* Euro STOXX 600 .STOXX down 1.5%
* MSCI world equity index down 0.6%, set for fourth day of
losses
* Shock rise in U.S. CPI stirs fear of Fed tapering
* Treasury yields, dollar pause after jump
* Bitcoin recovers after Tesla puts a hold on acceptance
* Graphic: Global asset performance http://tmsnrt.rs/2yaDPgn
* Graphic: World FX rates http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
By Tom Wilson
LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) - Investors dumped shares on
Thursday after a bigger-than-expected rise in U.S. inflation
spooked Wall Street and sent bond yields surging, with European
stocks mirroring losses in Asia.
The Euro STOXX 600 .STOXX fell 1.5%, with indexes in
Germany .GDAXI and Britain .FTSE both slumping 1.9% as
investors worried the U.S. Federal Reserve might move early on
tightening its ultra-loose monetary policy.
Basic resources and oil and gas sectors .SXPP .SXEP ,
among the recent top gainers on the back of a surge in commodity
prices, fell over 2%.
"Inflation pressures are going to be rising, and they're not
going to be temporary," said Jeremy Gatto, investment manager at
Unigestion. "What does that mean? Effectively that rates will be
rising."
The MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS , which tracks
shares in almost 50 countries, fell 0.6% and was on course for
its fourth straight day of losses.
Wall Street was blindsided on Wednesday when data showed
U.S. consumer prices jumped by the most in nearly 12 years in
April as booming demand amid a reopening economy met supply
constraints at home and abroad. The jump, which sparked the S&P 500's worst one-day drop
since February, was largely due to outsized increases in
airfares, used cars and lodging costs, all driven by the
pandemic and likely to prove transitory.
Fed officials were quick to play down the impact of one
month's numbers, with vice chair Richard Clarida saying stimulus
would still be needed for "some time". Yields on 10-year Treasuries US10YT=TWEB steadied at
1.68%, having climbed 7 basis points overnight in the biggest
daily rise in two months.
'BIG BATTLE'
Eurozone bond yields edged higher. Germany's 10-year yield,
the benchmark for the region, was flat after hitting its highest
since May 2019 on Wednesday. Nasdaq futures NQc1 were flat, losing earlier slim gains,
while S&P 500 futures ESc1 turned slightly negative.
As major economies reopen more fully from COVID-19
lockdowns, many investors expect higher levels of inflation to
stoke volatility in equities markets through the year.
"This year is going to be a big battle between the
bullishness of mass reopening/stimulus on one hand and the
inflationary consequences on the other," Deutsche bank analysts
wrote. "Expect regular pockets of vol."
Investors priced in an 80% chance of a Fed rate hike as
early as December next year. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS lost 1.3%, with Asian shares already on the back
foot this week after a tech sell-off on Wall Street.
Rising bond yields were a shot in the arm for the dollar,
recently under pressure from rapidly expanding U.S. budget and
trade deficits.
Against a basket of major peers, the dollar was down a
smidgeon at 90.661 =USD , after climbing away from Wednesday's
10-week trough of 89.979. L1N2N00E0
Bitcoin BTC=BTSP steadied after sliding 13%, its worst
one-day fall since January, after Elon Musk said Tesla Inc
TSLA.O would stop accepting it as payment for its vehicles
because of environmental concerns. Bitcoin later regained ground, adding 3% and was last at
$50,830.
Ether ETH=BTSP , the world's second-largest cryptocurrency,
followed a similar pattern, dropping 8% on Wednesday from
record highs before adding 4% on Thursday. It was last at
$3,977.
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