(ANSA) – MILAN, 18 FEB – A nervous session for Asian stock exchanges, in no particular order but with a prevalence of minus signs while the crisis in Ukraine continues to keep investors on the ropes. Tokyo closed down 0.4%, Sydney 1.02% while Hong Kong, still open, dropped 1.2%. Little move Seoul (+ 0.02%) while Shanghai rose by 0.7% and Shenzhen by 0.4%.
On the other hand, futures on Europe and Wall Street, fresh from a disastrous session yesterday, were positive, while gold, a safe haven asset par excellence, rose by 0.3% to 1,892 dollars an ounce. The stock exchanges are trying to cling to the hope that diplomacy will prevail between Russia and Ukraine, looking at the talks between Washington and Moscow scheduled for next week.
For the world stock markets, the one that is closing could be the second consecutive week with a minus sign: in addition to the Ukraine crisis, fears over the progressive disappearance of the expansionary monetary policy of the central banks, committed to curb runaway inflation, weigh heavily.
To accentuate the volatility, in a day lacking in great ideas on the macroeconomic front, are about 2.2 trillion dollars of options that expire today. Meanwhile, oil continues to retrace (-0.8%), with the wti falling to 91 dollars a barrel and the brent just above 92 dollars, in light of the possible increase in Iranian production in the event of a nuclear agreement. (HANDLE).
Source: Ansa
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