US: Stocks rebound as bank shares rally, while oil prices tumble

US AND European stock markets rebounded on Tuesday amid easing worries over bank industry turmoil, while oil prices fell sharply on recession risks.

Shares of banks recovered after markets were rocked earlier this week by the collapse of two US regional lenders, which forced authorities to launch emergency measures aimed at preventing contagion across the sector.

Big jumps by First Republic Bank and other regional banks lent support to major US indices, with the S&P 500 piling on 1.7 per cent.

“US banking stocks are on a rollercoaster ride, rising sharply following the steep sell-offs yesterday as worries seem to be lifting a little about contagion from the SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) collapse,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.

The rally in New York came on the heels of a buoyant day in Europe, with London, Paris and Frankfurt all advancing at least one per cent.

Investors also digested US data that showed the consumer price index rose six percent from a year ago, below January’s figure and in line with expectations.

While this was the smallest annual rise since September 2021, the level remains well above policymakers’ longer-term two percent inflation goal.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell initially said the central bank is prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes if necessary, but the collapse of SVB last week and New York-based Signature Bank may complicate its efforts.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo now predict the Fed will end its hiking cycle on March 22, while economists at JPMorgan and Oxford Economics see Fed policymakers voting for a quarter-point hike.

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Taken together, the readings are “not good enough to stop the Fed hiking next week, provided markets are calm,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Underlying inflation in services is “declining painfully slowly” as well, he said, adding that the progress will not be enough to placate more hawkish policymakers.

In other markets, oil prices finished at a four-month low, with US benchmark contract West Texas Intermediate falling nearly five per cent to US$71.33 a barrel.

“This whole banking situation, just has the oil market worried about the impact on the economy. It’s just enhancing the recession fears,” said John Kilduff of Again Capital.

“It reduces investor confidence or just confidence in the economy overall. It doesn’t bode well for the outlook for energy, for oil demand,” he added.

Among individual companies, Facebook parent Meta Platforms jumped 7.3 per cent after announcing it will shed 10,000 jobs in the coming months and leave 5,000 other roles unfilled. AFP