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Shares down, euro pressured by doubts on US policies

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TOKYO: Asian share markets retreated on Wednesday and the euro was pressured as doubts over the policies of US President Donald Trump and an election looming in France sapped investor confidence.


MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ticked down 0.3 per cent, slipping further from Monday’s four-month high, led by 0.9 per cent fall in South Korean shares.


Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.2 per cent.


“The markets are now paying attention to political risks in Europe and the United States, after a rally earlier this week following the strong US payrolls data,” said Kenta Tadaide, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute.


On Wall Street, the S&P 500 ended barely higher while the Nasdaq edged to a record high as gains in big tech names countered energy declines.


With more than half of the S&P 500 having reported results, fourth-quarter earnings are on track to have climbed 8.2 per cent, which would be the best performance since the third quarter of 2014, according to Thomson Reuters.


A raft of strong global economic data and hopes that Trump’s talk of economic stimulus measures had helped to support world share markets, and the dollar, since late last year.


But the lack of detail on Trump’s stimulus plans and some other policy stances taken after he was sworn in on January 20 have unsettled investors.


Trump’s protectionist leanings on international trade and controversy over his move to temporarily ban the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries have caused alarm.


“Corporate earnings have been pretty good so far. But without details of Trump’s economic policies, it is hard to become bullish,” said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management.


Uncertainty on the new administration’s currency policy is also keeping foreign exchange markets on edge.


The dollar has been steadily declining against the yen since Trump signalled displeasure with Japan’s currency stance on January 31.


The US currency traded at 112.35 yen, having fallen to 111.59 yen on Tuesday, its lowest since late November.


The pair may see limited moves for now as traders look to a meeting between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.


The euro, on the other hand, shed 0.6 per cent on Tuesday and last stood at $1.0682, hit by rising concerns that the far right could win France’s presidential vote and take the country out of the euro.


The gap between French and German 10-year borrowing costs widened to 78 basis points, the biggest level since late 2012.


Support for conservative challenger Francois Fillon, who was seen as a frontrunner a few weeks ago, has tumbled in the wake of a financial candal, losing ground to independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and the anti-EU National Front leader Marine Le Pen.


While most investors expect Le Pen to be defeated in the run-off by a more moderate candidate, markets are nervous after last year’s experience of the Brexit referendum and Trump’s victory.— Reuters


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