Asian stocks eased yesterday after surveys showed global manufacturing activity and demand remain weak, while a jump in the yen sent Japan’s Nikkei reeling more than 2%.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan struggled to keep its head above water after rising more than 3% over the last seven days.
Japan’s Nikkei fell 2.3% after the dollar sunk to a two-week low against the yen overnight following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s official announcement of a widely expected delay in a sales tax increase next year.
A spate of decent US economic data on Wednesday failed to lift Asian markets or reveal any fresh clues as to when the US
Federal Reserve might opt to raise interest rates, after officials hinted such an increase could come as early as June.
Market turnover has trended lower in recent days as investors stayed on the sidelines awaiting more clues on the future trend of US monetary policy.
Today’s key US non-farm payrolls report will be watched for the latest clues on the strength of the labour market recovery.
The disappointment over Tokyo’s decision to delay a sales tax increase reverberated in the currency markets with the Japanese yen falling one big figure overnight to 109.480 from an overnight high of 110.830.
“There are three factors behind the dollar/yen tumble.
First was the deterioration in risk appetite.
The second was that the dollar was vulnerable after having risen too sharply,” said Shin Kadota, chief Japan FX strategist at Barclays in Tokyo. “Lastly, some participants appeared let down that the prime minister did not accompany the tax hike delay announcement with clear stimulus plans.”
The euro edged down 0.3% to 122.15 yen, nursing its losses after dropping to lows of 121.91 overnight, its weakest since May 6.
Against the dollar, the euro edged 0.24% higher to $1.1208 ahead of the European Central Bank’s policy meeting later in the session.
The ECB is widely anticipated to hold steady on monetary policy.
Crude oil futures slipped after a choppy session on Wednesday, as investors awaited this week’s Opec meeting.
Reuters cited four sources from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries as saying the industry group was likely to discuss an output ceiling at its meeting in Vienna yesterday.
But later, Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh disagreed.
US crude was flat at $49 a barrel, but remained above its overnight session low of $47.75.