Poland’s unemployment rate at 5.4% in January
Romanian central bank minutes awaited
South Africa’s rand at four-month lows
Stocks flat, FX loses 0.2%
By Shashwat Chauhan
Feb 23 (Reuters) –A gauge of emerging market stocks was on track for its fifth straight weekly rise on Friday, boosted by rebounding Chinese shares and global cheer following U.S. chipmaker Nvidia’s stellar results, while currencies were under pressure.
At 0906 GMT, MSCI’s index for emerging market stocks .MSCIEF was steady at 1,029.34 points, on course to rise more than 1% this week, as global markets cheered upbeat results from AI poster-child Nvidia NVDA.O.
“It is remarkable how the performance of a single company like Nvidia can resonate across various sectors and asset classes,” wrote Charu Chanana, head of FX strategy at Saxo Markets.
“The market’s reaction to Nvidia’s success has not only bolstered investor confidence in the tech sector but has also contributed to a broader risk-on sentiment.”
Advances in heavyweight Chinese shares on their return from a week long holiday aided gains, as policymakers announced several measures throughout this week to shore up investor confidence in the world’s second biggest economy.
Fresh data showed China’s new home prices slowed their month-on-month declines in January with the biggest cities seeing some stabilisation.
Most European bourses were off to a positive start, with shares in Turkey .XU100 up 0.4%, on track to extend their rally to an eighth straight week.
Bucharest shares .BETI rose 0.2%, while the Romanian leu EURRON= held steady at 4.9739 per euro ahead of the release of minutes from the central bank’s last policy meeting, where it opted to hold ratesat 7%.
Hungary’s forint EURHUF= eased 0.3% to 388.33 per euro, on track to be the worst performing currency this week among regional peers.
Poland’s zloty EURPLN= weakened 0.3% after data showed the country’s registered unemployment rate rose to 5.4% in January from 5.1% in December.
The Czech crown EURCZK= slipped 0.2% against the euro, while a broader gauge of emerging market currencies .MIEM00000CUS also dipped 0.2%.
Gold producer South Africa’s rand ZAR= dropped 0.7% against the dollar, hitting a near four-month low amid receding bullion prices.
HIGHLIGHTS:
** Sri Lanka’s sovereign dollar bonds extend rally
** Hungary’s November-January unemployment rate at 4.6%
** Turkish Feb manufacturing confidence rise to 101.5 points
For TOP NEWS across emerging markets nTOPEMRG
For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see CEE/
For TURKISH market report, see .IS
For RUSSIAN market report, see RU/RUB
Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru
Editing by Mark Potter