Asian shares stumbled and oil prices fell on Tuesday as pessimism about world growth drove investors away from risky assets, while sterling ticked lower in the face of the latest twists and turns in the Brexit saga.
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares stumbled and oil prices fell on Tuesday as pessimism about world growth drove investors away from risky assets, while sterling ticked lower in the face of the latest twists and turns in the Brexit saga.
China got the week off to a shaky start on Monday after Beijing reported 2018 growth in the world’s second-largest economy slowed to its weakest pace in nearly 30 years. Adding to the air of caution, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its global growth forecasts and a survey showed increasing pessimism among business chiefs as trade tensions loomed.
The gloomy news highlighted the challenges facing policymakers globally as they tackle an array of current or potential crises, from the U. S.-China trade war to Brexit.
Spreadbetters point to another weak start for Europe. FTSE futures FFIc1 were off 0.2 percent while U. S. stock futures, which offer an indication of how Wall Street will open, were down about 0.7 percent. ESc1 1YMc1
In Asia, losses were led by Chinese shares, with the blue-chip index. CSI300 off 1.
