Asia Pacific stocks were set for a mixed start as developments on the coronavirus pandemic continues to be watched by investors.
Futures pointed to a mixed open for Japanese stocks. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 22,950 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 22,900. That compared against the Nikkei 225’s last close at 22,920.30.
Shares in Australia were set to dip, with the SPI futures contract at 6,057.0, as compared to the S&P/ASX 200’s last close at 6,111.20.
In market developments, the first batch of firms listing on the Nasdaq-style ChiNext Board under its revised IPO system is set to make their debut on Monday. New regulations also now allow stocks on ChiNext to now rise or fall up to 20% in a session, as compared with 10% previously, according to Reuters.
Stock movements in India will be watched on Monday after the number of coronavirus cases crossed the 3 million mark, according to the latest data by the Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. India currently has the third largest number of coronavirus cases globally, behind the U.S. and Brazil, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is considering fast tracking an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed in the U.K. for use stateside ahead of the nation’s upcoming presidential election, according to a Financial Times report.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 93.161 after its rise from levels below 92.4 last week.
The Japanese yen traded at 105.83 per dollar after strengthening from levels above 106 against the greenback in the previous trading week. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7167 following a decline last week from above $0.724.
Source: CNBC