Stocks Slip After Trump Backs Hong Kong Protesters
November 28 2019 - 10:39AM
Dow Jones News
By Avantika Chilkoti
Global stocks edged down Thursday on fresh concerns over
U.S.-China relations after President Trump signed a bill supporting
Hong Kong protesters.
The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 declined about 0.2%, and
the Shanghai Composite Index ended the day down almost 0.5%. While
U.S. markets are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, futures
linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.2%.
Mr. Trump's support for the bill, which details U.S. policy
toward Hong Kong and orders an assessment of political developments
there, may raise fresh hurdles in the trade negotiations between
the world's two largest economies. Beijing, which has criticized
what it calls U.S. interference in China's domestic affairs,
shifted focus to whether the president would implement any of the
bill's measures, according to officials involved in economic
policy-making.
"It is certainly a notable added complication," said Richard
McGuire, a rates strategist at Rabobank. "But whether China
responds immediately -- and how they respond -- is obviously the
key question."
In the U.K., the FTSE 100 equity benchmark declined 0.2% after a
closely watched poll suggested that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's
Conservative Party is poised to secure a majority in next month's
general election. The British pound rose to a six-month high, and
is trading at about GBP0.85 to the euro.
Among the biggest gainers in Europe was Virgin Money. The
financial-services company advanced about 20% in London after
reporting some financial metrics including net interest margin and
capital measures that were better than analysts had expected.
Meanwhile, Rémy Cointreau slipped over 3% in Paris after the
French beverage company's fresh forecasts for the year disappointed
investors.
Write to Avantika Chilkoti at Avantika.Chilkoti@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 28, 2019 10:24 ET (15:24 GMT)
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