Stocks slip, bitcoin extends record run

Global stock markets mostly fell Wednesday on profit-taking after a strong global rally, with investors worried valuations may have gone too high and about interest rates.

The Dow slid off of a record close on Tuesday, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also moved lower after dipping on Tuesday.

European stocks finished lower, with losses posted across most of Asia.

Oil prices rose, holding near 13-month highs.

Lifted in recent months by OPEC production cuts, there has been added support this week from a big freeze in Texas that has hammered output in the key US production state.

Bitcoin hit another record, at $51,719.10, having broken $50,000 for the first time on Tuesday.

The dollar rose Wednesday against the euro and pound, but dipped against the yen.

Analysts said there was room for a drop in equities, but the general view is that they will resume their strong upward march as Covid vaccine rollouts, slowing infection rates and the easing of lockdowns allow economies to return to normal.

The focus was firmly on Washington, where US lawmakers ponder the next move on President Joe Biden's $1.9-trillion stimulus package, the prospect of which has been a key driver of a months-long surge in global equities.

Bets that the vast spending splurge will hand an extra boost to the world's top economy -- and the prospect of business reopenings -- have also fired inflation expectations, sending US Treasury yields close to one-year highs this week.

That has led to concerns about rising borrowing costs, which market-watchers fear could undercut the recovery and hit consumer spending.

"The move up in yields has been driven by increasing inflationary concerns amid a rise in energy prices along with the prospect of a big US fiscal stimulus and the global recovery entering a more solid stage," said National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril.

Market analyst Chris Beauchamp at online trading platform IG said: "The market rally has been built on the twin pillars of low interest rates and fiscal stimulus."

A rise in bond yields and inflation could push the US Federal Reserve to push up interest rates faster than it has indicated, while a 5.3-percent jump in US retail sales in January could undermine support for massive stimulus.

"Neither of these threats is likely to withstand close analysis, but the overstretched nature of the market leaves it vulnerable to these brief outbreaks of nervousness," said Beauchamp.

British inflation meanwhile climbed to 0.7 percent last month from 0.6 percent in December on higher food prices, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.

Analysts expect British inflation to rise strongly in the coming months with the UK economy tipped to emerge from its latest coronavirus lockdown.