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Asia markets set for lower open as banking and trade fears take hold
Activity on Elizabeth Street (at the intersection of Bourke St Mall), Melbourne on a cloudy day.
Charlie Rogers | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets were set for a weaker open Friday, tracking losses on Wall Street as fears over the banking sector and trade tensions intensified.
Shares of regional banks and investment bank Jefferies tumbled on Thursday stateside as fears mounted around some bad loans lurking in the U.S.
In Asia, investors will take note of chip heavyweight Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which announced its third-quarter results after Taiwan’s market closed Thursday.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day 0.28% down.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 futures also pointed to a weaker open, with the futures contract in Chicago at 48,040 and its counterpart in Osaka at 48,060 compared to the previous close of 48,277.74.
Hong Kong Hang Seng Index futures were at 25,862, lower than the HSI’s last close of 25,888.51.
U.S. stock futures were slightly lower on Thursday night stateside after the previous session saw a sell-off fueled by concerns about regional banks’ loan practices.
Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 301.07 points, or nearly 0.7%, to close at 45,952.24. Earlier in the day, the 30-stock index had gained 170 points.
The S&P 500 finished 0.6% lower at 6,629.07, giving up a 0.6% gain at the highs of the session. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.5% to settle at 22,562.54.
— CNBC’s Liz Napolitano, Pia Singh and Alex Harring contributed to this report.
