Asian markets rise amid uncertainty over US-China trade spat

BEIJING — Asian stock markets rose Monday amid uncertainty about an escalating U.S.-Chinese tariff dispute after President Donald Trump said a settlement was possible but his advisers said other nations might add to pressure on Beijing.

KEEPING SCORE: The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.2 per cent to 3,137.76 and Toyko’s Nikkei 225 edged up 13 points to 21,580.42. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.6 per cent to 30,013.30 and Australia’s S&P-ASX 200 added 1 point to 5,789.40. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.2 per cent to 2,434.94 and benchmarks in Taiwan and Indonesia also rose. New Zealand and Singapore declined.

TRADE TENSIONS: Trump said Washington and Beijing can settle their tariff dispute but his new economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said a “coalition of the willing” — including Canada, much of Europe and Australia — was being formed to pressure China. Kudlow said while Washington hoped to avoid taking action, Trump “was not bluffing.” Beijing and Washington have threatened to raise tariffs on $50 billion worth of each other’s goods. Trump said the U.S. list might be increased by an additional $100 billion of goods, which prompted China’s government to say it would “counterattack with great strength.”

ANALYST’S TAKE: “The trade tariffs cloud looms into the new week following last Friday’s gyrations as President Donald Trump ramped up the tensions with newly proposed tariffs,” said Jingyi Pan of IG in a report. “Despite conciliatory messages put through over the weekend, investors are expected to remain on edge at the start of the week with more to look for from China.”

WALL STREET: Stocks fell on jitters about the possible impact of the tariff dispute on U.S. exporters. Caterpillar, a construction equipment maker, slid 3.5 per cent and aircraft manufacturer Boeing lost 3.1 per cent. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 2.3 per cent to 23,932.76. It is down 10 per cent from its record high in late January. The Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 2.2 per cent to 2,604.47. The Nasdaq composite slid 2.3 per cent to 6,915.11.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude gained 19 cents to $62.25 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract plunged $1.48 on Friday to close at $62.06. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 21 cents to $67.32 in London. It fell $1.22 the previous session to close at $67.11.

CURRENCY: The dollar was little-changed at 106.91 yen. The euro edged down to $1.2269 from $1.2282.