Stocks Fall on Rate Hike Bets, Yen Drops to 24-year Low

Stocks Fall on Rate Hike Bets, Yen Drops to 24-year Low
People walk past a screen displaying the Hang Seng stock index outside Hong Kong Exchanges, in Hong Kong, on July 19, 2022. Lam Yik/Reuters
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LONDON—European stock markets opened in the red on Wednesday after U.S. economic data prompted traders to ramp up Federal Reserve rate hikes bets, pushing the dollar to a 24-year high against the Japanese yen.

U.S. Treasury yields jumped and the dollar received a boost by data on Tuesday which showed the U.S. services industry picked up in August, reinforcing expectations for aggressive Fed rate hikes. Markets were pricing in a 73 percent chances of a 75 basis point hike at the Fed’s next meeting.