News of the investigation against Goldman Sachs, who is suspected of large-scale fraud mortgage securities caused a wave of sales of U.S. and European markets on Friday, which spilled over in Asia today. The Best Mortgages dropped the good results of Asian indexes. The reduced risk appetite of investors not only lower stock prices, but those of raw materials, while the rate rose strongly in the dollar against all major currencies. Analysts said the charges against the investment bank Goldman Sachs will severely undermine the already fragile confidence in financial markets and could lead many investors to leave them. The strong decrease of the Asian indexes today also contribute to the news that the Chinese government continues to restrict investment in real estate. Regional stock measure MSCI Asia Pacific, which oversees securities markets in ten Asian countries plus Australia and New Zealand sank by as much as 2.1 percent to 125.62 points. Today’s decline was its strongest over the past two months. On Friday, Asian markets retreated sharply from its 20-month peak for sales in the residential construction sector and the stock exchanges in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
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Almost all the major stock indexes in Asia and the Pacific ended today’s session of positive territory, led by increases in mining companies, after economic optimism increased the prices of metals and energy resources. The regional MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose for a fourth day, adding 0.4 percent to 127.43 points. The price of copper rose above the psychological level of 8 thousand dollars per ton, since in recent days it became clear that employment in the U.S. grows, along with activity in the services sector. Companies from the raw materials sector was best performing group in the composition of the MSCI Asia Pacific today, over the past four days the price of their shares has risen by an average of 1.5 percent, according to Bloomberg. Exchange Taiex in Taiwan rose 0.8 percent to 8 089.7 points, while South Korean Kospi, and the Chinese Shanghai Composite, ended the session with a growth of 0.1 percent. Hong Kong Stock Exchange remained closed since April 1 because of the celebration of national holidays. The main measure in India BSE Sensex 30 rose 0.2 percent to 17 971.1 points, while in Indonesia Jakarta Composite decreased by 0.4% to 2 876 points after the central bank left the main interest of its record low level of 6.5 percent for the eighth consecutive month. Among the few indexes fell today, and ordered the Japanese Nikkei 225, which lost 0.5 percent, but remained above the psychological level of 11 thousand points. Appreciation of the yen against the euro has put pressure on shares of companies exporting the Tokyo Stock Exchange today.
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The first month of the new year has brought a loss of securities markets in the Asian and Pacific region. National stock indexes registered significant decreases on a monthly basis, which are highest for measures of stock in China and Hong Kong. They lost between 6% and 10% of its value last month amid a tightening of monetary policy of many central banks. The regional index MSCI Asia Pacific fell 2.5 percent below its closing by the end of December 2009 This is the strongest part of its loss in February 2009 then the stock measure, which covers the securities markets in ten Asian countries, plus Australia and New Zealand, losing 10 percent in one month and fell to multi-floor because of the crisis in the global economy. During today’s trading MSCI Asia Pacific sank 1.7 percent to 117.05 points up and is on track to record strong weekly loss of 4.5 percent. This is the strongest weekly decline for the regional index of March 2009 The reason for this largely rose the news that the central banks of China, India and the U.S. tightened its monetary policy, which will reduce investments in financial assets. Central Bank of India today increased the minimum mandatory reserves commercial banks must hold as a deposit on it. The rate now stands at 5.75 per cent of their deposits to the previous 5 percent, cited by Bloomberg. This is a measure to withdraw excess liquidity from the economy of India, which along with China is the fastest growing Asian country.
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Today’s session brought indexes in Asia and the Pacific region, the strongest decrease their day for the past eight months, but ended the week with a painful decline in most markets in the region. Stood at the head Japanese, Chinese and South Korean securities market, which lost between 4% and 6% of its market capitalization over the past five trading sessions. Reason for mass sales became the news of the failure of the Dubai government investment holding company Dubai World to meet its obligations to creditors. The Fund has a debt for 59 billion dollars, equivalent to most of Dubai’s foreign debt to 80 billion dollars. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen rose to its highest rate against the dollar since 1995. Financial difficulties of the Dubai World stocks fell on banks and insurers in the region, led by HSBC Holdings, whose shares fell nearly 8 percent. This is due to investor concerns about exposure of large international banks to fund Dubai. Construction companies also suffered because of the activity of the Dubai World in the construction sector. The regional index MSCI Asia Pacific, which brings together companies from stock markets in ten Asian countries plus Australia and New Zealand, slid 3.2 percent to 113.78 points. This is the strongest decrease in the stock measure within one day of 30 March so far. Financial companies in its composition have contributed most to the sharp drop in MSCI Asia Pacific. The good news that unemployment in Japan fell for the third consecutive month in October, while consumer spending increased household failed to stop reductions in the indexes. Thus MSCI Asia Pacific to cut their lead to five-year bottom of 9 March to 61 percent. For the past five trading sessions the index fell by 2,7 percent.
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