BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were lower in Europe after retreating in Asia as investors awaited decisions on interest rates by the Federal Reserve and other central banks.
The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 0.3% lower.
Germany’s DAX edged less than 0.1% lower, to 20,306.22, while the CAC 40 in Paris edged less than 0.1% higher. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.6%, to 8,210.20.
The Bank of England is expected to keep rates steady at a policy meeting on Thursday.
Bitcoin was trading at $107,262 after nudging closer to $108,000, according to CoinDesk. Its price has catapulted from roughly $44,000 at the start of the year on expectations that Trump will favor digital currencies.
In Asian trading, Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.2% to 39,364.68. But SoftBank Group Corp.’s shares jumped 4.4% after its CEO Masayoshi Son joined President-elect Donald Trump in announcing plans Monday by the Japanese technology and telecoms giant to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years.
Japan’s central bank also is thought likely to keep its benchmark rate unchanged when it wraps up a monetary policy meeting on Friday. The Bank of Japan is very slowly raising rates after keeping its policy rate below zero for years to try to spur inflation and drive more spending and investment.
Chinese markets slid further, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index losing 0.1% to 19,773.60. The Shanghai Composite index shed 0.7% to 3,361.49.
“In China, recent disappointing data continues to pressure domestic policymakers to intensify their policy stimulus to invigorate domestic demand,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.
South Korea’s Kospi sank 1.3% to 2,456.81 as authorities were pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree of last week. The country’s Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon’s case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8% to 8,314.00. The Taiex in Taiwan fell 0.1% while the Bangkok’s SET dropped 1.7%.
On Monday, U.S. stock indexes drifted in mixed trading.
The S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 6,074.08 and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.2% to a record close of 20,173.89. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, giving up 0.3% to 43,717.48.
Broadcom leaped 11.2% to help lead the S&P 500 for a second straight day after delivering a profit report last week that beat analysts’ expectations thanks to the wave of enthusiasm about its artificial-intelligence offerings.
