Global shares fall after Fed rate comments, Wall Street drop

Global shares declined Monday after the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated high interest rates will continue for some time to curb inflation, the Associated Press reported.
The fall in Asian and European markets followed a drop on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week down more than 1,000 points.
France’s CAC 40 dropped 1.4% in early trading to 6,186.58, while Germany’s DAX lost 1.3% to 12,802.11. Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.7% to 7,427.31. U.S. shares were set to drift lower, with Dow futures down 0.7% at 32,049.00. S&P 500 futures fell 0.8% to 4,026.50. Oil prices rose.
The message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in a speech Friday had been expected, though some had wished it was less emphatic.
“The market apparently was looking for something a little more neutral. After all the talk of a ‘pause’ and ‘pivot,’ none of which ever made any sense with a Fed that has said several times it will keep hiking rates even if it means some economic pain, we are back to square one with a Fed outlook to keep tightening,” said Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities.
“The Fed was always going to keep raising rates aggressively, but the market decided to price in a slowing in hikes, and even a reversal.”
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 2.7% to finish at 27,878.96. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 2.0% to 6,965.50. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 2.2% to 2,426.89. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.7% to 20,023.22, while the Shanghai Composite recouped earlier losses and edged up 0.1% to 3,240.73.
“The risk-off mood is playing out in the Asia’s session today as well, as bearish sentiments follow through with the sell-off in Wall Street to end last week while U.S. futures continue to suggest no reprieve into the new week,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.
Also weighing on regional sentiments are Chinese economic data over the weekend, which seem to indicate a strong recovery will take time. China’s January-July industrial profits sank 1.1% from a year ago amid fresh COVID-19 restrictions.
Powell spoke last week at an annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that has been the setting for market-moving Fed speeches in the past.