Trump Trades Gain Momentum as US Stocks, Yields Up: Markets Wrap

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(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump’s rising presidential prospects rippled through global markets on Wednesday, with US stock futures gaining, Treasury yields jumping and the dollar surging the most since March 2020.

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S&P 500 futures climbed 1.2%, 10-year yields rose as much as 19 basis points to a four-month high of 4.47% and Bitcoin spiked to a record – moves that reflect rising wagers on a Trump presidency, with Vice President Kamala Harris’s path to victory narrowing. The latest results showed Trump won both North Carolina and Georgia and Republicans gained control of the US Senate.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was up as much as 1.6%. The Mexican peso slumped over 3%, while the Japanese yen and the euro slid at least 1.5%. Contracts on the Russell 2000 Index added 2.4%. Smaller companies with typically domestic operations are seen as potential gainers in a Republican win, given the party’s protectionist stance. Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. surged in trading on Robinhood Markets Inc.’s 24-hour platform.

The prospect of a Trump victory fueled jitters in some Asian markets, with the offshore yuan sliding along with shares in Hong Kong as investors factored in a possible increase in trade tensions. European stock futures fell on concerns export-reliant industries could also be hit by tariffs.

A cohort of investors on Wall Street have wagered that Trump’s stance on industrial policy, corporate tax cuts and tariffs would boost stocks and could fuel inflation — spurring bond yields and the US dollar higher. Crypto is seen as benefiting from relaxed regulation and Trump’s public support for the digital currency.

“Harris’ path to victory is now looking increasingly difficult and markets seem to be piling into the Trump trades completely evident in a higher USD, higher Bitcoin and pressures on JPY, EUR and MXN,” said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. The market is also now “signaling the a Trump trade may have been priced in and worries about the Congress split could be next.”

In contrast to Tuesday’s relatively calm session, Wall Street saw the potential for outsized moves almost regardless of the election’s outcome.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s trading desk said a Republican sweep may push the S&P 500 up by 3%, while a decline of the same size is possible should the Democrats win both the presidency and Congress. Moves would be half as much in the event of a divided government. Andrew Tyler at JPMorgan Securities said anything other than a Democratic sweep is likely to cause stocks to rise.