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Asian shares stumble after worldwide sell-off; yen hits one-month high

Asian shares were controlled on Thursday, with Japanese stocks moving to their most affordable in three weeks as investors looked for safety, pressing the yen to a. onemonth high while U.S. economic concerns improved prospects for. the Federal Reserve to cut rates.

In a data-packed week, investors are scouring for ideas to. the health of the U.S. economy and the labour market, with. markets on edge from Tuesday's weak manufacturing figures and. Wednesday's combined labour information.

Amid the fragile sentiment, Japan's benchmark Nikkei. slid more than 1% to its lowest in 3 weeks, while stocks in. tech-heavy Taiwan and South Korean stood. slightly greater on the day, giving up earlier gains.

The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside. Japan was up 0.25%, suppressed after having tumbled. almost 3% during a three-day losing streak. The index had actually increased. more than 0.6% however gave up those gains.

Futures indicated European bourses would open at a loss,. with Eurostoxx 50 futures down 0.25%, German DAX. futures 0.3% lower and FTSE futures down 0.25%.

September has historically been a challenging month for. danger properties, stated Daniel Tan, a Singapore-based portfolio. manager at Grasshopper Asset Management.

It is not unusual for worldwide portfolio managers to take. some earnings off the table, given strong efficiency in July and. August.

On Thursday, investors will focus attention on a reading on. the U.S. services industry and out of work claims data, but the. week's key issue will be Friday's hotly anticipated August. report for nonfarm payrolls.

The report is expected to provide the clearest ideas on. where the economy is headed, and whether the Fed will cut rates. by a quarter or half a portion point this month.

Markets are now pricing in a 44% chance of a cut of 50 basis. points at the bank's Sept. 17-18 meeting, up from 38% a day. earlier, the CME FedWatch tool showed.

Traders are now anticipating 110 bps of reducing this year. from the three staying Fed conferences.

The most recent change in markets' expectations comes after data. on Wednesday revealed U.S. job openings dropped to a 3-1/2- year. low in July, suggesting the labour market was slowing.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly stated the Fed required to. cut interest rates to keep the labour market healthy, however it is. now down to incoming economic data to identify how much.

Analysts anticipate belief to remain delicate and growth names. to battle.

Near-term I think there will still be additional downside in. the U.S. tech names, due to belief and technical relocations, stated. Francis Tan, chief strategist for Asia at Indosuez Wealth. Management.

We encourage moves into the worth sectors ... looking more. at the more - you can call it boring names - telcos, health care. names and some utility and infrastructure related sectors.

In the currency market, the dollar remained on the defensive,. as odds of larger rate cuts rose.

The Japanese yen was among the most significant. recipients of investors' flight from risky possessions.

It last stood at 143.46 per dollar, off a one-month high of. 143.20 earlier in the session. It is up almost 2% for the week.

Treasury yields were calm in Asian hours on Thursday after. diving in the previous session. Standard 10-year note yields. were at 3.765%, while two-year note yields. were little changed at 3.764%.

In commodities, Brent crude futures increased 0.37% to. $ 72.97 after dropping 1.42% in the previous session. U.S. West. Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 0.38% at $69.46. after sliding 1.62% on Wednesday.

(source: Reuters)