· Technology shares led the S&P 500 marginally higher on Wednesday, as a healthy forecast from IBM helped mitigate worries over the developing coronavirus outbreak.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed barely in the black after approaching, then backing down from record highs the day after virus fears prompted a sell-off. The Dow closed nominally lower.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 9.63 points, or 0.03%, to 29,186.41, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.98 points, or 0.03%, to 3,321.77 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 12.96 points, or 0.14%, to 9,383.77.
· Stocks in Asia declined in Thursday morning trade as the death toll rises in China due to a mysterious pneumonia-like virus.
The Nikkei 225 in Japan slipped 0.75% in early trade while the Topix index also shed 0.54%.
Japanese trade data released Thursday showed exports falling more than expected in December. Japanese exports for December fell 6.3% in December as compared to a year before, data from country’s Ministry of Finance data showed. That was far lower than expectations of a 4.2% decrease expected by economists in a Reuters poll.
South Korea’s Kospi also saw losses as it declined 0.52%.
Meanwhile, shares in Australia declined in morning trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 falling about 0.3%. Investors will await the release of employment data in the country for December, set to be out at about 8:30 a.m. HK/SIN.
Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded around 0.1% lower.
Investor sentiment has taken a hit this week as the mysterious coronavirus that has infected hundreds in China spreads. The World Health Organization postponed a decision Wednesday over whether to declare the disease a global health emergency.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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