Asian stocks retreat as China and the United States begin trade negotiations

SINGAPORE – Asian stocks were down mainly on Thursday as China and the United States launched two days of trade talks in Beijing. The regional indices have progressed for three consecutive days in the hope that both sides will be able to solve such important problems as Beijing's technology policy.

Hang Seng of Hong Kong sold 0.7% to 28,305.33. The Australian S & P / ASX 200 lost 0.1% to 6,060.50 and Kospi in South Korea lost 0.5% to 2,191.42. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4% to 2,709.73.

Japan's benchmark, Nikkei 225, rose 0.1% to 21,155.44, following preliminary data showing that its economy grew 1.4% in the fourth quarter of 2018, thanks to the domestic demand. This was a marked improvement over a general contraction recorded in the previous quarter. Shares rose in Taiwan and the Philippines, but fell in Singapore.

"For the Asian markets, the exhaustion of the positive sentiment that animated the US markets overnight seemed to invite the region to follow the course of the water during the session," said Jingyi Pan, IG.

The announcement that Chinese and US officials plan to continue the talks in Beijing has boosted trade in Asia and beyond. A tariff truce put in place by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump in December will soon expire. On March 2, the United States is expected to more than double taxes on the import of $ 200 billion of Chinese goods.

Trump hinted that he could suspend these tariffs if the negotiations progressed sufficiently. On Wednesday, he told reporters that the talks were "going very well".

Traders are also waiting for Chinese trade data to be released later today. A drop in the country's exports or imports could cement the worries of the world. 2 economy was slowing down.

WALL STREET: US stocks rose slightly Wednesday, in the hope that negotiators will come closer to an agreement after trade talks. Energy companies, retailers and industrials climbed. The S & P 500 added 0.33% to 2,753.03% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an increase of 0.5% to 25,543.27%. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.1% to 7,420.38. The Russell 2000 stock index of smaller companies rose 0.3% to 1,542.94.

ENERGY: US crude oil rose 15 cents to 54.05 dollars a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. He earned 80 cents to settle at $ 53.90 a barrel in New York. Brent, used for the price of international oil, gained 16 cents to 63.77 dollars a barrel. He added $ 1.19 close to $ 63.61 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar slipped to 110.97 yen, against 110.98 yen on Wednesday night. The euro has strengthened, rising from 1.1261 dollar to 1.1277 dollar.

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