Asian stocks fall, oil gives up some gains after China moves

BEIJING (AP) – Asian stock markets fell on Monday and oil prices gave up some of their gains after Chinese regulators released additional money for bank loans in a trade dispute with Washington.

KEEP SCORE: Tokyo Nikkei 225 fell 0.5 percent to 22,404.53 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.5 percent to 29,193.68. The Shanghai Composite Index rose less than 1 point to 2,890.45 while the Seoul Kospi lost 0.4% to 2,346.92. The Sydney S & P-ASX 200 fell 0.1% to 6,217.00 and benchmark indices in Taiwan, New Zealand and Singapore also declined.

CHINA LOANS: Beijing has released about $ 100 billion for additional bank loans, according to financial analysts who could help reassure investors plagued by trade tensions with Washington. The reduction in the amount of money that banks must hold in reserve, the second this year, is one of the forecasts that forecasters had anticipated before the dispute over the trade surplus and the policy China's technology bursts. The central bank said the measure was aimed at facilitating debt-for-equity swaps in order to help eliminate a backlog of non-performing bank loans owed by state-owned companies.

ANALYST: "The mixed week's start for Asian markets seems to be a recurring theme in recent sessions that have seen global stock markets shrouded in the gloom of trade tensions," said Jingyi Pan of the IG in a report. "The latest reduction in China's rate reserve, although planned, serves as a counterweight to this weak sentiment."

WEEK AHEAD: The United States is expected to announce quarterly economic growth on Thursday. Friday, Japan and South Korea report monthly production of factories and the European Union announces June inflation.

CURRENCY: The dollar fell to 109.53 yen from Friday's 109.97 yen. The euro has retreated to $ 1,1651 against $ 1,1657.

ENERGY: The benchmark US crude dropped 19 cents to $ 68.39 a barrel in e-commerce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract jumped from $ 3.04 Friday to $ 68.58. Brent crude, used for the price of international oils, fell from $ 1.37 to $ 73.95 per barrel in London. He earned $ 2.52 the previous session to close at $ 75.32.