On the overall, China’s global exports picked up and its imports steadily increased

SINGAPORE — Share prices in Asia rebounded Friday on a report that President Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping may meet at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina in late November.

The Wall Street Journal said the White House had informed officials in Beijing that it would go ahead with a summit meeting in Buenos Aires. It cited unnamed sources from both sides.

There was no immediate word from Chinese officials in Beijing.

The aim was to find a way out of the impasse over trade that has led both countries to impose penalty tariffs on billions of dollars of each other’s exports.

Strong Chinese export data also helped breathe life into share benchmarks that had languished in recent days.

Defying tariffs, China’s trade surplus with the United States grew to a record $34.1 billion in September, customs data showed. This marked a jump of 13 percent over a year earlier.

Its exports to the United States rose to $46.7 billion although growth was slower than in August. Imports of U.S. goods grew too, but at a slower pace than before. On the overall, China’s global exports picked up and its imports steadily increased.

Asia’s rebound followed another rout Thursday on Wall Street, where indexes tumbled for a second straight day on worries that rising interest rates and trade tensions could hurt global growth.

“It seems Asia has had a reassessment, and calmer heads have prevailed as we close out the week,” Chris Weston of Pepperstone Group Limited said in a commentary.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.5 percent Friday to 22,694.66 after sinking early in the day following a nearly 4 percent loss on Thursday. Australia’s S&P ASX 200 rose 0.2 percent to 5,895.70.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.8 percent to 25,726.78. The Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.9 percent to 2,606.91. Shares rallied in Taiwan and rose throughout Southeast Asia.

A decline in the yield on 10-year Treasury yields hit bank stocks, while technology and 카지노사이트 retail companies stumbled. The benchmark S&P 500 index started the day with gains, but ended losing 2.1 percent to 2,728.37, its lowest close in three months and sixth straight loss.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2.1 percent to 25,052.83 and the Nasdaq composite gave up 1.3 percent to 7,329.06. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks fell 1.9 percent to 1,545.38.

The U.S. Treasury will soon release a currency report that some analysts suggest might change the official stance on China’s exchange rate policy.

Reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was advised against labeling China as a currency manipulator – a status that could trigger penalties – have eased tensions, Stephen Innes of OANDA said.

Despite “a semblance of sanity returning,” the markets are ultimately “not out of the weeds,” he added.

The recent turbulence in financial markets is a contrast to what investors have grown accustomed to in a bull market that has lasted more than 10 years, the longest in history. A hallmark of the past decade has been ultra-low interest rates, which the Federal Reserve used to promote growth in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The Fed has been gradually raising interest rates over the past two years, after not having increased them since the recession. Those higher rates have been the catalyst for recent selling, stoking concerns that slower growth would impinge on corporate profits.

President Trump has been critical of the Fed’s interest rate moves.

Officials at the IMF-World Bank annual meeting, held on the Indonesian island of Bali this week, have called on the U.S. and China to work out their dispute over technology while abiding by world trade rules.

On Friday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo alluded the tensions to popular TV series “Game of Thrones”. He said fighting among the “great houses” was distracting them from the threat of an “evil winter.”

“Victory or defeat in wars always brings the same result – destruction,” Widodo said.

In other trading, U.S. crude oil added 84 cents to $71.81. The contract dropped 3 percent to close at $70.97 in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, was $1 higher at $81.26. It dropped 3.4 percent to $80.26 in London.

The dollar strengthened to 112.40 yen from 112.13 yen late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.1598 from $1.1586.

Wall Street was set for an optimistic open. S&P 500 futures rebounded 1.3 percent to 2,781.50. Dow futures was 1.2 percent higher at 25,494.00.

Related Posts

closed. A statement issued Friday didn’t cite a reason for resuming
Trump said
President Bashar Assad’s government initially asked the U.N. to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack on March 19 on the village of Khan al Assal outside the embattled city of Aleppo, which was captured by the rebels last month. The government and rebels blame each other for the purported attack which killed at least 30 people. Britain, France and the U.S. followed with allegations of chemical weapons use in Homs, Damascus and elsewhere. U.N. Mideast envoy Robert Serry told the Security Council last month that the U.N. has received 13 reports of alleged chemical weapons use in Syria. On June 13, the United States said it had conclusive evidence that Assad’s regime had used chemical weapons against opposition forces. That crossed what President Barack Obama had called a “red line” and prompted a U.S. decision to send arms and ammunition to the opposition. But agreement on a U.N. investigation was delayed for months because Syria wanted to limit the probe to Khan al-Assal and the secretary-general, backed by the U.S., Britain and France, insisted on a broader investigation. The U.N. gave approval for the probe on July 31 following an “understanding” reached with Syria during a visit to Damascus by U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane and Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, the team’s leader, that three sites where chemical weapons were allegedly used would be investigated. One site is Khan al Assal, but the locations of the other two incidents are being kept secret for safety reasons. For the past two weeks, the Syrian government and the U.N. have been trying to agree on arrangements for the investigation. The U.N. team completed preparations for the visit over the weekend in The Hague, Netherlands, but its departure was delayed because of differences over details of the investigation. Following Wednesday’s agreement, U.N. deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said “the departure of the team is now imminent,” but he provided no specific date. Under the agreement with Syria, the team will remain in the country for “up to 14 days, extendable upon mutual consent” to “conduct activities, “including on-site visits,” del Buey said. He said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is pleased that agreement has been reached “to ensure the proper, safe and efficient conduct of the mission.” The secretary-general believes an effective investigation of allegations can serve as “an important deterrent” against the use of chemical weapons, del Buey said. “Our goal remains a fully independent and impartial inquiry,” he said. Del Buey said “the overwhelming support of the international community for this investigation makes clear that the use of chemical weapons by any side under any circumstances would constitute an outrageous crime.” The investigation team includes about 10 experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is based in The Hague, and the World Health Organization, based in Geneva. Del Buey said Ban expressed appreciation to the Syrian government for its cooperation and to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for its support of the mission.

No comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *