The US holiday on Thursday offered little direction for Asian shares. The dollar edged down.
Futures on Japanese shares were stable, but the gains made in the previous session suggest benchmarks are likely to catch up after a long holiday. Contracts for Australian stocks edged up, while those for Hong Kong share fell after Thursday’s rally.
Cash Treasuries are now traded in Asia, after Wednesday’s sale pushed yields higher. The greenback lost its gains on Thursday against the majority of major currencies. Australian and New Zealand bonds advanced.
The news that OPEC+ would hold its delayed meeting via the internet rather than in person has caused oil benchmarks to fall further. has cast doubt about the prospects of more production cuts due to the delay and disagreements between members.
In Asia, the data to be released includes reports on inflation, PMI, and money supply for Taiwan, as well as consumer prices and Malaysian money supply. Sri Lanka’s central banks is also expected to reduce interest rates. Manufacturing PMI data for the US will be released on Friday.
Investors are also focused on China’s real estate market after the support measures for the sector boosted developer stocks in the first part of the week.
According to sources familiar with the situation, China could allow banks for the first to offer short-term unsecured loans to qualified developers. This would be the latest attempt to alleviate the country’s property problems. Property developer stocks rose 8.9% on Thursday, and are expected to have their best week since last December.
Other European bonds also fell on Thursday, after reports that Germany would suspend its debt ceilings for the fourth consecutive year. This report added to fears about more borrowing, as the economy in euro zone slows.
Reuters reported that Barclays Plc is working on plans for cost-cutting by up to £1 billion ($1.3billion) over several year, which may involve cutting as many as 2,000 positions.