Asian markets slip amid concerns over China stimulus pace

By Marketwatch and Associated Press

AFP/Getty Images

Japan's Shieriai Tsuda competes in the women's high jump Wednesday at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Asian markets saw a mixed day on Wednesday, as fresh all-time closing highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq vied for investor attention with concerns China will slow its pace of economic stimulus.

Japan’s Nikkei /zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed JP:NIK +2.41%  closed down 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index /zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed HK:HSI +1.54%   and the Shanghai Composite /zigman2/quotes/210598127/delayed CN:SHCOMP +1.21%   also gave up initial gains, closing down 0.5% and flat, respectively.

China stocks recuperated some earlier losses, “supported by a late rally in tech shares that seem to have offset investor concerns that the PBoC could scale back the scope of further policy easing,” said Dean Popplewell, vice president of market analysis at OANDA, in a note to clients.

South Korea’s Kospi /zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed KR:180721 -2.80%  fell 0.9%, while benchmark indexes in Taiwan   and Singapore /zigman2/quotes/210597985/delayed SG:STI +0.90%   were flat to lower.

Bucking the weaker trend, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 /zigman2/quotes/210598100/delayed AU:XJO +1.74%   closed up almost 1%, touching a nearly 10-year high in intraday trading after data showed the Australian Bureau of Statistics said consumer prices were flat for the first quarter of 2019, below the 0.2% market consensus.

The weaker-than-expected reading has traders pricing in the likelihood the central bank will cut interest rates later this year, with the prospect of easy-money policy encouraging some investors to buy stocks.

Among individual stocks, Rakuten /zigman2/quotes/201861450/delayed JP:4755 -2.02%   and Fast Retailing /zigman2/quotes/200663563/delayed JP:9983 +2.71%   gained in Tokyo trading, while Nissan /zigman2/quotes/208298710/delayed JP:7201 +1.43%   retreated. In Hong Kong, real estate companies such as China Resources Land /zigman2/quotes/202417326/delayed HK:1109 -1.36%   and Country Garden /zigman2/quotes/201681083/delayed HK:2007 -2.18%   rose, while oil producer CNOOC /zigman2/quotes/203421416/delayed HK:883 -0.97%   and telecom China Mobile /zigman2/quotes/200868736/delayed HK:941 +4.93%   declined. Samsung /zigman2/quotes/209800866/delayed KR:005930 -3.28%   fell in South Korea. National Australia Bank /zigman2/quotes/210431826/delayed AU:NAB +2.03%   and Westpac Banking /zigman2/quotes/203084975/delayed AU:WBC +1.55%   advanced in Australia.

On Wall Street on Tuesday, The S&P 500 /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime SPX -0.48%   and Nasdaq /zigman2/quotes/210598365/realtime COMP +0.56%   closed at record highs Tuesday as investors cheered the latest batch of solid corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime DJIA -1.50%   closed less than 1% from a record high. Stock futures rose modestly on Wednesday as a wave of big U.S. companies such as Boeing Co. /zigman2/quotes/208579720/composite BA -2.05%  and Caterpillar Inc. /zigman2/quotes/203434128/composite CAT -2.68%  post results.

Oil prices closed Tuesday at their highest level since October, but West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery   and June Brent crude  , the global benchmark slipped in Wednesday futures trading ahead of U.S. supply data.

/zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:NIK

NIKKEI 225 Index

JP : Nikkei

29,663.50

+697.49 +2.41%

Volume: 0.00

March 1, 2021 3:15p

/zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed

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Hang Seng Index

HK : Hong Kong Exchange

29,427.89

+447.68 +1.54%

Volume: 2.43M

March 1, 2021 4:01p

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Add to watchlist CN:SHCOMP

Shanghai Composite Index

CN : China: Shanghai

3,551.40

+42.32 +1.21%

Volume: 31.55B

March 1, 2021 3:01p

/zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed

Add to watchlist KR:SEU

KOSPI Composite Index

KR : Korea Exchange

3,012.95

-86.74 -2.80%

Volume: 1.36M

Feb. 26, 2021 3:33p

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FTSE Straits Times Index

SG : Singapore: SGX

2,975.54

+26.50 +0.90%

Volume: 0.00

March 1, 2021 4:01p

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S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index

AU : S&P ASX

6,789.60

+116.30 +1.74%

Volume: 734,282

March 1, 2021 5:18p

/zigman2/quotes/201861450/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:4755

Rakuten Inc.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 1,167.00

-24.00 -2.02%

Volume: 6.50M

March 1, 2021 3:00p

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.39%

Market Cap

¥1622.74 billion

Rev. per Employee

N/A

/zigman2/quotes/200663563/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:9983

Fast Retailing Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 107,850

+2,850 +2.71%

Volume: 532,600

March 1, 2021 3:00p

P/E Ratio

122.81

Dividend Yield

0.45%

Market Cap

¥10722.14 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥34.80M

/zigman2/quotes/208298710/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:7201

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 582.90

+8.20 +1.43%

Volume: 9.31M

March 1, 2021 3:00p

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.00%

Market Cap

¥2248.88 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥71.69M

/zigman2/quotes/202417326/delayed

Add to watchlist HK:1109

China Resources Land Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

HK$ 36.35

-0.50 -1.36%

Volume: 26.99M

March 1, 2021 3:59p

P/E Ratio

8.40

Dividend Yield

3.28%

Market Cap

HK$262.78 billion

Rev. per Employee

HK$3.68M

/zigman2/quotes/201681083/delayed

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Country Garden Holdings Co. Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

HK$ 9.44

-0.21 -2.18%

Volume: 32.96M

March 1, 2021 3:59p

P/E Ratio

4.96

Dividend Yield

6.42%

Market Cap

HK$209.81 billion

Rev. per Employee

HK$3.60M

/zigman2/quotes/203421416/delayed

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CNOOC Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

HK$ 9.16

-0.09 -0.97%

Volume: 398.89M

March 1, 2021 3:59p

P/E Ratio

8.94

Dividend Yield

7.10%

Market Cap

HK$412.99 billion

Rev. per Employee

HK$14.08M

/zigman2/quotes/200868736/delayed

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China Mobile Ltd.

HK : Hong Kong

HK$ 56.35

+2.65 +4.93%

Volume: 82.55M

March 1, 2021 3:59p

P/E Ratio

9.85

Dividend Yield

5.77%

Market Cap

HK$1099.53 billion

Rev. per Employee

HK$1.85M

/zigman2/quotes/209800866/delayed

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Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

KR : S. Korea: KRX

₩ 82,500.00

-2,800 -3.28%

Volume: 0.00

Feb. 26, 2021 3:30p

P/E Ratio

21.48

Dividend Yield

1.72%

Market Cap

₩552413.27 billion

Rev. per Employee

N/A

/zigman2/quotes/210431826/delayed

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National Australia Bank Ltd.

AU : Australia: Sydney

$ 25.14

+0.50 +2.03%

Volume: 4.70M

March 1, 2021 4:10p

P/E Ratio

31.35

Dividend Yield

2.39%

Market Cap

$81.10 billion

Rev. per Employee

$763,679

/zigman2/quotes/203084975/delayed

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Westpac Banking Corp.

AU : Australia: Sydney

$ 24.19

+0.37 +1.55%

Volume: 5.81M

March 1, 2021 4:10p

P/E Ratio

38.34

Dividend Yield

1.28%

Market Cap

$87.28 billion

Rev. per Employee

$826,888

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S&P 500 Index

US : S&P US

3,811.15

-18.19 -0.48%

Volume: 0.00

Feb. 26, 2021 5:04p

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NASDAQ Composite Index

US : U.S.: Nasdaq

13,192.35

+72.91 +0.56%

Volume: 5.02M

Feb. 26, 2021 5:16p

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Dow Jones Industrial Average

US : Dow Jones Global

30,932.37

-469.64 -1.50%

Volume: 538.91M

Feb. 26, 2021 5:04p

/zigman2/quotes/208579720/composite

Add to watchlist BA

Boeing Co.

US : U.S.: NYSE

$ 212.01

-4.44 -2.05%

Volume: 12.84M

Feb. 26, 2021 4:00p

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.00%

Market Cap

$123.60 billion

Rev. per Employee

$412,489

/zigman2/quotes/203434128/composite

Add to watchlist CAT

Caterpillar Inc.

US : U.S.: NYSE

$ 215.88

-5.94 -2.68%

Volume: 4.46M

Feb. 26, 2021 4:00p

P/E Ratio

39.51

Dividend Yield

1.91%

Market Cap

$117.72 billion

Rev. per Employee

$429,044