· Markets stateside were closed on Monday for a holiday.
· European shares retreated from recent peaks on Monday as investors paused before launching into a week packed with economic data and the European Central Bank’s first policy meeting of the year.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down about 0.1%, after ending at a record high on Friday on optimism around U.S.-EU trade talks. Market activity was thin because of a holiday in the United States.
The benchmark European index has risen about 2% so far this month, as investors bet on a recovery in global growth amid cooling U.S.-China trade tensions.
“We are seeing a little bit of a pullback, having seen a very good run in markets since the start of the year,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda in London, adding that there was also some profit taking ahead of a “big week” consisting of U.S. corporate earnings and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
· Stocks in Asia were little changed in morning trade on Tuesday, with the Bank of Japan (BoJ) set to release its quarterly outlook report as well as its interest rate decision later in the day.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan was slightly lower in early trade while the Topix index was largely flat. In South Korea, the Kospi was fractionally lower.
The Bank of Japan is set to release its quarterly outlook report at around 11:00 a.m. HK/SIN, which could provide clues regarding the direction of the central bank’s monetary policy. The BoJ will also announce its interest rate decision, which is widely expected to remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia dipped in morning trade, as the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.2%.
Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded largely flat.
Reference: CNBC, Reuters
Thai
Eng