HONG KONG: Asian stocks retreated Tuesday after a series of market-rattling announcements by US President Donald Trump, including an unusual move to fire a central bank official and threats to impose export controls on microchips.
Traders had been riding a wave of confidence since Friday’s speech by US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, which suggested coming interest rate cuts in the world’s largest economy.
But the upward flurry appeared to die out Monday on Wall Street as attention turned back to this week’s earnings report from AI chip giant Nvidia – a bellwether for the industry as concerns over a tech bubble mount.
Asian markets notched mostly moderate losses on Tuesday, tracking drops made the previous day in New York and Europe.
Tokyo’s main index recorded one of the more pronounced slides, finishing one percent lower. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney were also down, while Taipei was slightly up.
Early trading in Europe saw London, Paris and Frankfurt all decline.
Weighing on investors’ minds was Trump’s Monday evening announcement in the United States that he was removing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, citing allegations of false statements on her mortgage agreements.
The highly unusual step – which may face a legal challenge – comes as worries grow about the independence of the central bank, fuelled by Trump’s repeated public demands on Powell to lower interest rates.
The dollar fell following the news, then mostly recovered after Cook issued a statement vowing to continue in her role.
Meanwhile, gold – widely perceived as a safe storage of wealth – advanced.
“The independence of the Fed, already a fraying banner, looks tattered against the gusts of politics,” wrote Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management in a note.
“What’s left is a central bank suddenly with a missing vote, a looming inflation test on Friday and a president willing to make personnel changes with the flair of a ringmaster cracking the whip,” he added.
Eyes are now turning toward a US GDP report on Thursday and a key inflation gauge coming on Friday for clues on how far interest rates might fall – or not – in the coming months.
Trump also vowed Monday evening to impose “substantial additional tariffs” on shipments from countries that do not cancel digital taxes and regulations, which he said were “designed to harm” US technology.
He added a threat to introduce export restrictions on “highly protected (US) technology and chips”, without offering further details.
Oil prices crept down Tuesday, walking back increases made in recent days amid speculation about a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Key figures at around 0715 GMT
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Tokyo: Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.0 percent at 42,394.40 (close)
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Hong Kong: Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.8 percent at 25,621.83
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Shanghai: Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,868.38 (close)
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London: FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 percent at 9,258.70
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Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1609 from $1.1624 on Monday
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Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3441 from $1.3460
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Dollar/yen: UP at 147.83 yen from 147.70 yen
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Euro/pound: UP at 86.36 pence from 86.35 pence
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West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $64.32 per barrel
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Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.6 percent at $68.37 per barrel
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New York: Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 45,282.47 (close)
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