WELLINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Asian shares are set to ease
on Monday after U.S. stocks fell on persistent worries over the
health of the finance sector and ahead of Japanese growth data
that is likely to show a sharp contraction.
The main Wall St indexes were down up to 1 percent on Friday as investor optimism waned in the latest plan to rid banks of their toxic assets.
A meeting of the G7 major economies in Rome ended with a pledge to fight the recession without limiting free trade.
Japanese shares look likely to begin the week lower, with Nikkei futures traded in Chicago last trading at 7,725 points, 125 points higher than the last traded level in Osaka .
Japanese markets will also look to fourth-quarter gross domestic product data due on Monday, with forecasts centring on a 3.1 percent contraction on the previous quarter.
The U.S. dollar slipped against the yen after little comment was made about currencies at the G7 meeting.
Crude oil prices surged 10 percent on Friday on hopes the U.S. fiscal stimulus package would boost demand.
HEADLINES: > G7 strains to couple crisis response, free trade > Obama to unveil foreclosure plan, big lenders wait > US House approves stimulus plan; Senate next > Lloyds Banking unveils 8.5 bln pound HBOS loss > Wall St slides as banks eclipse housing optimism > Clinton makes offer to N.Korea, appeals to China > U.S. consumers, economists unanimously grim > Global lenders warn of risks to emerging markets > U.S. oil jumps 10 pct on stimulus hopes > US missile defense said to face near $2 bln cut > Scrutiny of Stanford's bank spreads to Caribbean
KEY INDEXES pct change
Bank of New York Asia ADR index -1.15
Dow Jones Industrial Average -1.04
Nasdaq Composite Index -0.48
MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan 2.48
Nikkei futures in Chicago 0.06
Nikkei futures in Osaka 1.03
ASIAN ADR ACTION:
5 most actively traded: pct change
Infosys Tech -2.55
TSMC -1.19
UMC 5.13
Siliconware 2.07
BHP Billiton 1.83
Top 5 performers: pct change
Satyam 11.70
Alumina 5.42
UMC 5.13
Novogen 4.55
Chartered Semi 3.83
Bottom 5 performers: pct change
Prana Biotech -8.96
Kubota Corp. -6.85
Orix -6.54
Mitsui & Co. -5.25
Sony Corp. -4.74
TOP ASIA EVENTS:
For more Asian company earnings, see
JAPAN - Preliminary Q4 GDP
- Sanyo Electric Co briefing
TAIWAN - Central Bank news conference
STH KOREA - Woori Bank CEO to hold news conference
(Reporting by Adrian Bathgate) For top Asian company news, double click on: U.S. company news European company news U.S. weekly outlook European weekly outlook Forex news Global Economy news Tech/Telecoms/Media Banking news Political/General news Asia Macro data ASIA STOCK MARKETS: Pan-Asia........ Japan....... S.Korea... S.E. Asia....... Hong Kong... Taiwan.... Australia/NZ.... India....... China..... DIARIES & DATA: IPO diary/data Asia earnings diary U.S. earnings diary European diary Hong Kong diary Wall Street Week Ahead Eurostocks Week Ahead LIVE PRICES & DATA: World Stocks Asian Stocks Dow Jones/NASDAQ / Nikkei FTSE 100 Debt Currency rates Keywords: MARKETS ASIA/ (adrian.bathgate@reuters.com; +64-4-4714233; Reuters Messaging: adrian.bathgate.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The main Wall St indexes were down up to 1 percent on Friday as investor optimism waned in the latest plan to rid banks of their toxic assets.
A meeting of the G7 major economies in Rome ended with a pledge to fight the recession without limiting free trade.
Japanese shares look likely to begin the week lower, with Nikkei futures traded in Chicago last trading at 7,725 points, 125 points higher than the last traded level in Osaka .
Japanese markets will also look to fourth-quarter gross domestic product data due on Monday, with forecasts centring on a 3.1 percent contraction on the previous quarter.
The U.S. dollar slipped against the yen after little comment was made about currencies at the G7 meeting.
Crude oil prices surged 10 percent on Friday on hopes the U.S. fiscal stimulus package would boost demand.
HEADLINES: > G7 strains to couple crisis response, free trade > Obama to unveil foreclosure plan, big lenders wait > US House approves stimulus plan; Senate next > Lloyds Banking unveils 8.5 bln pound HBOS loss > Wall St slides as banks eclipse housing optimism > Clinton makes offer to N.Korea, appeals to China > U.S. consumers, economists unanimously grim > Global lenders warn of risks to emerging markets > U.S. oil jumps 10 pct on stimulus hopes > US missile defense said to face near $2 bln cut > Scrutiny of Stanford's bank spreads to Caribbean
KEY INDEXES pct change
Bank of New York Asia ADR index -1.15
Dow Jones Industrial Average -1.04
Nasdaq Composite Index -0.48
MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan 2.48
Nikkei futures in Chicago 0.06
Nikkei futures in Osaka 1.03
ASIAN ADR ACTION:
5 most actively traded: pct change
Infosys Tech -2.55
TSMC -1.19
UMC 5.13
Siliconware 2.07
BHP Billiton 1.83
Top 5 performers: pct change
Satyam 11.70
Alumina 5.42
UMC 5.13
Novogen 4.55
Chartered Semi 3.83
Bottom 5 performers: pct change
Prana Biotech -8.96
Kubota Corp. -6.85
Orix -6.54
Mitsui & Co. -5.25
Sony Corp. -4.74
TOP ASIA EVENTS:
For more Asian company earnings, see
JAPAN - Preliminary Q4 GDP
- Sanyo Electric Co briefing
TAIWAN - Central Bank news conference
STH KOREA - Woori Bank CEO to hold news conference
(Reporting by Adrian Bathgate) For top Asian company news, double click on: U.S. company news European company news U.S. weekly outlook European weekly outlook Forex news Global Economy news Tech/Telecoms/Media Banking news Political/General news Asia Macro data ASIA STOCK MARKETS: Pan-Asia........ Japan....... S.Korea... S.E. Asia....... Hong Kong... Taiwan.... Australia/NZ.... India....... China..... DIARIES & DATA: IPO diary/data Asia earnings diary U.S. earnings diary European diary Hong Kong diary Wall Street Week Ahead Eurostocks Week Ahead LIVE PRICES & DATA: World Stocks Asian Stocks Dow Jones/NASDAQ / Nikkei FTSE 100 Debt Currency rates Keywords: MARKETS ASIA/ (adrian.bathgate@reuters.com; +64-4-4714233; Reuters Messaging: adrian.bathgate.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.