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* U.S., Europe sanctions against China hit shares
* Powell to testify on U.S. recovery
* Oil slides 4% amid demand fears
* European shares slip
* Global currencies vs. dollar https://tmsnrt.rs/2PmYOcE
By Lawrence White and Alun John
LONDON/HONG KONG, March 23 (Reuters) - Shares slipped from a
one-year peak, sovereign bond yields fell, and oil prices
slumped as a wave of coronavirus infections, a fresh lockdown in
Germany and U.S. and European sanctions over China combined to
curb risk appetite worldwide.
The STOXX index of 600 European shares fell 0.4%,
while the benchmark 10-year German government bond yield dropped
4 basis points to -0.351% and gold inched up as
investors sought safer assets.
U.S. markets appeared set to inherit the negative mood with
S&P 500 futures down 0.4% ahead of Congressional
testimony by Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary
Janet Yellen later in the day.
In remarks prepared for delivery to a congressional hearing
on Tuesday morning, the Fed chief Powell said the U.S. economic
recovery had progressed "more quickly than generally expected".
"The FOMC last week laid out pretty clearly what the Fed's
view is with regard to rates... the next thing that markets will
focus on is maybe getting some details from Yellen with regard
to further infrastructure investment," said Alex Wolf head of
investment strategy for Asia at J.P. Morgan Private Bank,
referring to a statement from the Federal Open Market Committee.
MIXED MOOD
A mixed bag of new Western sanctions on China, coronavirus
concerns and Turkish tumult after President Tayyip Erdogan's
shock sacking of the central bank chief at the weekend left
investors awaiting a firmer signal.
The Turkish lira appeared to find a floor after Monday's
historic 7.5% slump, rising as much as 1% in volatile trading to
7.7192 against the dollar.
In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares
outside Japan dropped 0.66%, hurt by a 0.95%
fall in Chinese blue chips as a fresh wave of U.S. and
European sanctions related to human rights abuses in Xinjiang
hit.
The sanctions on China prompted an immediate riposte from
Beijing against the EU that appeared broader, including European
lawmakers, diplomats, institutes and families.
Adding to market jitters were further worries over the
efficacy of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine developed with
Oxford University after a U.S. health agency said the drugmaker
may have included outdated information in its data.
SUMMER CANCELLED?
Oil prices fell 4%, hit by concerns that new pandemic curbs
and slow vaccine rollouts in Europe will hold back a recovery in
demand along with fresh travel restrictions.
Brent crude futures dropped by $2.59, or 4%, to
$62.03 a barrel by 1108 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI)
crude futures fell by $2.43, or 3.95%, to $59.11 a
barrel.
"Global travel is still looking like it could be a while
away," said Matt Stanley, a fuel broker at Star Fuels in Dubai,
adding that a second-half recovery in oil demand looked doubtful
as lockdowns remain the order of the day.
Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notes last
yielded 1.6505%, down from 1.732% late on Friday.
The dollar gained slightly against a basket of six major
currencies last trading at 92.019, having slipped 0.32%
on Monday, while making advances against the kiwi, Aussie and
sterling.
Spot gold rose slightly to $1,740 per ounce by 1100
GMT, buoyed by easing U.S. Treasury yields.
The New Zealand dollar hit a three-month low after
the government introduced taxes to curb housing speculation, a
move investors reckoned could allow the central bank to hold
interest rates lower for longer with less risk of a property
bubble.
(Reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong, Chris Prentice in
Washington, Lawrence White in London; Additional reporting by
Luoyan Liu in Shanghai
Editing by Sam Holmes, Gerry Doyle, Susan Fenton, Peter Graff)
