Asian shares slip despite Wall St gains after Biden-Xi talks

Asian shares slip despite Wall St gains after Biden-Xi talks

SeattlePI.com

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TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Wednesday despite a rally on Wall Street after virtual talks between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.4% to 29,688.33. South Korea's Kospi fell 1.2% to 2,962.42. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.7% to 7,369.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.4% to 25,621.91, while the Shanghai Composite edged up 0.5% to 3,537.32.

The online talks between Biden and Xi late Monday U.S. time appeared to signal a step in the right direction but they did not yield any major steps toward resolving longstanding disputes over trade and other issues.

“Any concrete development from the meeting still awaits to be seen, but the amiable approach thus far in addressing issues from both parties pares down the risks of political tension in markets,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street as investors reviewed solid earnings reports from big retailers and a surprisingly strong report on consumer spending.

The government reported that Americans largely shrugged off higher prices last month and stepped up their spending at retail stores and online. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 1.7% in October. That’s the biggest gain since March and up from 0.8% in the previous month.

The S&P 500 index rose 0.4%, to 4,700.90 and is sitting just below the record it set on Nov. 8. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%, to 36,142.22. The Nasdaq rose 0.8%, to 15,973.86.

Technology stocks did much of the heavy lifting for the benchmark S&P 500, which had slightly more gainers than losers. Chipmaker Qualcomm rose 7.9%.

A wide range of companies that rely on consumer spending made solid gains. Home Depot rose 5.7% after the home improvement retailer...

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