AFP, Hong Kong :
Japanese stocks recovered slightly on Wednesday after suffering their worst finish in almost two years, but other Asian markets were mixed after President Donald Trump marked Christmas with a renewed attack on the Federal Reserve.
Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plummeted to a 20-month low on Tuesday on fears over the US economy and a government shutdown. That came after a brutal run on Wall Street that saw US stocks sink for a fourth straight session.
As the US stock market looked on track for its worst December since the Great Depression, Trump on Tuesday berated the Fed for its stewardship of the economy, a regular recent complaint against the US central bank.
However, Tokyo closed higher on Wednesday, logging its first positive finish in six sessions. Chinese stocks closed slightly lower, while Seoul also dropped.
Financial markets in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand are closed for a public holiday.
Markets have been roiled by ongoing uncertainty in the US, with Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin berated for holding a call with the six biggest US banks and then reporting on Twitter that the six CEOs have “ample liquidity” available.
Investors were also unnerved by weekend news reports that Trump had asked about the possibility of firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, accounts that Mnuchin said Trump has denied.
Analysts said investors had been spooked by Trump’s unpredictable behaviour.
Japanese stocks recovered slightly on Wednesday after suffering their worst finish in almost two years, but other Asian markets were mixed after President Donald Trump marked Christmas with a renewed attack on the Federal Reserve.
Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plummeted to a 20-month low on Tuesday on fears over the US economy and a government shutdown. That came after a brutal run on Wall Street that saw US stocks sink for a fourth straight session.
As the US stock market looked on track for its worst December since the Great Depression, Trump on Tuesday berated the Fed for its stewardship of the economy, a regular recent complaint against the US central bank.
However, Tokyo closed higher on Wednesday, logging its first positive finish in six sessions. Chinese stocks closed slightly lower, while Seoul also dropped.
Financial markets in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand are closed for a public holiday.
Markets have been roiled by ongoing uncertainty in the US, with Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin berated for holding a call with the six biggest US banks and then reporting on Twitter that the six CEOs have “ample liquidity” available.
Investors were also unnerved by weekend news reports that Trump had asked about the possibility of firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, accounts that Mnuchin said Trump has denied.
Analysts said investors had been spooked by Trump’s unpredictable behaviour.
