Asian market rally stalls but vaccine, stimulus hopes lend support

HONG KONG: Asian markets slipped Thursday as investors took a breather after a broad three-day rally, though upbeat data, stimulus hopes and signs of improvement on the coronavirus and vaccine fronts continued to provide strong support.

An upbeat outlook for the global economy pushed oil prices higher, with top producers sounding a note of optimism for demand this year as lockdowns are eased and activities slowly resume.

Equities around the world have surged this week after last week's rout, with traders also breathing a sigh of relief that the social media-driven buying frenzy, which hammered major investors, has died down for now.

US President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday not to reduce the cash handout included in his $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal, but in a bid to get bipartisan support for the package, he did say he was willing to narrow the parameters for qualification.

The move comes after Republicans put forward a plan that was less than a third of Biden's spending package and has much lower handouts.

The president said he expects "some" Republican support but urged Democrats, some of whom have reservations about the size of the bill, to stay united.

His press secretary Jen Psaki added that Biden was listening but would not bend much or wait long.

"It's important to work with many Republicans and Democrats who fall in different parts of the political spectrum," she told reporters, promising that any suggestions would be considered if they "improve" the bill.

Optimism that a new, huge US spending package is on the horizon -- along with vast central bank support -- has helped fuel a surge in world markets as traders respond positively to any sign it will get passed.

But they were unable to push this week's rally into a fourth day, with most markets in the red following a tepid lead from Wall Street.

Comments from Biden's pick for commerce secretary that she did not see a reason Chinese telecom giant Huawei should be removed from a trade blacklist added to the selling pressure, with tech firms taking a heavy hit.

In written comments to lawmakers for her confirmation, Gina Raimondo suggested Huawei and another telco, ZTE, along with key tech firms including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), should remain on the list of firms deemed a threat to national security.

"I understand that parties are placed on the Entity List and the Military End User List generally because they pose a risk to US national security or foreign policy interests," she said.

"I currently have no reason to believe that entities on those lists should not be there. If confirmed, I look forward to a briefing on these entities and others of concern."

Hong Kong and Shanghai sank more than one percent initially though they pared the losses as the afternoon wore on.

But Tokyo and Seoul remained down more than one percent apiece. There were also losses in Sydney, Singapore, Taipei and Wellington, though Jakarta, Bangkok, Mumbai and Manila were up.

London, Paris and Frankfurt edged higher at the open.

There is underlying optimism over a pick-up in vaccinations, particularly in the United States and Britain, while coronavirus infection and death rates are also falling, giving hope that economically painful containment measures can begin to be lifted soon.

There was also cheer from data showing US private jobs creation rose more than three times quicker than expected last month, instilling confidence for the release of government employment figures on Friday.

"There has been a ton of noise in the stock market these past few weeks, so it's encouraging to see solid economic reads," said Mike Loewengart, at E*Trade Financial Corp.

"There may be signs of overextension when it comes to single stocks, but under the surface there is an economy regaining serious momentum."

Top Federal Reserve officials added to the upbeat mood, saying the world's biggest economy was on track for a recovery but the bank would not consider tightening monetary policy for some time.

"We are still in the middle of a crisis, so it's too early to initiate that discussion," St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said, adding later that he thought the jobs recovery was much better than after the global financial crisis a decade ago.

Other regional bosses also said they were happy with the current state of affairs.

Oil prices rose again, consolidating at more than one-year highs, on growing demand hopes as immunisation programmes progress, while OPEC and other major producers said they were confident in a global economic recovery.

Key figures around 0820 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.1 percent at 28,341.95 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.7 percent at 29,113.50 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,501.86 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 6,520.85

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.2008 from $1.2035 at 2140 GMT

Dollar/yen: UP at 105.22 yen from 105.03 yen

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3600 from $1.3638

Euro/pound: UP at 88.33 pence from 88.24 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $56.20 per barrel

Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.9 percent at $58.96 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 30,723.60 (close)