By Elizabeth ADENUGA
Emerging-market shares dropped to a near three-week low on Monday amid weak data from the world’s biggest economies, concern over tension between the United States and China and a potentially disastrous Brexit.
Disappointing U.S. jobs data on Friday sent Wall Street more than 2 per cent lower and the mood spread through developed and developing markets in Asia on Monday.
A recovery for the dollar on Monday also weakened most emerging-market currencies against the U.S. currency.
“Not just China, U.S. and Japan, let’s add Europe and Australia to it as well. The data is very, very bad everywhere and this is not back-dated data,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA.
“Sentiment is just bad for equities overall. I don’t see any silver lining. It’s going to be a lousy holiday season by the look of it,” he added.
MSCI’s index for emerging-market stocks slid over 1.3 per cent. Mainland China shares fell after weak trade and inflation data for November.
Comments from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the arrest of a top Huawei executive stoked fears the trade conflict between Beijing and Washington will only escalate next year.
“The biggest risk is definitely China, as it is really the signpost for emerging markets, and the only reprieve we can hope for is for the PBOC to step in and provide liquidity to the market,” Innes said.
A loosening of Chinese monetary policy has helped its equity markets recover from severe losses in the past, and investors expect the People’s Bank of China will step in again in the months ahead.
Indian markets were among the biggest losers, falling 1.9 per cent. Exit polls for state elections augured badly for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, just months before full national polls.
The rupee also fared badly, hitting its weakest since Nov. 20 as oil prices rose after last week’s OPEC decision to cut supply.
Turkey’s BIST 100 index slid 0.4 per cent after data showed growth slowed in the third quarter as a lira crisis and soaring inflation took its toll on the economy.
The Russian ruble drew strength from the rise in oil prices, making it one of the few to gain against the dollar as investors awaited a central bank meeting later this week.
The South Korean won, Indonesian rupiah and Chinese yuan fell between 0.3 per cent and 0.5 per cent.
In Eastern Europe, the Czech crown touched a five-week high as data showed annual inflation slowed to 2 per cent in November from 2.2 per cent.
