(Bloomberg) — Asian equities pared gains Friday as investors awaited the outcome of a key legislature meeting in China that’s expected to unveil policy support to boost flagging growth.
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China’s CSI 300 Index gave up an early advance as traders debated whether any measures from the meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the equivalent of parliament in China, will be enough to counter the threat of higher tariffs under a second Donald Trump presidency.
Elsewhere in the region, Australian and Taiwan shares climbed, supporting a second day of gains for a region-wide equity gauge. That was after the S&P 500 advanced 0.7% and the Nasdaq 100 jumped 1.5% in US trading as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates. Treasuries and US equity futures were both little changed in Asian trade.
Possible measures from China may include support for local government debt and consumer spending, according to Michelle Lam, greater China economist for Societe Generale SA. Any new policies must be balanced against the prospect of potential tariffs, she said, noting that the 60% levies proposed by Trump may fail to emerge.
“We have so much uncertainty coming from the US tariffs,” Lam said. “We might see some smaller increase in tariffs of around 15% to 20% and that is more reasonable” for the Chinese economy to absorb, she said.
Thursday’s cross-asset rally was helped along by comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell who pointed to the strength of the US economy and said he doesn’t rule “out or in” a December rate cut. Powell added the election will have no effect on policy in the near term, and said he would not step aside if asked by Trump.
“Powell & Co. reminded investors about the solid economic footing the US continues to stand on,” said Bret Kenwell at eToro. “Powell would not tip his hand on whether the Fed would likely cut rates in December, which shouldn’t surprise investors. However, the Fed appears more comfortable with the labor market and the current US economic backdrop than they did a few months ago.”
Nissan Motor’s shares fell as much as 10% in Tokyo, touching their lowest since October 2020, after the automaker said it will dismiss 9,000 workers and cut a fifth of its manufacturing capacity after net income plummeted in the first half.
United Overseas Bank rose in Singapore as the lender plans to consider a share buyback and reported higher-than-expected earnings. Singapore banks are expanding wealth management services to generate extra fees and mitigate the impact of lower interest rates.
