Asian markets mixed as China restricts travel amid COVID spike
BEIJING — Asian stock markets were mixed Monday after Wall Street slipped and China tightened travel controls in some areas in response to coronavirus infections.
Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced while Tokyo declined.
Wall Street’s S&P 500 index declined 0.1% on Friday, weighed down by losses for tech companies after a seven-day streak of gains.
In China, Gansu province in the northwest closed tourist sites Monday after coronavirus cases were found and the capital, Beijing, banned visitors from areas with infections in the past 14 days. China has reported only a few dozen cases, but Beijing’s response of curbing travel prompted concern that they might weigh on economic activity that already is weakening.
“One may expect aggressive measures to control virus spreads, which may put a cap on growth,” said Yeap Jun Rong of IG in a report.
The Shanghai Composite Index
SHCOMP,
rose 0.4% while the Nikkei 225
NIK,
in Tokyo lost 0.7%. The Hang Seng
HSI,
in Hong Kong added 0.1%.
The Kospi
180721,
in Seoul advanced 0.4% and Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200
XJO,
gained 0.5%. Stocks teetered between slight losses and gains in Singapore
STI,
Taiwan
Y9999,
and Indonesia
JAKIDX,
On Wall Street, the S&P 500
SPX,
ended at 4,544.90 on Friday after losses for big tech companies after a day of choppy trading.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
gained 0.2% to 35,677.02, exceeding its Aug. 15 high. The Nasdaq composite
COMP,
slid 0.8% to 15,090.20.
The three major indexes post their third weekly gain after investors were encouraged by mostly solid corporate results.
Also Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said industrial supply chain problems have gotten worse and will likely keep inflation elevated well into next year.
Investors are looking for clues as to how companies are navigating supply chain problems and rising costs for materials, transportation and other goods and services. Many companies have warned higher costs will hurt operations.
Powell also said the Fed isn’t prepared to lift its benchmark interest rate from near zero. But he suggested the economy might be ready fo ra rate hike next year.
In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude
CLZ21,
rose 95 cents to $84.71 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.26 to $83.76 on Friday. Brent crude
BRNZ21,
used as the price basis for international oils, lost 4 cents to $85.49 per barrel in London. It rose 92 cents the previous session to $85.53.
The dollar
USDJPY,
gained to 113.75 yen from Friday’s 113.44 yen.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-mixed-as-china-restricts-travel-amid-covid-spike-01635134485
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