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Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street's rally stalls on US economic data

Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street's rally stalls on US economic data

Arab Times2 days ago

TOKYO, June 5, (AP): Asian shares were mixed on Thursday, as Wall Street's big recent rally lost some momentum following a pair of potentially discouraging reports on the American economy. US futures edged lower and oil prices declined. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.2% to 37,658.46, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined nearly 0.1% to 8,535.10.
In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 2.1% to 2,829.48 after the country's new president and leading liberal politician Lee Jae-myung began his term, vowing to restart talks with North Korea and beef up a trilateral partnership with the US and Japan. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.9% to 23,856.54, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 3,374.30. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 finished the day virtually unchanged at 5,970.81 and remained 2.8% below its all-time high.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% to 42,427.74, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3% to 19,460.49. The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields tumbled following the weaker-than-expected economic updates. One said that activity contracted for US retailers, finance companies and other businesses in the services industries last month, when economists were expecting to see growth.
Businesses told the Institute for Supply Management in its survey that all the uncertainty created by tariffs is making it difficult for them to forecast and plan. A second report from ADP suggested US employers outside of the government hired far fewer workers last month than economists expected
That could bode ill for Friday's more comprehensive jobs report coming from the US. Labor Department, which is one of Wall Street's most anticipated data releases each month. So far, the US job market has remained remarkably resilient despite years of high inflation and now the threat of President Donald Trump's high tariffs. But weakness there could undermine the rest of the economy

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Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street's rally stalls on US economic data
Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street's rally stalls on US economic data

Arab Times

time2 days ago

  • Arab Times

Asian shares trade mixed after Wall Street's rally stalls on US economic data

TOKYO, June 5, (AP): Asian shares were mixed on Thursday, as Wall Street's big recent rally lost some momentum following a pair of potentially discouraging reports on the American economy. US futures edged lower and oil prices declined. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.2% to 37,658.46, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined nearly 0.1% to 8,535.10. In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 2.1% to 2,829.48 after the country's new president and leading liberal politician Lee Jae-myung began his term, vowing to restart talks with North Korea and beef up a trilateral partnership with the US and Japan. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.9% to 23,856.54, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% to 3,374.30. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 finished the day virtually unchanged at 5,970.81 and remained 2.8% below its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% to 42,427.74, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3% to 19,460.49. The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields tumbled following the weaker-than-expected economic updates. One said that activity contracted for US retailers, finance companies and other businesses in the services industries last month, when economists were expecting to see growth. Businesses told the Institute for Supply Management in its survey that all the uncertainty created by tariffs is making it difficult for them to forecast and plan. A second report from ADP suggested US employers outside of the government hired far fewer workers last month than economists expected That could bode ill for Friday's more comprehensive jobs report coming from the US. Labor Department, which is one of Wall Street's most anticipated data releases each month. So far, the US job market has remained remarkably resilient despite years of high inflation and now the threat of President Donald Trump's high tariffs. But weakness there could undermine the rest of the economy

China's factory activity hits lowest since 2022
China's factory activity hits lowest since 2022

Kuwait Times

time2 days ago

  • Kuwait Times

China's factory activity hits lowest since 2022

QINGZHOU: Employees work on a tractor assembly line at a factory in Qingzhou, in eastern China's Shandong province in this photo.- AFP BEIJING: Chinese factory activity hit a more than two-year low in May, a closely watched survey showed Tuesday, as a detente in Beijing's trade war with Washington was offset by ongoing domestic problems in the world's number two economy. China and the United States agreed last month to temporarily halt most tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods, providing some much-needed relief to global markets. But the standoff has still piled further pressure on China's economy, which already faced a long-running real-estate crisis, sluggish consumption and high levels of local government debt. The Caixin Purchasing Managers' Index, independently calculated by S&P Global and Chinese business outlet Caixin, fell to 48.3 in May, well below the 50-point threshold separating expansion from contraction. The figure was the lowest since September 2022 and well below the 50.4 seen in April. It was also sharply off the 50.7 forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists. 'The surprisingly sharp fall... means that the survey data now point to a loss of economic momentum last month,' said Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics. 'Domestic headwinds (are) more than offsetting the boost from the US-China trade truce,' she said. Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Insight Group, said the slowdown was linked to 'sluggish external demand, which fell for a second straight month'. The country should target effective measures to boost domestic demand by improving household incomes, Wang added. Official data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday showed a less severe contraction in the factory sector last month. While the NBS figure focuses on large state-owned industrial groups, the Caixin index primarily surveys small and medium-sized enterprises. But in a positive sign, a business sentiment survey by S&P Global and Caixin showed a slight improvement in May after a record drop in April, thanks to expectations of stronger foreign trade through the rest of the year. — AFP

S Korea voters weigh political divide in partisan heartlands
S Korea voters weigh political divide in partisan heartlands

Kuwait Times

time2 days ago

  • Kuwait Times

S Korea voters weigh political divide in partisan heartlands

Major polls suggest victory for Lee Jae-myung DAEGU: The top contenders in South Korea's presidential vote Tuesday have framed their campaigns as an existential fight for the country's soul, and whoever wins will have to unite a sharply-polarized society. The election was triggered by ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous declaration of martial law last year. All major polls suggest victory for Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party, with Kim Moon-soo of the right-wing People Power Party (PPP) trailing far behind. From the city of Daegu, for decades synonymous with conservatism, to Gwangju, the spiritual heartland of the left, AFP spoke to voters about where they stand and how the country's divide can be healed. Switching sides Lee Woo-hyun, an entertainment professional from Daegu and long-time conservative voter, told AFP the martial law fiasco 'really shook' him. 'When I talk to my parents and other senior citizens, I can see they are turning away from the red,' the 45-year-old said, referring to the symbolic color of the PPP. 'Some might wonder how one incident could completely change my stance,' Lee said. 'But for me, it did. A lot of people in their mid-40s feel the same way. They don't think what happened was right.' Generational divide Ko Seung-ju, an electrical engineering major, sees growing cracks in Daegu's traditional conservative support base. 'Younger voters are no longer likely to blindly support the conservatives,' Ko said. The Yoon administration's decision to cut the national research and development budget has hit science and engineering students hard, he said. 'I really hope that gets reinstated.' 'Balance is important' Kim Sung-gyun, 60, a former automotive industry worker, said he is undecided. He disagreed with Yoon's attempt to impose martial law, which he described as creating 'extreme chaos'. 'People's lives are already difficult enough.' But he expressed reservations about one side gaining unchecked power—pointing to the opposition's near two-thirds majority in parliament. 'Balance is important,' he said. He said he plans to vote for whoever he believes 'puts the people first', regardless of traditional regional loyalties. The unshaken Shopowner Kim remains unfazed by the martial law bid. 'Declaring martial law was wrong, but nothing actually happened afterwards so they should just move on,' said Kim, who declined to share his full name over privacy concerns. For the 69-year-old, the local economy is the primary concern. He said it was 'wiped out' by the Covid-19 pandemic and has never recovered. 'It's impossible to keep a business afloat—there's rent to pay, wages to cover and constant stress piling on.' A vote for democracy Lee Gwi-nye, 79, a lifelong resident of Gwangju, voiced firm support for the Democratic Party and its candidate Lee. 'Democracy lets us live freely and comfortably,' she said. 'But parties like the PPP, honestly, don't feel democratic at all.' To her, democracy means 'being able to live and act freely, with peace of mind'. 'History matters' Jung Se-yoon, 65, a retired teacher, said she doesn't believe in voting solely along party lines. But she vividly recalled a bloody 1980 crackdown in Gwangju by South Korea's former military regime which left hundreds dead or missing. 'Those experiences still resonate. That's why I believe history matters,' she said. The upcoming election must serve as a 'turning point'. 'It will take far too long for the country to get back on its feet if we miss this chance—and by then, we might fall too far behind,' Jung said. Beyond party lines Haylee Lee, an English teacher, urged fellow Gwangju residents to 'make a decision based on their own convictions' rather than fall into habitual partisan voting. What matters most to her is how much effort presidential hopefuls make to listen to the concerns of ordinary people. 'Many politicians come from privileged backgrounds,' she said. 'I wonder how well they actually listen to the voices of the middle class.' Pressure as a centrist Park Yeon-ok, 64, who works at a social enterprise in Gwangju, told AFP she often faces pressure when she identifies as a centrist. 'Many people immediately ask: 'So you're not supporting the Democratic Party? Then are you backing the People Power Party?' That kind of reaction is pretty common,' she said. In this election, Park sees PPP candidate Kim as someone capable of bringing about unity. 'The divisions run deep,' she said. 'I hope the next leader can help bridge those gaps.' — AFP

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