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Asian stocks waver after tech earnings, yen at seven-week high

Asian stocks fell on Wednesday after drab earnings from U.S. tech leviathans Tesla and Alphabet dented threat cravings, while the yen surged to a sevenweek high ahead of a central bank meeting next week where a rate hike stays on the table.

The U.S. dollar was broadly stable, with traders watching out for an inflation reading on Friday and Federal Reserve satisfying next week. The Bank of Japan is likewise due to fulfill next week, where a 10 basis point hike is priced at a 44% chance.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was 0.35% lower, while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%. Taiwan financial markets are closed due to a tropical cyclone.

Nasdaq futures moved 1%, while S&P 500 futures were 0.6% lower after Tesla reported its tiniest profit margin in more than 5 years, weighing on other EV stocks.

Shares of Google-parent Alphabet insinuated after-hours trade even as the firm beat income and earnings targets.

The bar was set so high for Alphabet that a modest earnings beat couldn't push the stock greater. So, the marketplace has no news to buy into, stated Kyle Rodda, senior financial market expert at Capital.com.

It likewise speaks to concerns that tech stocks are too highly valued here. We will have to see how the other tech giants report and how the marketplaces react.

The dour state of mind is set to transfer to Europe, with Eurostoxx 50 futures down 0.65%, German DAX futures down 0.44% and FTSE futures 0.3% lower ahead of a slew of earnings from companies in the area.

Investor focus will be on European luxury stocks after the world's biggest luxury group LVMH reported slowing sales growth as Chinese consumers lower their costs.

Chinese stocks were suppressed in choppy trading, with the Shanghai Composite index flat, while the blue-chip CSI300 index was 0.26% lower after recording its biggest one-day decrease since mid-January on Tuesday.

On the macro side, investors await U.S. GDP data on Thursday and PCE information - the Fed's favoured measure of inflation - on Friday to assess the expectations of interest rate cuts this year.

Markets are pricing in 62 basis points of alleviating this year, with a cut in September priced in at 95%, the CME FedWatch tool revealed.

A growing bulk of financial experts in a poll stated the Fed will likely cut rates simply two times this year, in September and December, as resistant U.S. consumer demand warrants a careful technique despite alleviating inflation.

The U.S. consumer has remained extremely strong ... but you're beginning to see a degree of fragility underlying a few of the information, said Luke Browne, head of property allowance for Asia at Manulife Financial Investment Management.

YEN RIDE

The Japanese yen increased to its highest in seven weeks of 154.36 per dollar after rising almost 1% on Tuesday, having actually languished near a 38-year low of 161.96 at the start of the month. It was last up 0.56% at 154.75.

Traders suspect Tokyo intervened in the currency market in early July to tug the yen far from those lows, with quotes from BOJ data indicating authorities might have invested approximately 6 trillion yen ($ 38.62 billion) to prop up the frail currency.

The bouts of intervention have led speculators to relax popular and rewarding bring trades, in which traders borrow the yen at low rates to invest in dollar-priced properties for a greater return.

The yen was broadly higher, with the Japanese unit touching more than a one-month high versus the pound, the euro and a two-month high versus the Australian dollar .

The dollar index, which determines the U.S. currency against six rivals, was bit altered at 104.41. The index is down 1.3% this month.

In commodities, oil prices rose on relieving U.S. crude inventories. Brent unrefined futures for September increased 0.28% to $81.24 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for September acquired 031% to $77.2 per barrel. ($1 = 155.3600 yen)

(source: Reuters)