Asian markets mostly up amid trade tensions

> Investors remain positive as Beijing warns it would impose 25% tariffs on US$16b of US goods from Aug 23

HONG KONG: Asian investors yesterday largely brushed off China’s tit-for-tat response to US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats, with most markets rising, but concerns about the impact of an all-out trade war are keeping optimism in check.

Beijing said on Wednesday it would impose 25% tariffs on US$16 billion (RM65.2 billion) of US goods from Aug 23, retaliating in kind to a warning from US officials the day before and escalating a crisis that pits the world’s top two economies against each other.

While the row has sent global markets into convulsions this year, the latest development had been widely expected, with Wall Street ending mixed.

Hong Kong jumped 0.9%, extending its rally to a fourth day, while Shanghai surged 1.8% following healthy Chinese inflation data.

Seoul was 0.1% higher, Sydney added 0.5% and Wellington rose 0.8%, while Bangkok gained 0.1%.

However, Tokyo dropped 0.2% on a stronger yen.

Manila was down 0.8% after data showed the Philippines economy massively undershot growth expectations in April-June, with the government citing the temporary closure of popular holiday island Boracay as a key reason.

Energy firms fell in line with a sharp sell-off in oil, which followed a report showing US stockpiles fell less than expected, while investors are also fretting over the effects of a China-US trade war on demand.

Both main contracts plunged more than 3% on Wednesday, with analysts saying figures pointing to a drop in Chinese imports from the US were also detrimental. WTI and Brent were slightly higher yesterday.

On currency markets the ruble extended Wednesday’s losses and is now down more than 4% against the dollar after Washington imposed fresh sanctions over Russia’s involvement in the attempted killing of a former spy in Britain.

And the pound also remains rooted near one-year lows on fears Britain will leave the European Union next year with no deal to trade with the bloc, with the country’s trade secretary and central bank boss recently warning the chances of such a scenario are increasing.

“The market is clearly getting more nervous over the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, which would be a messy outcome for the UK economy,” said Rodrigo Catril, senior foreign exchange strategist at National Australia Bank. – AFP