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Asia stocks slip, dollar climbs up as Fed rate path pondered

Asian stocks slipped on Wednesday, while the dollar climbed in spite of lower U.S. Treasury yields as markets assessed combined signals from U.S. policymakers and financial data on the course for Federal Reserve interest rates.

The yen sank even with the risk of currency intervention from Japanese authorities to support it.

Petroleum wallowed near two-month lows amid signs of alleviating supply pressure and continued hopes for a Middle East ceasefire.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid 0.4%, with mainland Chinese blue chips and Hong Kong's Hang Seng each down about 0.6%.

Japan's Nikkei dropped about 1.4% as traders took revenues following the previous session's 1.6% rise. The tech-heavy index also caught pressure from a sell-off in U.S. chip stocks on Tuesday.

U.S. stock futures were flat, while German DAX futures lost 0.1% and Britain's FTSE futures added 0.15%.

The yen dropped 0.34% to 155.215 per dollar, even as Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki revealed deep concern over the unfavorable effect of a weak currency and reiterated a readiness to react to extreme volatility.

The U.S. dollar index - which measures the currency against the yen, euro, sterling and 3 other significant peers - increased 0.14% to 105.57, adding to Tuesday's 0.3% advance.

The euro edged down 0.12% to $1.07325 and sterling lost 0.18% to $1.24865.

On Tuesday, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari recommended the U.S. reserve bank might require to pass up rates of interest cuts this year due to persistent inflation.

Last week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the wait to loosen policy is taking longer than expected, but signalled his inclination is still to cut.

And while costs have actually been sticky, the labour market revealed some indications of weakening in the regular monthly payrolls information from Friday. The next major information point will be consumer rates in a. week from now.

Dispute continues within markets and among policymakers. about the proper level for rates of interest, Kyle Rodda,. senior monetary markets analyst at Capital.com, composed in a. report.

A lack of major U.S. financial data in the days ahead. ( means) there was little to place for or respond to, he included. For now, the markets see partially greater chances for 2 cuts. in the U.S. this year, with the very first fully baked in for. November.

U.S. long-term Treasury yields stood at 4.47% in. Asian trading, after dipping to a nearly one-month low of 4.42%. on Tuesday.

Gold slipped 0.25% to around $2,319.50 per ounce.

Petroleum extended Tuesday's decreases after market sources. said that data due later on from the American Petroleum Institute. will show a dive in U.S. crude and fuel stocks for recently, a. indication of lower demand.

Meanwhile, the U.S. believes negotiations on a Gaza. ceasefire should be able to close the spaces in between Israel and. Hamas, reducing the dangers of supply interruptions.

Brent crude oil futures fell 46 cents, or 0.55%, to. $ 82.70 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate unrefined futures. slid 41 cents, or 0.52%, to $77.97 a barrel.

(source: Reuters)