Investing.com - Asian-Pacific markets are bracing for a dip at the start of the week, as rising borrowing costs and potential escalation of violence in the Middle East continue to sap risk appetite.
By 11:20am AEDT (12:20am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 and KOSPI 200 declined 0.9% and 0.6% respectively while Nikkei 225 Futures were up by 0.2%.
On Friday, U.S. stocks fell, marking a week of losses for U.S. markets. The S&P 500 fell by 1.3%, the tech-dominated Nasdaq Composite dropped by 1.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 287 points, or 0.9%. This resulted in all three major indexes ending the week in red.
Financial stocks faltered as more institutions unveiled their third-quarter results. Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF) saw a 12% drop post-earnings, while American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) fell 5.4%. The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index also declined by 3.1%, and JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) stock fell for the fifth consecutive session.
In the commodities market, Brent crude oil shed 1% while gold lost 0.6%.
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On the bond markets, the yield on Australian 2 Year government bonds dropped to 4.28%, and the 10 Year yield was at 4.77%. U.S. Treasury notes mirrored this trend, with the 2 Year yield at 5.09% and the 10 Year yield at 4.95%.
In the currency market, the Australian dollar, Vietnamese Dong and Indonesian Rupiah were flat while the Thai Baht, and Korean Won eased 0.1%. The US Dollar Index stood steady at 106.2.
In Asia, Chinese shares closed lower, with the Shanghai Composite Index decreasing 0.7% to 2983.06, falling below the significant 3000 support level. Hong Kong shares also fell, marking a third consecutive session of declines. Japanese stocks ended lower, influenced by falls in electronics and retail stocks. Indian shares mirrored regional equity markets, with tech and steel stocks dragging the market down.
In Europe, the STOXX 600, FTSE 100, CAC 40, and DAX all fell more than 1%.