Asian markets mix as PBoC leaves benchmark interest rate unchanged

Earlier on Wednesday, the People’s Bank of China left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, as expected, and machinery orders in Japan showed a strong rebound from the previous month.

“Asian stocks seem happy to trade in a slightly negative range today, traders posting gains after the recent strong recovery, pending further direction from Europe and the United States,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst. from Asia and the Pacific to Oanda, in a note.

In Tokyo, the shares of Sony Financial Holdings
8729,
+ 23.43%
it exploded after Sony Corp.
6758,
-2.69%
said would absorb unity thanks to a public offer of $ 3.7 billion. Sony already owns around 65% of the financial activities. Lenovo shares in Hong Kong
992,
+ 4.56%
It appeared after the PC maker reported a sharp drop in quarterly revenues, but reported an expected increase in long-term demand for computers and data centers as more and more people work and follow online courses.

On Tuesday, the Center for Risk Studies at Cambridge University Judge Business School predicted that the global economy would lose up to $ 82 trillion over the next five years. The report says that medium-term forecasts require a loss of $ 26.8 trillion, or 5.3% of GDP, over five years.

Shares fell on Wall Street on Tuesday after a report questioned Moderna’s plight.
MRNA
-10.41%
candidate for the coronavirus vaccine. Dow Jones industrial average
DJIA
-1.58%
it fell 390.51 points, or 1.6%, to finish at 24,206.86, near a session low, while the S&P 500 index
SPX
-1.04%
he lost 30.97 points, or 1.1%, to finish at 2,922.94. The Nasdaq composite index
COMP,
-0.53%