· European shares pulled back from eight-month highs on Wednesday as worries over China putting policy-easing measures on hold offset upbeat earnings in the region from Credit Suisse and SAP.
The pan-regional STOXX 600 index was down 0.1 percent by 0732 GMT. The benchmark index has notched gains in the past eight consecutive sessions, with a trend of rebounding from a weaker open.
· Equity markets in Asia faltered on Wednesday amid losses in South Korea and uncertainty over China’s plans for further stimulus as the economy shows signs of regaining its footing.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.3 percent lower, erasing early gains in the wake of record closing highs on Wall Street overnight.
Shares of Samsung Electronics were down 1.6 percent.
· Japan’s Nikkei edged lower in choppy trade on Wednesday as investors stayed cautious before earnings results, but it remained around a month high as sentiment was supported by a rally in U.S. stocks.4-1/2-
The Nikkei share average ended 0.3 percent lower at 22,200.00, after opening higher.
In early trade, it hit as high as ,, the highest level since early December.22362.92
· Chinese stocks rose slightly on Wednesday, recouping early losses, as an afternoon rally in technology shares offset concerns that the central bank could scale back the scope of further policy easing.
The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.3 percent, to 4,030.09, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.1 percent to 3,201.61. ** Both indexes were down 0.9 percent in the morning, after the People’s Bank of China injected funds to select commercial banks via its targeted medium-term lending facility (TMLF). The move reinforced views PBOC is likely to put any broader policy easing measures - such as reserve ratio cuts - on hold after recent signs of improvement in the world’s second-largest economy.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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