Trading in Asian markets is mixed and muted ahead of a key Fed chair speech

AP Business Writer

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed in muted trading Friday ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that might deliver clues on how quickly and deeply the Fed may cut interest rates.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to finish at 38,364.27. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped less than 0.1% to 8,023.90. South Korea’s Kospi edged down 0.2% to 2,701.69. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.3% to 17,591.41, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.2% to 2,854.37.

Japan’s plans for interest rates were also closely watched. Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda in his comments to parliament appeared to indicate more increases may be coming, but they would be gradual. The Bank of Japan was closely monitoring the recent gyrations in stock prices and currencies but saw recent wage increases as a positive sign, he said.

Japan’s economy was dragged down for years by deflation, a gradual decline in prices that reflects a stagnant economy. The bank ended negative interest rates in March and then raised rates in July.

“We stuck to a very loose monetary policy until March. The point was our commitment to that until it’s confirmed the economy is on track to realize a gradual, stable rise in prices that’s sustainable,” Ueda told lawmakers.

Data is due next week on GDP, or gross domestic product, the value of a nation’s products and services, from the U.S., Canada, Germany and India.

On Wall Street on Thursday, the S&P 500 fell 0.9% in its worst day following a two-week rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 177 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.7%.

Weighing on stocks was a mixed picture on the U.S. economy, which has been slowing under the weight of high interest rates meant to get inflation under control.

One report showed slightly more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected.

A second report suggested U.S. business activity remains deeply split. Growth for services businesses is accelerating, according to preliminary data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. But the country’s manufacturing sector appears to be contracting at a more severe rate.

“Growth has become increasingly dependent on the service sector as manufacturing, which often leads the economic cycle, has fallen into decline,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The Fed has pulled its main interest rate up to the highest level in more than two decades. With inflation slowing, the wide expectation is for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September, which would be the first easing since the COVID-19 pandemic crash of 2020.

That’s why so much attention is on Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Powell will speak Friday at an economic symposium that’s been the site of big Fed policy announcements in the past.

One danger is if expectations for coming cuts have gone overboard among investors. U.S. companies continue to report mostly better-than-expected profits for the spring.

Shares of Zoom Video Communications, one winner of the pandemic that saw its fortunes weaken afterward, climbed 13% after delivering better results and revenue than expected.

Overall, more stocks fell on Wall Street than rose, including Nvidia, which was the heaviest single weight on the S&P 500.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 50.21 points to 5,570.64. The Dow dropped 177.71 to 40,712.78, and the Nasdaq lost 299.63 to 17,619.35.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 3.86% from 3.80% late Wednesday.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 11 cents to $73.12 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 12 cents to $77.34 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 145.45 yen from 146.24 yen. The euro cost $1.1128, up from $1.1115.

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AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed. Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://x.com/yurikageyama