Indices Insider Australia and Asia: More sideways action in Asia, but it may not last very long.

By Chris Tedder

www.forex.com

Price action in Asia has, yet again, been broadly sideways over the last week, but most markets have at least managed to push into the green, albeit only just. The ASX 200 and Hang Sang are up around 1.77% and 2.28% for the week, respectively. Whereas, the Nikkei has been hit harder by renewed concerns about the European crisis, poor earnings and a strong yen, and has fallen around 2.48% in the last 5 trading days, which means it is now one of the worst performing markets in Asia this year.

Last week global equity markets were being led forward by a slew of positive earnings reports out of the US, but without this investors are finding a reason to rally is eluding them. This sentiment is hitting the Nikkei 225 hard as Japanese exporters struggle with a strong yen and recent earnings weigh on stock prices. Japan is also struggling under the weight of an ageing economy and weak levels of global demand, thus the market is underperforming most of its counterparts in Asia. Continue reading "Indices Insider Australia and Asia: More sideways action in Asia, but it may not last very long."