Asian stocks mostly fell on Wednesday after US retail sales unexpectedly declined and the stronger yen dimmed the earnings outlook for Japan’s electronics and auto companies. Futures on the S&P500 Index dropped 0.6% after the gauge slid 2% on Tuesday after figures showed that US retail sales fell a monthly 1.1% in March while producer prices dropped 1.2%.
Asian markets (Wed)
02:40 BST
Nikkei down 83.05 (-0.94%) at 8,759.63
Topix down 11.38 (-1.4%) at 832.04
Hang Seng up 678.75 (4.55%) at 15,580.16
US markets (Tues)
S&P500 down 17.23 (-2.01%) at 841.50
DJIA down 137.63 (-1.71%) at 7,920.18
Nasdaq down 1.67 (-27.59%) at 1,625.72
European markets (Tues)
FTSE100 up 5.28 (0.13%) at 3,988.99
Eurofirst 300 up 11.56 (1.49%) at 789.95
Currencies
03:09 BST
€/$ 1.3232 ( 1.3321)
$/¥ 98.75 (99.90 )
£/$ 1.4867 (1.4844)
Commodities
03:05 BST
Brent Crude (ICE) down $0.34 at $52.59
Light Crude (Nymex) down $0.34 at $49.07
100 Oz Gold (Comex) up $0.19 at $893.70
Copper (Comex) up $1.45 at $212.95
10-year government bond yields (%)
03:12 BST
US 2.79 (2.87)
UK 3.22 ( 3.29)
Germany 3.18 ( 3.23)
Japan 1.45 (1.47)
Sources: FT, Bloomberg