Asian stocks fell for a third day, led by financial companies and commodity producers, as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group posted lower profit South Korean bankruptcies rose and Oz Minerals said earnings may decline, as US futures on the S&P 500 Index declined 1.4%, despite rises in US and European markets.
Asian markets (Wed)
5:20am BST
Nikkei down 72.57 (-0.87%) at 8,255.84
Topix down 10.75 (-1.29%) at 824.69
Hang Seng down 28.72 (-0.22%) at 12,887.17
US markets (Tues)
DJIA up 151.17 (+1.83%) at 8,422.75
Nasdaq up 1.22 (+0.08%) at 1,483.27
S&P500 up 8.37 (+0.98%) at 859.12
European markets (Tues)
FTSE100 up 76.39 (+1.85%) at 4,208.55
Eurofirst 300 up 7.96 (+0.95%) at 845.37
Currencies
5:25am BST
€/$ 1.2618 (1.2620)
$/¥ 96.54 (96.58)
£/$ 1.4952 (1.4980)
Commodities (updated)
5:21am BST
Brent Crude (Jan09) 0.00 at 51.84
Light Crude (Dec08) up 0.26 at 54.65
100 Oz Gold (Dec08) up 4.30 at 737.00
3M 24HR Copper down 115.00 at 3,710.00
10-year government bond yields (%)
US 3.48 (3.65)
UK 4.08 (4.10)
Germany 3.66 (3.67)
Japan 1.47 (1.49)
Sources: FT, Reuters