Asia report: Markets mostly lower as China warns US over trade
Most markets in Asia finished in the red on Tuesday, as investors did their best not to pass out after another session spent holding their breath over trade tensions between the US and China.
AUD/USD
$0.6564
12:00 29/04/24
GBP/NZD
NZD2.0972
11:59 29/04/24
Hang Seng
17,746.91
10:20 29/04/24
Nikkei 225
37,934.76
09:44 26/04/24
USD/JPY
¥155.7390
12:00 29/04/24
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.29% at 20,942.53, as the yen weakened 0.1% against the dollar to last trade at JPY 109.71.
Of the major components on the Tokyo benchmark, automation specialist Fanuc rose 1.72%, while fashion firm Fast Retailing lost 1.55% and technology conglomerate SoftBank Group fell 1.29%.
The broader Topix index was down 0.29%, closing out its trading day at 1,531.98.
On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite was 0.31% lower at 2,905.81, and the smaller, technology-heavy Shenzhen Composite lost 0.63% to settle at 1,532.03.
South Korea’s Kospi was the odd one out, rising 0.77% to close at 2,038.80, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong slipped 0.44% to 27,114.88.
The blue-chip technology stocks were once again mixed in Seoul, with Samsung Electronics up 1.79%, while chipmaker SK Hynix lost 0.3%.
Sentiment was weak once again at the start of the Asian day, after Wall Street put in another poor performance overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 200 points for the second day in a row, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite not faring much better.
At the same time, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note fell to its lowest level since September 2017, but later bounced back to around 2.26%.
Market watchers did note that part of the yield curve inverted further during the day, as three-month notes reached 2.36%.
A yield curve inversion is seen by some traders as a sign that a possible recession could be on its way.
On the trade front, scathing commentary from an official Communist Party mouthpiece in China reflected the current sour tone of discourse in the ongoing discussions.
“We advise the US side not to underestimate the Chinese side’s ability to safeguard its development rights and interests,” said the People’s Daily newspaper.
“Don’t say we didn’t warn you!”
Oil prices were mixed as the region went to bed, with Brent crude last down 0.52% at $69.09 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose 0.47% to $59.09.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was 0.74% lower at 6,392.10, with almost all subindices in the red by the end of trading in Sydney.
Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 was down 0.2%, settling at 10,071.98, as global concerns weighed on internationally-focussed stocks in Wellington.
Both of the down under dollars were marginally stronger on the greenback, with the Aussie last ahead 0.02% at AUD 1.4453, and the Kiwi advancing 0.05% to NZD 1.5349.