Shares fall as Greek turmoil saps risk appetite
Investors continued to reduce positions in riskier assets, leading to a fall of more than US$1 (RM3.10) in oil prices and a drop to a 4-month low for spot gold, while lifting the dollar which tends to be seen as safe haven in times of heightened uncertainty.
"It's part of the risk-on, risk-off trade that we've had for the past two years and we are still stuck in it, looking for the next catalyst," said Andrew Pease, Sydney-based chief investment strategist at Russell Investments Asia Pacific, adding that markets may be risking becoming too pessimistic again.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan extended losses for the fourth consecutive day, sliding 2 per cent to a new 4-month low after retreating as much as 1.1 per cent on Tuesday. The index has fallen more than 8 per cent since May 2.
The materials and energy sectors led the declines, and took a toll on resources-heavy Australian shares which slipped 1.8 per cent.
In addition to Greek jitters, financials pulled Hong Kong shares down more than 2 per cent after a mainland newspaper reported flat loan growth for the first two weeks of May by the country's "Big Four" state-owned banks, adding to concerns about an economic slowdown following weak data last week.
Japan's Nikkei average shed 0.9 per cent to a 3-1/2 month low.
Greek exit
Greek political leaders meet on Wednesday to establish a caretaker government that will lead the country into its second election in just over a month.
Financial markets have been rattled by the prospect that a victory by leftists opposed to harsh austerity measures that are a condition of an international bailout could put both Greece's euro membership and the euro zone's fiscal consolidation efforts at stake.
A Greek exit from the euro may be manageable given the relatively small size of its economy, but a far more significant issue is the potential knock-on impact on unpopular restructuring policies agreed by other struggling economies such as Italy and Spain.
"The direct costs of a Greek euro exit would be huge for Greece, but manageable for the rest of the euro area. Our concern is contagion," said Michala Marcussen at Societe Generale.
"A speedy and forceful response would be required to stem this ... It's a question of political will."
Global stocks fell and European shares hit their lowest closing level since the start of 2012 on Tuesday. The benchmark Athens index plunged 3.6 per cent to a fresh 20-year low, and ongoing concerns over Spanish banks knocked Spain's IBEX index down to its lowest level since late 2003.
Commodities pressured
The euro held steady around US$1.2732, after touching a 4-month low of US$1.27215 on Tuesday. The Australian dollar, closely linked to risk sentiment, hit a 5-month low of US$0.9917. The dollar index, measured against a basket of major currencies, rose to a 4-month high of 81.340.
Spot gold fell to a 4-1/2 month low below US$1,540 an ounce, weighed by the euro's sluggishness and investors seeking to cash in.
"Everybody is rushing to buy the U.S dollar. A strong dollar is negative for gold for the time being," said Ronald Leung, director of Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong, adding that demand from jewellers was limited due to volatile prices.
Risk aversion continued to weigh on Asian credit markets, pushing the spread on the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment-grade index wider by 9 basis points.
Two-year Japanese government bond yields fell to a 7-year low below 0.10 per cent on Wednesday on growing concerns that Greece might eventually exit the euro zone.
On Tuesday, Greek contagion concerns pushed Italian 10-year government bond yields above 6 per cent for the first time in 2-1/2 months. Italy tracked Spain higher, with Spanish bond yields staying over 6 per cent. — Reuters
