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Asia’s share markets were mixed and the dollar held steady on Tuesday, with investors awaiting US inflation data for more clues on when the Federal Reserve will taper stimulus.
China’s tightening grip on its technology companies and a widening liquidity crisis for the country’s most indebted developer continued to keep investors on edge in early trade.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.13 per cent.
Australia’s S&P/ASX200 fell 0.31 per cent to 7,400.8, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dipped into negative territory.
China’s blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.2 per cent and Tokyo’s Nikkei traded 0.72 per cent higher.
In Hong Kong, shares of developer China Evergrande Group slumped after revealing it had appointed financial advisers to examine its capital structure.
Xi’s China takes a leftward turn
The company also said sales would fall again in August due to concerns over its debt which would hurt its liquidity and cash flow. Its shares dropped 7 per cent.
China tech stocks in focus
China’s technology stocks are also being closely scrutinised after authorities told the country’s tech giants to stop blocking each other’s links on their sites.
The directive was the latest in a string of tightening regulations that has dragged down the Hang Seng Tech Index by nearly 40 per cent since its peak this year in February.
“We are still concerned about the regulations, what they mean and how they will be rolled, but with the correction that is underway, that means there is some value in certain parts of the Chinese equities market,” Luke Moore, Oreana Financial Services chief executive, told Reuters.
“Everyone is looking for clarity on how far the regulations will go and what could be next.”
China tells internet companies to stop blocking each other’s links
The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index, which tracks Chinese companies listed in the US, fell 1.1 per cent on Monday, to take its decline over the past six months to 35.5 per cent.
US inflation watch
Meanwhile, markets are awaiting US inflation data on Tuesday, expected to show core consumer prices rose 0.3 per cent in August. Prices were up 0.3 per cent the previous month and 0.9 per cent in June.
Economists expect annual inflation to ease slightly to 4.2 per cent from 4.3 per cent in July. The data comes ahead of a key meeting by the Federal Reserve during September 21-22.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 261.91 points, or 0.76 per cent, to 34,869.63, the S&P 500 gained 10.15 points, or 0.23 per cent to 4,468.73 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 9.91 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 15,105.58.
The prospect of a corporate tax hike in the US from 21 per cent to 26.5 per cent as part of a $3.5-trillion budget Bill remains front and centre for investors.
The dollar index was flat in Asian trade at 92.62 after falling back from its two-week high reached on Monday, of 92.87
The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose to 1.3259 per cent compared with its US close of 1.324 per cent on Monday. The two-year yield, which rises with traders’ expectations of higher Fed fund rates, touched 0.2129 per cent compared with a US close of 0.215 per cent.
US crude ticked up 0.3 per cent to $70.66 a barrel. Brent crude rose to $73.69 per barrel.
Gold was slightly lower. Spot gold traded at$1,790.31 per ounce.
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