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MORNING BID ASIA-Triple dose of central banks as tech, oil slump
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MORNING BID ASIA-Triple dose of central banks as tech, oil slump
Oct 17, 2024 1:09 PM

Oct 16 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian

markets.

Three monetary policy decisions dominate Asian markets on

Wednesday, with investor sentiment and risk appetite likely to

be kept in check by a selloff on Wall Street and worries over

tech and the global economy the day before.

The central banks of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines

all set interest rates on Wednesday, while the latest New

Zealand inflation, South Korean unemployment and Japanese

machinery orders are also on deck.

Oil prices are on the slide again, partly reflecting soft

demand, particularly from China. Crude futures slumped nearly 5%

on Tuesday, pushing U.S. crude below $70 a barrel and bringing

the year-on-year decline back to 20%.

Tech worries pushed U.S. shares into the red, despite upbeat

earnings from financial heavyweights Goldman Sachs, Citi and

Bank of America. Nvidia and ASML shares led the global tech

slump, and attention later in the week turns to Taiwan

Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the contract manufacturer that

produces Nvidia's processors.

It is expected to report a 40% leap in quarterly profit on

Thursday, thanks to soaring demand.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, Bank Indonesia is expected to leave

interest rates unchanged despite inflation falling to its lowest

level since 2021, with the exchange rate at the forefront of

policymakers' thinking.

Inflation is down to 1.84% and has been within BI's target

of 1.5% to 3.5% all year, but the rupiah has fallen more than 3%

from a September peak.

The Bank of Thailand is also expected to stay on hold and

leave its one-day repo rate at 2.50% for the rest of the year.

Four out of 28 economists in a Reuters poll predicted a

quarter-point cut.

The Philippine central bank, on the other hand, is expected

to cut its overnight borrowing rate by 25 basis points to 6.00%,

and again in December as policymakers strive to support economic

growth as inflation remains under control.

The central bank kicked off its easing cycle in August, and

since then inflation has dropped below the bank's 2%-4% target.

Meanwhile, investors continue to digest the details and

steer from China at the weekend about its stimulus measures, and

the recent slew of data. None of that has been particularly

encouraging and Chinese markets are drifting lower, although

equities are still up substantially from 'pre-stimulus' levels.

Beijing on Tuesday announced that a press conference will be

held on Thursday to discuss promoting the "steady and healthy"

development of the property sector. If this announcement was

aimed at reassuring investors, however, it has fallen flat.

Shanghai's blue chip index is down 13% from last Tuesday's

peak, but is still up 20% from the day before Beijing first

unveiled its measures to support markets, the property sector

and growth.

Here are key developments that could provide more direction

to markets on Wednesday:

- Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines rate decisions

- Bank of Japan's Seiji Adachi speaks

- New Zealand inflation (Q3)

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