturing optimism dropped to a 22-month low.
U.S. and European futures were steady. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares, excluding Japan, nudged higher.
Graphic: Stadium curse – https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/lbvggrajbvq/Pasted%20image%201667963950317.png
Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:
U.S. midterm results, RBA deputy governor speech, ECB’s Elderson appears on a panel, U.S. 10-year Treasury auction
Earnings: Swiss Life, Adidas, ITV, Taylor Wimpey, Commerzbank, M&S, Poste Italiane, Telecom Italia.
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
