Tokyo's main index returns from the long weekend to finish near flat levels today
It's a bit of a mixed bag in Asia as Japanese stocks are playing catch up to the events in Saudi Arabia so we're seeing O&G stocks do the heavy-lifting in Tokyo, offsetting geopolitical tensions that are weighing on risk sentiment elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Chinese stocks were more pressured due to domestic factors with the city protests still causing some unrest in the former while the latter is dragged down by disappointment that China did not lower its one-year lending rate earlier today.
The Hang Seng is down by 1.5% while the Shanghai Composite is down by 1.7% currently. The risk mood overall remains more cautious but nothing suggestive of major flows as we begin European trading. USD/JPY sits just a tad higher at 108.20 currently.