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Tech depression knocks Asia shares, yen towers at 2-1/2- month peak

Asian shares were hammered on Thursday as a slump in international tech stocks sent out investors getting away into less risky properties, including shortdated bonds, the yen and Swiss franc.

Chinese stocks were provided little support after the nation's. central bank sprang a surprise cut in longer-term rates, adding. to a current rush of stimulus steps.

The sell-off in stocks saw investors increase bets on rate. cuts worldwide, with futures implying a 100% opportunity of a Federal. Reserve alleviating in September. A spike in market volatility. fuelled a vicious squeeze on bring trades which saw the dollar. sink another 0.6% to 152.85 yen on Thursday.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside. Japan lost 0.7%, while Japan's Nikkei. tumbled 2.9% and South Korea's KOSPI dropped 2%. Taiwan's markets were closed for a 2nd day due to a. typhoon.

Chinese blue-chips pared previously losses to be. down 0.1%, although the Shanghai Composite index was. still off 0.3%, hitting five-month lows.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.6%, finding. little support from Beijing's latest easing action.

On Wall Street, the Nasdaq lost almost 4% - the. worst one-day fall since 2022 - as drab Alphabet and Tesla. revenues weakened investor confidence in the already lofty. assessments of the Splendid Seven stocks.

That contributed to current market volatility, with Wall Street's. fear gauge jumping to a three-month high. Investors. searched for the security of cash and super-liquid short term financial obligation,. with U.S. two-year yields striking their most affordable in nearly 6. months on Wednesday.

In early Asian trade, Nasdaq futures rebounded. 0.4% and S&P 500 stock futures increased 0.3%.

Traders have actually played outright defence, as the saturated and. well-owned tech position continues to be unwound, said Chris. Weston, head of research at Pepperstone.

We can also include a continuous unease around China's development. trajectory, very bad PMIs in Europe and a bearish opinion piece. from ex-New York Fed member Expense Dudley, and investors and. traders derisked and de-grossed portfolios.

The other huge mover in Asia was the safe-haven yen, up 0.6%. to the strongest in 2-1/2 months. It rose 1.1% over night, with. the upward momentum intact ahead of the Bank of Japan's conference. next week where policymakers will debate whether to raise. interest rates.

The Swiss franc also rose 0.7% overnight.

Short-dated bonds rallied over night, supported by comments. from Bill Dudley, a previous president at the New york city Fed that. the central bank needs to cut rates, ideally at its policy. fulfilling next week.

The yield on two-year Treasuries fell 4 basis. points overnight and was last stable at 4.4121%.

Markets are completely pricing in a quarter-point rate cut from. the Fed in September, with even some risk for a 50 basis point. cut. For all of 2024, a total easing of 65 basis points has actually been. priced in.

The rate cut expectations are getting very elevated the. exact same way as they were in 2015, stated Andrew Lilley, chief. rates strategist at Barreyjoey in Sydney.

My worry is that the market is getting ahead of the. economic data since we have actually seen formerly that these. short-term dips in inflation have not been sustained.

Certainly, advance U.S. gdp data is due. later Thursday and is forecast to reveal growth getting to. an annualised 2% in the second quarter. The closely enjoyed. Atlanta Fed GDPNow indicator points to development of 2.6%,. suggesting some threat to the advantage.

In product markets, gold fell 0.9% to $2,375.92 an ounce .

Oil prices ticked lower and held near six-week lows on. stress over a slowing Chinese economy crimping need.

Brent futures fell 0.4% to $81.81 a barrel, while. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also dropped. 0.3% to $77.33.

(source: Reuters)