Stocks track US rally as recovery hopes trump inflation fear

LONDON: Optimism over the economic recovery helped push stock markets higher Tuesday following another record on Wall Street overnight, with focus on the Federal Reserve's much-anticipated policy meeting this week.

News that several European countries had stopped administering the AstraZeneca vaccine on safety fears, dealing a blow to the continent's already stuttering inoculation programme, appeared to have little impact on sentiment.

Elsewhere, the dollar was mixed against its main rivals and oil prices slid on profit-taking after recent strong gains.

On the corporate front, shares in Nokia were little changed after the Finnish telecoms equipment maker said it will slash up to 11 percent of its workforce within two years.

The firm is looking to cut costs and focus on a few key areas in the face of tough competition over super-fast 5G networks.

Announcing a 600-million-euro ($715-million) cost-cutting programme, it said it expects to become "an 80,000-85,000 employee organisation.

Across the Atlantic, the Fed's two-day policy meeting beginning Tuesday is front and centre of investors' minds as they look for its response to the rally in US bond yields that has rattled trading floors.

However, the general consensus is that policymakers will maintain their vast bond-buying scheme and keep rates at record lows until 2023.

Fed boss Jerome Powell "will rely on the short-term risks to the outlook to defend his ultra-easy monetary stance", said OANDA's Edward Moya.

"Powell will likely replay his best hits when discussing inflation, noting that price increases later in the year won't be large or persistent.

"The summertime is when inflation could rear its ugly head, so Powell should be able to push back any concerns until then," Moya added.

Expectations for a surge in activity in the second half of the year, backed by huge government rescue packages and central bank largesse, have helped power world markets to record or multi-year highs.

However, the recovery has investors growing increasingly worried about soaring inflation that could force national banks to wind down the ultra-loose monetary policies that have helped send equities higher.

US benchmark 10-year Treasury yields -- a guide to future interest rates -- have risen to a one-year high in recent weeks.

Still, for now the positive economic benefits were winning the tug of war with inflation fears.

Wall Street's three main indexes chalked up healthy gains Monday with the Dow and S&P 500 hitting new all-time highs and even the Nasdaq -- which has suffered from a shift out of tech stocks over the past month -- enjoying a healthy run-up.

As the US vaccine programme kicks on and Americans begin to get their government cash handouts as part of President Joe Biden's mega-stimulus, investors are betting that months of pent-up spending will soon be let loose on the world's top economy, a key driver of global growth.

Key figures around 1115 GMT -

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 6,798.13 points

Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.8 percent at 14,570.42

Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.3 percent at 6,052.47

EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.5 percent at 3,848.94

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 percent at 29,921.09 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.7 percent at 29,027.69 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 3,446.73 (close)

New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 32,953.46 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1943 from $1.1929 at 2035 GMT

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3853 from $1.3897

Euro/pound: UP at 86.20 pence from 85.93 pence

Dollar/yen: UP at 109.14 yen from 109.13 yen

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.5 percent at $64.44 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 1.5 percent at $67.88 per barrel