Asian markets mixed as rate hike woes offset China tech hopes

Asian markets struggled Tuesday on long-running worries over surging inflation and rising interest rates, which overshadowed hopes that China would ease off its regulatory drive against the country's beleaguered tech giants.

A spike in US Treasury yields took the wind out of the sales for Wall Street, with focus now on the release of inflation data from the United States and China at the end of the week.

Analysts are tipping the Federal Reserve to lift borrowing costs by half a point at its next three meetings as officials try to get a grip on runaway prices.

But that is causing discomfort on trading floors as investors fret over the impact on economic growth and firms' bottom lines.

"Inflation concerns are not going anywhere fast," Fiona Cincotta, at City Index, said. "Rising crude oil prices and a strong labour report have lifted bets that the Fed may need to act aggressively to rein in inflation."

And SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes added: "Investors are hyper-focused on inflation, economic growth, and future Fed policy.

"Most assume the worst and think a financial tsunami will hit the US and global markets thanks to the quorum of US-based bank CEOs that have given the gloomy growth narrative their imprimatur. Anything less than that outcome is going to surprise a lot of folks."

Equity markets were mixed in early trade.

Tokyo rose, helped by a softening of the yen to a two-year low owing to expectations the Bank of Japan will not tighten monetary policy just as US rates climb.

Manila and Jakarta also edged up but there were losses in Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Wellington and Taipei.

Hong Kong dipped and Shanghai was flat, even as heavyweights Alibaba and JD.com led gains among tech firms following a report that China was close to ending a painful crackdown on ride-hailing app Didi Global and restore its main apps this week.

Didi's US-listed notes soared more than 20 percent.

The Wall Street Journal added that probes into two other firms -- Full Truck Alliance and recruitment platform Kanzhun -- fanning optimism for the sector's outlook after a long period of hefty selling pressure.

"This was seen as a signal that the regulatory crackdown on Chinese tech firms was starting to end... as China focuses on stabilising the economy following Covid restrictions," said National Australia Bank's Tapas Strickland.

Markets have seen some levelling out in recent weeks as the easing of lockdown measures in China helps to offset some of the worries about higher rates and the impact of the Ukraine war.

But market-watcher Louis Navellier warned there was still plenty more volatility to come.

"If history repeats, we could be down tomorrow, then up on Wednesday, then down on Thursday, and possibly up on Friday," he said in a commentary. "So just get used to these up-down, up-down oscillations because they are going to continue.

 "I want to remind investors to not get too excited when the market rallies because it is going to continue to oscillate. There is just too much uncertainty out there."

   - Key figures at around 0230 GMT -

   Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 28,031.15 (break)

   Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.2 percent at 21,609.25

   Shanghai - Composite: FLAT at 3,237.14

   Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.6 percent at $120.28 per barrel

   West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.7 percent at $119.29 per barrel

   Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0675 from $1.0699

   Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2500 from $1.2528

   Euro/pound: UP at 85.42 pence from 85.37 pence

   Dollar/yen: UP at 132.60 yen from 131.88 yen

   New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent to 32,915.78 (close)

   London - FTSE 100: UP 1.0 percent at 7,608.22 (close)