* India daily COVID-19 cases cross 100,000
* RBI policy meeting on Wednesday
* Indonesian 10-year bond yields at 3-week low
April 5 (Reuters) - Asia's emerging stock and currency
markets were trending lower on Monday in holiday-thinned trade
as strong U.S. jobs data raised worries the Federal Reserve may
hike interest rates sooner than it has indicated.
Indian shares fell the most, down 0.8%, as the
number of new daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 100,000 for the
first time, while in Indonesia losses added up to less
than half a percent.
Markets in Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Asian powerhouse
China were closed.
"With Europe on holiday today, volumes will rapidly taper
this afternoon in Asia," said Jeffrey Halley, a senior Asia
Pacific market analyst at OANDA.
The dollar was steady on Monday and 10-year Treasury yields
were off last week's 14-month peak even as the U.S.
economy created more jobs than expected in March. Reaction to
the data on Friday was scant.
The prospects of a return to a full employment is raising
questions about whether the Fed can stick to its pledge to keep
interest rates steady through 2023. The market has fully priced
in one rate hike by the end of next year.
A rate hike could narrow the rate differential between
Asia's high-yielders and U.S. Treasuries. Minutes of the Fed's
March meeting will be release on Wednesday.
The rupiah was 0.1% firmer on the dollar, with
benchmark 10-year bond yields at their lowest level
in around three weeks.
In comments late on Thursday, a senior Bank Indonesia deputy
governor said the central bank has room to cut its key policy
rates due to low inflation, which slowed in March to 1.37%, the
lowest annual rate since August.
Bank Indonesia left its key policy rate at a record low of
3.50% last month to starve off capital outflows and protect the
rupiah, which fell around 2% in March.
In India, the rapid rise in COVID-19 infections has sparked
concerns states may impose further restrictions that could harm
the country's economic recovery.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ends its two-day meeting on
Wednesday. Analysts at Barclays expect the market to focus on
the RBI's guidance, given rates are likely to be left unchanged.
"A relatively dovish guidance and/or OMO (open market
operation) purchases/twist operations could trigger a rally in
fixed income markets," the Barclays analysts said.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** Indonesian 10-year benchmark yields fell 13.70 basis
points to 6.624%
** Philippines' Duterte extends coronavirus curbs in
capital, nearby provinces
Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0406 GMT
COUNTRY FX RIC FX FX INDEX STOCKS STOCKS
DAILY % YTD % DAILY % YTD %
Japan +0.14 -6.62 0.84 9.69
China - -0.60 - 0.33
India 0.00 -0.05 -0.80 5.48
Indonesia +0.07 -3.24 -0.42 0.12
Malaysia -0.05 -2.90 -0.09 -2.66
Philippines +0.02 -1.09 0.32 -9.47
S.Korea -0.01 -3.67 0.02 8.36
Singapore +0.01 -1.84 0.84 12.82
Taiwan - -0.18 - 12.48
Thailand -0.16 -4.40 -0.46 9.63
(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; editing by
Jane Wardell)
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