Currencies hit two-month low as initial results point to Trump win
Updated at 0844 GMT
China banks sell dollars to prevent fast yuan drop
Ukraine dollar sovereign bonds rally
MSCI EM stocks index down 0.6%, FX down 0.6%
By Johann M Cherian
Nov 6 (Reuters) -Investors in most emerging markets were pricing in a win for Republican Donald Trump in a tight U.S. presidential race on Wednesday, with an index tracking currencies on track for its biggest one-day drop in over one year as the dollar surged.
MSCI's index tracking currencies in major developing markets .MIEM00000CUS dropped 0.6% to touch levels seen more than two months ago, as the dollar strengthened over 1.6% and U.S. Treasury yields spiked.
As the results rolled in, Trump took the early lead over his Democrat challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris, although outcomes in critical battleground states were unlikely to be called for some time yet.
The Republicans also won control of the U.S. Senate, signalling that Trump's fiscal plans might face less resistance in Congress, which analysts say could stoke inflation, keep the dollar elevated and pressure inflows into emerging markets.
Mexico's peso MXN= was the hardest hit, dropping nearly 3% to touch a more than two year low, trading last at 20.6 to the dollar. Expectations are that the Latin American country could face trade and immigration barriers, as Trump has threatened a 200% surcharge on auto exports to the U.S..
"(Trump's) trade policies would have particularly negative consequences for Mexico, but also for the Eurozone and closely correlated with it the CEE region," said Piotr Matys, senior FX Analyst at In Touch Capital Markets.
Trump has also promised a tariff of 60% or more on goods from China. The yuan CHN= lost 1% - its steepest daily decline since February 2023, prompting reports that domestic banks were selling dollars to cushion the decline.
Heavy-weight China stocks .SSEC, .CSI300 were flat to slightly lower, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index .HSI slid 2.2%.
Currencies in India INR=IN and South Africa ZAR= depreciated 0.2% and 1.5% respectively, while Turkey's lira TRYTOM=D3 firmed 0.3%.
In central and eastern Europe, Hungary's forint EURHUF= led declines with a 0.7% drop against the euro to mark a fresh 22-month low, while Poland's zloty EURPLN= weakened 0.3%.
Poland's central bank is expected to announce an interest rate decision later in the day, although the event could be overshadowed by political developments in the U.S.
On the flip side, Ukraine's hryvnia EUREAH= ticked up 1.8% against the euro and international sovereign bonds gained with some traders placing bets that a Trump presidency could mean a quicker end to the Ukraine-Russia war.
Israel's shekel ILS= strengthened 0.6%. Trump's stance on sanctions is perceived as detrimental to the country's arch rival Iran, along with others such as Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance in 2024 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance in 2024 https://tmsnrt.rs/2OusNdX
Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; editing by Philippa Fletcher
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