· Stocks slip, yen jumps as Evergrande jitters return
Asian stocks slipped on Thursday as the upbeat mood that carried the Dow Jones and bitcoin to records a day earlier ran out of steam, replaced by fresh worries about the weakening Chinese property sector as a possible default by China Evergrande looms within days.
The more cautious tone looked set to take hold globally as well, with European futures and FTSE futures down 0.3% and S&P 500 futures dipping 0.2%.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.3% after briefly touching a one-month high. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.5% as the safe-haven yen rose broadly.
Shares in rival developers drew support thanks to reassurance from a number of top Chinese officials that the trouble in the sector would not be allowed to escalate into a full-blown crisis, but global investors remain nervous.
Investors have figured that surging energy prices and tightening job markets will pressure policymakers in the United States and elsewhere to raise interest rates before long, but stocks have scarcely reacted to shifts in rates pricing.
Investors are growing nervous over authorities' apparent absence of concern about the yuan's recent ascent, which has also taken it to its strongest level in six years against the currencies of China's major trading partners.
Bitcoin, which hit a record on Wednesday in the wake of the U.S. listing of a futures-based exchange traded fund, eased from its peak to $64,951, while fellow cryptocurrency ether
· Japan's Nikkei falls nearly 2% on election, China Evergrande jitters
Japan’s Nikkei share average fell nearly 2% on Thursday, weighed down by fresh fears around China Evergrande Group, concerns ahead of a general election and worries over the impact of rising costs on corporate outlook.
The Nikkei fell 1.87% to close at 28,708.58, while the broader Topix lost 1.31% to 2,000.81.
· China stocks rise as property and coal shares boost; HK down
China stocks rose on Thursday as property and coal shares rebounded, after assurances from officials eased worries over the real estate sector.
The CSI300 index rose 0.4% to 4,927.45 points at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.5% to 3,603.62 points.
The Hang Seng index dropped 0.3%, to 26,060.26 points. The Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 0.3%, to 9,301.90.
· China Evergrande shares briefly plunge more than 10%, after $2.6 billion asset sale falls through
· European markets pull back as Chinese property worries return
The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 0.4% in early trade, with basic resources shedding 1.7% to lead losses as most sectors and major bourses slid into the red.
Thai
Eng