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Stocks drop, trading in futures tied to S&P 500 falls by the maximum permitted
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Oil Price Declines Roil Global Markets
Oil Price Declines Roil Global Markets
Stocks drop, trading in futures tied to S&P 500 falls by the maximum permitted
David WinningUpdated March 8, 2020 9:42 pm ET
SYDNEY—Oil prices tumbled by roughly 20% on the prospect of a Saudi-led energy glut, hammering global shares and fueling a fresh surge in demand for Treasurys and other safe assets. U.S. stock futures fell by the maximum 5% allowed in a single session.
Investors were responding to Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut most of its oil prices and boost output, despite existing threats to demand from the coronavirus epidemic. Trading in futures tied to the S&P 500 was limited for the first time since shortly after President Donald Trump won the U.S. election in 2016.
U.S. government bonds, which have already rallied to unprecedented highs, extended gains. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 0.239 percentage points to 0.529% and the equivalent 30-year yield declined to 1.028%. Yields move inversely to prices.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the S&P/ASX 200 index in Australia dropped more than 5%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined more than 4% and the yen, which often rallies in times of market stress, strengthened below 104 per dollar.
Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco said in a notice to buyers sent Saturday that it was cutting most of its prices, while preparing to boost crude output. U.S. crude futures dropped around 20% to US$33.19 a barrel not long after the market reopened Sunday evening in New York. Brent crude, the global gauge of oil prices, fell by a similar percentage.
South Korea’s Kospi opened 2.9% lower. New Zealand’s NZX-50 index was down by 2.5% intraday.
In Australia, large energy stocks declined by as much as 30% on fears of a prolonged period of low crude-oil prices. Shares in Woodside Petroleum Ltd. fell by 17% as the company’s liquefied natural gas contracts are linked to movements in global oil prices. Santos Ltd., another big gas producer, fell by 25% and Oil Search Ltd. ’s stock dropped by 30%.
BHP Group Ltd., which counts petroleum as one of its four pillar commodities, dropped by 12%. Shares in the world’s largest miner by market value are now close to two-year lows.
The ASX 200 has now fallen 18% since hitting an all-time high on Feb. 20.
—Akane Otani in New York contributed to this article.
Write to David Winning at david.winning@wsj.com
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