GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares hit by surging coronavirus cases, U.S. stimulus woes

By Kane Wu and Pete Schroeder
Oct 27 (Reuters) - Asian stocks markets fell on Tuesday as
soaring global coronavirus cases and slow progress on a U.S.
stimulus deal hammered investor sentiment and took a toll on
Wall Street.
MSCI's gauge of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS was down 0.43%, with Australia's ASX 200 .AXJO
off 1.1% to an almost three-week low. China's CSI300 Index .CSI300 edged down 0.1%, as investors
looked out for any news from a meeting of China's Communist
Party leaders to set the next five-year plan.
Data out earlier in the day also showed China's industrial
profits grew at a slower pace in September, suggesting a
recovery in the manufacturing sector is yet to be bedded-in.
In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 NKc1 dropped 0.28% in
morning trade while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index .HSI was down
1.02%.
U.S. indices fell sharply overnight to open the week's
trading, as anxiety over new record daily COVID-19 cases in the
United States, Russia and France weighed on investor appetite.
Adding to the gloom, White House economic adviser Larry
Kudlow told reporters on Monday that talks over a coronavirus
relief package have slowed, though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
remained hopeful an agreement can be reached before the Nov. 3
elections.
Many Senate Republicans have resisted legislation of a scope
that Pelosi and Mnuchin have discussed, totaling around $2
trillion.
"The challenge for markets is that in most cases they are
already pricing a very strong economic bounce. The new
outbreaks, and the potential for a double-dip recession,
directly contradict this assumption," Michael McCarthy, chief
market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney.
National polls give Democrat Joe Biden a solid lead over
president Donald Trump but the contest is much tighter in
battleground states that could decide the outcome. The sharp stock market decline set a bleak tone ahead of a
busy third-quarter earnings season, with large U.S. tech firms
like Apple Inc AAPL.O , Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O and
Google-parent Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O set to report. Microsoft
Corp MSFT.O reports its results Tuesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 2.29%
overnight, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 1.86%, while the Nasdaq
Composite .IXIC dropped 1.64%. The dollar =USD was holding largely steady, moving just a
touch lower to trade at 92.951 against a basket of six major
currencies.
Much of the trading in currency markets, as well as other
asset markets, was buffeted by the renewed coronavirus fears.
In early Asia, oil prices managed to staunch an extended
sell-off though the outlook was weak due to the virus-induced
worries over demand. Brent crude LCOc1 was up 12 cents, or
0.3%, at $40.58 a barrel by 0039 GMT, having dropped more than
3% overnight. U.S. oil CLc1 was up 13 cents, or 03%, at $38.69
a barrel, after also declining more than 3% on Monday.
The safe-haven Spot gold XAU= added 0.3% to $1,907.41 an
ounce Tuesday morning.


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