NEW YORK (AP) – The Latest on financial markets (all times local):
2:30 a.m.
Asian stocks are lower across the board Monday ahead of policy decisions by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan as well as major earnings reports and economic data from Japan and China expected later in the week.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.8 percent to 17,439.30. South Korea’s Kospi inched down 0.1 percent to 2,014.55. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.5 percent to 21,372.85, while the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.3 percent to 2,949.31. Trading was closed in Australia for ANZAC Day, a public holiday.
Central bank policy meetings in Japan and the U.S. are the focus of investors’ attention. It is unclear whether additional monetary easing is in store, but the meetings may provide indicators for what can be expected on interest rates in the future.
Benchmark U.S. crude fell 44 cents to $43.29 a barrel in New York. It lost 55 cents to $43.18 a barrel on Friday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 22 cents to $44.89.
In currency markets, the dollar gained to 111.18 yen from 109.48 yen late Friday in Asia. The euro fell to $1.1243 from $1.1303.
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