- EVs seek to regain sales momentum at Paris Motor Show
- NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon
- 'Unsustainable' housing crisis bedevils Spain's socialist govt
- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- Stocks diverge, oil retreats as China disappoints markets
- Trio wins economics Nobel for work on wealth inequality
- Ex-Stasi officer jailed over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
Hong Kong, Shanghai lead market losses as China rate cut falls flat
Stocks in Hong Kong and Shanghai led equity losses Tuesday as a smaller-than-forecast interest rate cut by China's central bank added to worries about the lack of action to kickstart the country's lumbering economic recovery.
The optimism that fed last week's rally across world markets appears to be fading as traders are left disappointed by Beijing's efforts to act, even as growth slows and weakness persists.
The People's Bank of China reduced its benchmark five-year rate -- used to price mortgages -- by 10 basis points, less than the 15 points expected, though it did meet forecasts for a 15-point reduction in the one-year rate.
The move came after monetary policymakers last week lowered two other key rates and pumped billions into financial markets.
Stocks in Hong Kong dropped more than one percent, with tech firms -- which are susceptible to higher borrowing costs -- taking the brunt of the selling, while property companies also dropped. Shanghai was also in negative territory.
Robert Carnell, at ING, said that with the cuts being so small that "isn't going to do an awful lot to boost the struggling economy".
"Even with further reductions, and we expect more of the same in the coming months, perhaps several iterations of cuts, it is not likely that we will see demand for property swing around strongly, construction will likely remain weak, and local governments will continue to feel the pinch from reduced land sales and tight finances."
Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Mumbai, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta all dropped, though Tokyo, Sydney and Wellington rose.
London, Paris and Frankfurt all opened on the back foot.
The retreat extended Monday losses that were fuelled by frustration at the lack of detail from officials on measures to boost the economy, which has failed to recover since painful zero-Covid measures were removed at the end of last year.
There had been hope they would unveil help for the troubled property sector -- a crucial growth driver of GDP -- as well as consumer activity and youth unemployment.
Analysts said investors might have to wait for a key meeting headed by President Xi Jinping next month in Beijing for any major announcements.
But Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management warned that authorities' options were limited.
"Despite China's policy pipe dream, sky-high government leverage and constrained fiscal capacity make it virtually impossible for lawmakers to provide any meaningful policy stimulus that could help extend the growth cycle and revive confidence in the economy and asset markets," he said in a note.
"With no 'easy fix' on the horizon, the property market's weakness and its negative impact on the rest of the economy will likely persist."
China's decision to reduce rates contrasts with the United States and other Western countries, which have been forced into a series of interest rate hikes while reducing money supply to tame inflation.
"We have a very different story across the different regions as it relates to inflation, a post-Covid recovery and what that means from a monetary and fiscal perspective," Uma Moriarity, at Centersquare Investment Management, told Bloomberg Television.
Traders are also awaiting Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell's twice-yearly testimony to US lawmakers this week, looking for an idea about the state of the economy and officials' plans for rates.
The bank on Wednesday stood pat for the first time since starting its tightening campaign in March last year, citing a need to assess the impact of those moves.
In company news, Alibaba said it will replace its top boss in a surprise move at the e-commerce titan as it looks to recover from years of slow growth.
Chairman and CEO Daniel Zhang will be replaced by Joseph Tsai as chairman and Eddie Wu as CEO, the company said. Both appointments will take effect on September 10.
Its shares bounced on the news initially but soon fell back again.
- Key figures around 0715 GMT -
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 33,388.91 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.6 percent at 19,594.76
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,240.36 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 7,572.67
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0924 from $1.0925 on Monday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2775 from $1.2794
Dollar/yen: UP at 141.94 yen from 141.89 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 85.51 pence from 85.27 pence
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $70.94 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: FLAT at $76.09 per barrel
New York - Dow: Closed for public holiday
C.Smith--CPN