Asian stocks fell for the fifth time in six days after the Federal Reserve pressed on with cuts to U.S. economic stimulus and the yen climbed against the dollar.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 1.2 percent to 135.03 as of 9:30 a.m. in Tokyo, with all 10 industry groups on the gauge falling. The measure has dropped 4.3 percent in January, on course for the biggest monthly slump since May as part of a global equities rout sparked by weaker-than-expected economic data from China and a sell-off in emerging-market currencies.
“Given the likelihood of continued Fed tapering in the period ahead, there appears little doubt that long emerging market positions are likely to be subjected to near-term pressure,” Matthew Sherwood, Sydney-based head of investment markets research at Perpetual Ltd., which manages about $25 billion, said in an e-mail, referring to bets on gains in developing-nation assets. “What we are seeing at present is a global re-pricing of risk.”
Bloomberg
