Tokyo, Oct 26: Shares were mostly lower Monday in Asia and oil prices fell after rising last week to their highest level in more than four years.
US futures edged higher.Analysts said investors were bracing for earnings reports of big companies and central bank decisions this week that could shake markets.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.1% to 62,602.86 and the Kospi in Seoul dropped 1.1% to 5,494.29.In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng edged 0.2% higher to 23,137.93, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.4% to 3,673.83.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2% to 8,782.30.The price of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.3% to USD 110.23 a barrel. US benchmark crude sank 1.7% to USD 101.52 a barrel.On Friday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 3.1% to settle at USD 116.72, its highest level since June 2022. It has surged from less than USD 97 since early October.Also Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.5%, adding to its decline from a day before and logging its second-straight weekly loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2% after giving up a modest gain.
