Economy

Global Shares Mixed Amid Coronavirus Waves, Recovery Hopes

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's weekend comments that Trump plans to take action on national security risks presented by TikTok added to market jitters

In this April 23, 2020, file photo, a man wearing a mask walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo.
AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

Global shares were mixed on Monday as investors weighed risks from rising coronavirus cases with hopes for a recovery in some places like China.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's weekend comments that President Donald Trump plans to take action on a what he sees as a broad array of national security risks presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party added to market jitters.

Pompeo's remarks followed reports that Microsoft is in advanced talks to buy the U.S. operations of TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance and is seen as a source of national security and censorship concerns by the Trump administration.

France's CAC 40 added 0.3% in early trading to 4,797.41, while Germany's DAX surged 1.3% to 12,475.63. Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.3% to 5,879.46. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures dipping 0.3% at 26,248.0. S&P 500 futures were down 0.1% at 3,259.38.

In Asian trading, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 2.2% to finish at 22,195.38. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was flat at 5,926.10. South Korea's Kospi edged 0.% higher to 2,251.04. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.6% to 24,458.13, while the Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.8% to 3,367.97.

Investors were also watching the Caixin manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index, a private survey which showed China’s manufacturing activity grew in July, rising to a higher than expected level of 52.8 on a 0-100 scale where 50 marks the break between expansion and contraction.

A “strong rebound in Western economic activity should better the investor mood this week, even though the short-term direction will likely remain blurred by the persistent COVID threat and global trade tensions," Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote Bank, said in a commentary.

Worries are high that waves of coronavirus infections around the world may halt a nascent recovery.

Over the weekend, the Philippines reported its confirmed caseload had surpassed 100,000, and authorities ordered a renewed lockdown for the capital Manila and several other areas.

The premier of Australia's Victoria state, Daniel Andrews, said a “state of disaster” had been imposed, among sweeping new coronavirus-related restrictions to be imposed across Melbourne and the region from Sunday night.

That included an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew beginning Sunday night. On Monday, all non-essential workers were ordered to stay home for six weeks beginning late Wednesday. Industries that will have to close on-site operations for six weeks include most retailers and manufacturing.

Essential businesses that will continue uninterrupted include supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, post offices and liquor stores.

Japan’s second revised real gross domestic product data for January-March, released Monday, showed the world’s third largest economy shrank at an annual rate of 2.2%. The annual pace gives what the rate would have been when the pace for the quarter is continued for a year. The contraction for the quarter was minus 0.6%.

Confirmed coronavirus cases have been surging recently across Japan, especially in urban areas like Tokyo and Fukuoka, raising worries people weren't staying home or social distancing enough. Critics say the government has been sending out conflicting messages, encouraging people to travel and spend with a “GoTo” campaign offering discounts at hotels and resorts while also saying they should avoid unnecessary risks.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil lost 39 cents to $39.88 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude fell 32 cents to $43.20 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar inched down to 105.75 Japanese yen from 105.90 yen on Friday. The euro was little changed at $1.1776, down from $1.1779.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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