BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Tuesday after U.S. stocks gave back some of last week’s rally, pressured by rising global bond yields.
U.S. futures edged higher, while oil prices declined.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 ended flat at 49,303.45, with financial shares the biggest gainers after the governor of the central bank hinted at a possible hike to interest rates this month.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng added 0.2% to 26,095.05, while the Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.7% to 3,897.71.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2% to 8,579.70.
The Kospi in South Korea jumped 1.9% to 3,994.93, led by buying of technology shares like Samsung Electronics, which surged 2.6%. Chip maker SK Hynix leaped 3.7%.
Taiwan’s benchmark Taiex climbed 0.8%, while the Sensex in India lost 0.6%.
On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.5% and broke a five-day winning streak, closing at 6,812.63. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.9% to 47,289.33, while the Nasdaq composite dipped 0.4% to 23,275.92.
Last week’s rally was largely due to rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate next week to help shore up the slowing job market.
Jobs are under pressure at U.S. manufacturers, and the majority in a survey by the Institute for Supply Management said they’re still focused more on managing headcount than on hiring. Several manufacturers also said tariffs are continuing to make things complicated.
“Conditions are more trying than during the coronavirus pandemic in terms of supply chain uncertainty,” one manufacturer told the ISM.
Yields for longer-term Treasurys rose in the bond market, part of a worldwide climb for yields after Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda indicated the central bank may raise its benchmark rate at its meeting later this month.
Japan’s benchmark interest rate has remained near zero for years in hopes of reviving sluggish growth. Now inflation is holding above the Bank of Japan’s target of about 2%.
“The prospect of the Bank of Japan resuming its hiking cycle a bit sooner than previously thought has sent tremors through global bond and equity markets this week, but we suspect they could nonetheless weather further tightening,” Thomas Mathews of Capital Markets said in a commentary.
When bonds are paying higher yields, they can attract investors who would otherwise buy stocks or cryptocurrencies. Higher yields undercut prices for all kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive.
Bitcoin, which was soaring around $125,000 in October, dropped toward $85,500. That’s down roughly 6% from a day earlier. It was trading around $87,000 early Tuesday.
Crypto industry stocks fell, with Coinbase Global down 4.8% and Robinhood Markets losing 4.1%.
On the winning side of Wall Street was Synposys, which rose 4.9%. It said Nvidia is investing $2 billion in its stock as part of an expanded partnership. Nvidia, which has become Wall Street’s most influential stock, swung from an early loss to a gain of 1.6%.
The markets had a mixed reaction to what seems like a strong start for the holiday shopping season. Consumer spending during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday retailing bonanza was expected to exceed expectations, despite uncertainty over the outlook for the U.S. economy.
In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gave up 16 cents to $59.16 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 23 cents to $62.94 per barrel.
The dollar rose to 156.05 Japanese yen from 155.48 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1609 from $1.1611.