A rough end to the week for Japanese stocks
The Nikkei is ending the week on a softer note, as fears surrounding domestic and global growth are still evident amid the escalating virus situation in Japan and the US. The stronger yen also weighed on exporters as we see USD/JPY fall to 104.00 levels.
On the week, the Nikkei is seen down by over 4%.
Elsewhere, the Hang Seng is down 0.3% while the Shanghai Composite is keeping higher by 0.2% in a bit of a mixed session for Chinese equities today.
The broader picture paints a more cautious and defensive risk tone in Asian trading this week. For today, US futures are keeping calmer near flat levels but Nasdaq futures are higher after earnings beats from key tech giants overnight.
In the currencies space, the dollar is still among the laggards as we see EUR/USD inch towards 1.1900 and cable looking to keep a break above 1.3100.
