Finance1 min read

Global Market Today: Asian shares retreat as US futures slide on Midterm election bets

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In short

S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures slid alongside the broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index as traders reacted to political betting odds pricing an 86% to 98% chance of Democrats winning both congressional chambers. Meanwhile, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield dropped four basis points to 4.92% as the greenback broadly depreciated. Concurrently, markets absorbed resilient September U.S. labor data, which highlighted a four-month high in job openings alongside falling layoffs, potentially keeping Federal Reserve inflation concerns elevated.

Key points

  • Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket reflect overwhelming odds of Democrats sweeping…: Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket reflect overwhelming odds of Democrats sweeping the Senate and House.
  • Resilient September employment data, including fewer layoffs and higher quit rates, may k…: Resilient September employment data, including fewer layoffs and higher quit rates, may keep the Federal Reserve focused on inflation.
  • Crude oil prices saw volatile action as Washington and Tehran evaluated fresh mediation p…: Crude oil prices saw volatile action as Washington and Tehran evaluated fresh mediation proposals following overnight airstrikes.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

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Contracts for the S&P 500 Index dropped 0.3%, erasing an initial gain of 0.5%, while those for the Nasdaq 100 declined 0.6%. The dollar dropped against most of its Group-of-10 peers and the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell four basis points to 4.92%. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped 0.2% even as South Korea’s Kospi Index jumped 1%.

Millions of Americans cast ballots Tuesday in races that will determine control of Congress as well as a range of local issues. The first polls closed at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Kalshi is pricing roughly a 97% probability of Democrats taking the House of Representatives and about an 86% chance of winning the Senate, pointing to the possibility of a sweep of both chambers.

“Early headlines and prediction markets are suggesting a rising probability of a blue wave,” said Andrew Ticehurst, a senior rates strategist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Sydney. “That scenario is generally regarded as being negative for the dollar and positive for US Treasuries. Markets are reacting consistently with…

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