Asian shares fall on jitters over US stimulus, China trade

Major Asian shares markets declined Wednesday amid investor concern about U.S. stimulus spending and a trade agreement with Beijing.

Asian Shares

• The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.5% to 3,354.92.
• The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo sank 0.7% to 22,426.91.
• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was off less than 0.1% at 24,934.14.
• The S&P-ASX 200 in Sydney fell 0.9% to 5,981.50.
• Seoul’s Kospi gained 0.7% to 2,296.98. New Zealand and Jakarta retreated while Singapore gained.

Currency Markets

• The dollar declined to 105.57 Japanese yen from Tuesday’s 105.72 yen.
• The euro gained to $1.1819 from $1.1805.

Oil Prices

• In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude lost 8 cents to $41.62 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
• The contract rose 69 cents on Tuesday to settle at $41.70 per barrel.
• Brent crude, the basis for pricing international oils, shed 4 cents to $44.39 per barrel in London. It gained 28 cents the previous session to $44.43.