(Source Reuters) – Stocks struggled for buoyancy and a steep selloff in bonds abated on Friday, as investors stayed edgy at the end of a week marked by confusion over U.S. trade policy and a global rise in borrowing costs.
European stocks (.STOXX), opens new tab fell 0.6%, recovering some earlier losses but still on track for a first weekly loss after 10 straight weeks of gains. Luxury stocks and retailers (.SXRP), opens new tab weighed heavily.
Still, U.S. stock futures regained some lost ground, after Wall Street was buffeted from a darkening outlook for U.S. growth and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
Nasdaq futures and S&P 500 futures both rose 0.3%. On Thursday, U.S. stocks had fallen on Thursday with the Nasdaq (.IXIC), opens new tab confirming a correction – defined as a fall of at least 10% – since peaking in December.
The sharp selloff in euro zone government bond markets triggered by Germany’s plans for a huge spending package slowed. After the biggest two-day fall in Bunds since the 1970s, the benchmark 10-year bond yield , which moves inversely to prices, fell to 2.82%.
The euro, boosted by the rising euro zone borrowing costs, was set for its best week since 2009.
Financial markets were focused on a U.S. non-farm payrolls report and a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, due later in the day, which could provide more clarity on the outlook for interest rates in the world’s biggest economy.
Trump on Thursday suspended tariffs of 25% he had imposed this week on most goods from Canada and Mexico, the latest twist in a fluctuating trade policy that has whipsawed markets and stoked concerns over growth and inflation.
“With this being a delay rather than a lasting exemption and with reciprocal tariffs also expected to be announced after April 2, this leaves plenty of lingering tariff uncertainty,” Deutsche Bank analysts wrote.
Overall, the mood was “risk off”.
Earlier, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS), opens new tab lost 0.7%, with Japan’s Nikkei (.N225), opens new tab falling to a six-month low.
Chinese bluechip stocks (.CSI300), opens new tab fell 0.3%. Data on Friday showed China’s imports unexpectedly shrank in January and February, while exports lost momentum, as escalating U.S. tariff pressures cast a shadow over the recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.
“This slowdown comes before any substantial hit from tariffs, which will almost certainly lead to sharp falls in shipments to the U.S. before long,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China economics at Capital Economics.
Government bonds elsewhere extended their selloff, though. The 10-year Japanese government bond (JGB) yield rose 1.5 basis points to 1.53%, its highest level since June 2009.
Investors sold riskier currencies such as the Australian dollar , which fell as much as 0.5% to $0.62995. Perceived safe havens were in demand, with the yen gaining 0.5% against the dollar before giving up some of those gains.
The Swiss franc struck a three-month high against the dollar. Gold hovered near a record high at $2,918.75 an ounce .
The euro was set for its largest weekly gain since 2009 at 4.3%. It last traded 0.6% higher at $1.085.
The European Central Bank on Thursday cut interest rates again but warned of “phenomenal uncertainty”, including the risk of rising inflation due to trade tensions and defence spending.
Risk-sensitive bitcoin fell a smidgeon to $89,199. Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to establish a so-called strategic bitcoin reserve, built using tokens already owned by the U.S. government that were forfeited during criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings.
