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Asian Stocks Drop to June Low as U.S. OKs Iraq Air Strike
By Yoshiaki Nohara and Jonathan Burgos Aug 8, 2014 11:24 AM GMT+0800 11 Comments Email Print
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-08/asian-stocks-extend-weekly-drop-as-ukraine-tensions-rise.html
Asian stocks dropped, with the regional benchmark index heading for a seven-week low, as U.S. President Barack Obama authorized air strikes in Iraq.
Nikon Corp. slumped 9.3 percent in Tokyo after the camera maker reduced its full-year profit forecast. Taiyo Yuden Co. plunged 9.7 percent as the Japanese maker of electronic components cut its first-half net-income target and posted a quarterly loss. Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. fell 1.6 percent in Singapore after the cargo carrier posted a wider second-quarter net loss.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index (MXAP) fell 1.4 percent to 144.04 as of 11:22 a.m. in Hong Kong, on course for a 2.5 percent loss this week and the lowest close since June 18. President Obama said he has authorized air strikes to prevent genocide in Iraq. U.S. troops will not be returning to Iraq, he said. The announcement heightened geopolitical risks as Russia retaliated against U.S. and European sanctions by banning some western food imports, with concern that President Vladimir Putin could ratchet up tensions by invading Ukraine.
“U.S. air strikes in Iraq could stir up more tensions in the region,” Desmond Chua, a strategist at CMC Markets in Singapore. “The geopolitical situation seems to be getting rougher every day. Given these high-risk events, investors should probably stay on the sidelines.”
Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 0.5 percent today. The measure dropped 0.6 percent yesterday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid to the lowest level since April as the Ukraine conflict offset better-than-estimated earnings and a drop in American jobless claims.
European Impact
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the risks to a recovery from conflicts including that in Ukraine are increasing. Headwinds facing the 18-nation euro area’s recovery are intensifying after Italy slipped back into recession and the standoff between Russia and the U.S. and its allies escalated into the worst such conflict since the Cold War.
“I’m concerned that the economic sanctions Russia has placed will have an impact on European growth,” said Stephen Halmarick, Sydney-based head of investment markets research at Colonial First State Global Asset Management, which oversees about $148 billion. “But economic data from the U.S. will continue to improve and benefit Asian shares, which is our medium-term view.”
Draghi has said large-scale asset purchases are an option for dealing with a severe economic shock, leaving investors seeking clarification on what the trigger could be.
Japan Stimulus
Japan’s Topix (TPX) index fell 2.5 percent. The Bank of Japan concluded a two-day meeting and said it’s maintaining current policy of expanding the nation’s monetary base by 60 trillion yen ($589.4 billion) to 70 trillion annually.
South Korea’s Kospi index dropped 1 percent. Taiwan’s Taiex index fell 0.9 percent. Singapore’s Straits Times Index sank 1 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 1.1 percent. New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index slipped 0.7 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 0.2 percent, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index added 0.3 percent.
A report today showed China’s exports in July increased 14.5 percent from a year earlier, exceeding economist estimates for a 7 percent increase. Imports unexpectedly dropped 1.6 percent, missing the 2.6 percent expansion predicted by economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Of the companies on the Asian stock gauge that released quarterly results from the beginning of July through yesterday and for which Bloomberg had estimates, 59 percent beat earnings expectations.
The Asia-Pacific gauge traded at 13.5 times estimated earnings as of yesterday compared with 16 for the S&P 500 and 14.8 for the Stoxx Europe 600 Index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
奥巴马授权美国空袭伊拉克极端武装
更新时间 2014年8月8日, 格林尼治标准时间02:19
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/08/140807_obama_us_air-strikes_iraq.shtml
美国总统奥巴马说，他已授权对伊拉克北部的伊斯兰极端武装ISIS目标实施定点空袭，前提是该武装对美国利益构成威胁。
但奥巴马表示，美国不会将地面部队派回伊拉克参战。
奥巴马说，美国之所以采取行动是为了防止发生针对少数族群的种族屠杀事件。
美国已对受到伊斯兰极端武装ISIS威胁的伊拉克地区提供人道援助的空投。
在伊斯兰极端武装ISIS占领了伊拉克基督教社区最大的城镇克拉克斯后，当地大多数伊拉克基督教徒已逃离家园。
美国官员说，美国向位于辛贾尔山外的少数族裔雅兹迪教派社区进行了空投。不少雅兹迪族人离开了家园，一些人在附近的山上躲避。
奥巴马表示，美国不能也不应该在世界上出现危机时就出手干预。但美国可以“谨慎和负责地”采取行动，阻止种族屠杀事件的发生。
奥巴马说：“今天，我们将伸出援手”。他表示，美国的空袭将瞄准伊斯兰极端武装ISIS士兵，他们一旦向埃尔比勒进发，就将遭到空袭。
奥巴马还说，美国能够而且应该支持把稳定带给伊拉克的温和力量。
早些时候，联合国安理会就伊拉克局势进行了磋商。
美国驻联合国代表格兰特说，安理会成员国呼吁国际社会支持伊拉克政府和人民，并尽一切可能减轻伊拉克目前冲突对当地居民所造成的痛苦。
联合国秘书长潘基文说，他对目前的局势“深感震惊”。与此同时，美国警告说，伊拉克境内的少数民族境况正变成“人道灾难”。
在库尔德人武装周三撤离尼尼微省的克拉克斯后，ISIS连夜占领了该市。
联合国说，在辛贾尔山遭ISIS围困的约50,000名伊拉克亚兹迪教成员，现在已经被解救了出来。
逊尼派穆斯林极端武装组织ISIS控制了伊拉克和叙利亚的部分地区，并在那里成立了一个伊斯兰国IS。
（编译/责编：萧尔）
本帖最后由 icy97 于 8-8-2014 12:45 PM 编辑
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